Response to TBT Endorsement in House D72 Race

Greetings Fellow Citizens of Manatee County. I am Richard Tatem, Colonel, USAF (retired), and a candidate in the August 20th primary election for the Republican nomination for Florida House District 72.

I am disappointed that no one from TBT reached out to me to discuss the information about me in the article “For the Florida House D72 Republican Primary, We Recommend Richard Green.” I have no issue with whom TBT endorses. Those are editorial decisions made at the discretion of TBT. However, I do take some exception with information in the article about the Manatee County School Board and about me. So, I am writing to provide more information on this topic by addressing comments made in the article.

· “A minor board.” Apparently, TBT maybe forgot that the Manatee County School System is by far the largest employer in Manatee County with approximately 6,250 employees, almost three times more employees than Manatee County Government, and with 42,000 traditional public-school students. The school system budget for FY 2024-2025 is approximately $1.5 billion. The school system has over 50 facilities that it operates, and it runs a transportation operation with approximately 100 daily bus routes during the school year (and a lesser amount during the summer). The Manatee County School Board also oversees Manatee Technical College and its approximately 1,200 annual enrolled students, and it provides some oversight for 15 charter schools in the county.

• “The retired Air Force officer did little to distinguish himself.” I invite my fellow citizens to read this article from Chris Anderson at the Sarasota Herald Tribune: “Opinion: The Manatee County School Board Actually Governs. Where is the fun in that?” This local journalist praises the board as a whole for being “a bunch of boring members…all they do is what they were elected to do.” In particular, Mr. Anderson praises me for attending a meeting with him and other parents concerning arts funding cuts. Mr. Anderson said, “Tatem attended the meeting and did something quite shocking: He actually listened to everyone's concerns and took notes. He did exactly what an elected official is supposed to do: He was present for the people he represents…he couldn’t have been more genuine.” In fact, I worked with the superintendent to restore a significant amount of funding to the arts programs in Manatee County Schools – and not just in my district. Also, I have helped dozens of families resolve difficulties they were having with the school system. I suspect that these families would not say that “Tatem has done little to distinguish himself.”

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/opinion/columns/2023/10/18/when-did-the-manatee-school-board-stop-fighting-in-parking-lots/71212890007/

  “There is nothing in his platform that distinguishes him from every other generic conservative already there claiming to do the same thing.” Apparently, whoever wrote this article did not watch the Tiger Bay debate, which is linked at the bottom of the article. In that debate, I made two specific and important proposals that none of my competitors – or anyone in the state house, apparently – is making. First, I stated that the skyrocketing cost of building schools must be stopped – and my proposal to do that is by reforming the SREF (state requirements for educational facilities) building code, which builders and architects tell me is too restrictive and drives up building costs. Charter schools are not bound by the SREF – and they cost about half as much to build. Second, I stated that unfunded/partially funded mandates from the state on local governments must be stopped, especially on school systems. Annually, the Manatee School System has tens of millions of dollars in unfunded/partially funded mandates from the state. Funding for all of these extra building costs and inadequately funded state mandates comes to a large extent from the local tax base – so if we want local taxes to come down, these reforms are absolutely necessary.

•         “Candidates who choose party loyalty over the voters' right to choose their elected officials show a willingness to subvert democracy that we find troubling, to say the very least.” This statement is laced with innuendos of malfeasance on my part. First, as I said, no one from TBT spoke to me at all about this issue. Second, if I had resigned early to force an election, I would have left my constituents without representation for six months during the important budget development season. I understand the argument about forcing an election, but for every constituent who said to me “force an election,” another one said “we elected you – we support your move to the statehouse, but stay and represent us as long as you can.” And third, the article insinuates that I did not resign early so that certain local builders could obtain a preferred appointment for the district 5 school board seat. In fact, those certain builders are working hard and spending a lot of money to defeat me in the house district 72 Republican primary election, as they see me as the primary threat to their candidate, Mr. Conerly. These builders' political consultant told me I was “out of the family” because I am not onboard with him and these certain builders. There is not any collusion on my part with anyone concerning the date I chose for my resignation. Good people can disagree about the points I made concerning my resignation selection date, but there is nothing nefarious going on behind the scenes on my part.

•         The article states that I am a “longshot to win.” We shall see. I am the only candidate in this race endorsed by a local elected official (Sheriff Wells), and I have other endorsements from around the state, including the influential Florida Family Action organization. The political attacks in this election, directed primarily against me, are coming from the dubiously named “Make America Great Again PC,” with a business address that matches the professional address of an elected official. It would be a curious thing for this PC to be expending tens of thousands of dollars attacking primarily me if I am a “long shot to win.”

I invite my fellow citizens to read the article I mention above from the Sarasota Herald Tribune, and to learn more about me at my campaign website, richtatem.com. Thank you for taking the time to read my comments. Aim High Florida!"