School Board District 5: Carpenter v. Radebach

MANATEE -- With long-time School Board Member Walter Miller stepping down, the Manatee County School Board District 5 seat is up for grabs.

Answering the call are two new faces, two women with different backgrounds.

Karen Carpenter, 67, who worked at a non-profit child abuse prevention agency and is a volunteer with Americorps VISTA, went back to school to get a law degree at age 57.

Jennifer Radebach, 39, is a former schoolteacher and private school owner who became a co-owner of a construction company.

Both are mothers and seek to bring a diversity to the board.

With her background in non profits and law, Carpenter wants to bring legal expertise to the board and an understanding of state and federal education policies.

With her background in education, Radebach wants to see public schools in Manatee County give every student a uniformed, quality education, and more partnerships with businesses.

So far, the editorial boards of the Bradenton Herald, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the East County Observer have endorsed Radebach as their pick for the seat.

But Miller, and the Manatee Education Association, the local teachers union, are not endorsing either candidate.

”I really don’t know anyone in depth, to take one over the other,“ Miller said. ”I feel blessed that we have two good candidates.“

Said MEA President Pat Barber: ”The MEA board interviewed all the candidates and we determined those two candidates are the two best choices. ÉThe decision for no endorsement in District 5 was due to the fact that both candidates seem like they would do a good job, so there was not a clear choice for us in that race.“

Radebach has raised $14,715 for her campaign coffers, with donations from many real estate companies, while Carpenter raised $9,045, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website.