As promised, here is part two of the campaign Substacks. Last week, we discussed the inevitable attacks. This week, we’ll look at the facts behind the records.
Our campaign may not have the full funding of Kevin Van Ostenbridge’s campaign because we don’t have a few special interests self-servingly trying to buy my way back onto the Board to do their bidding. Fortunately, I don’t believe that level of funding should be necessary due to the unique aspect of our race. For the first time in memory, after Kevin ran away from his district, our race is between two incumbent candidates.
Unlike traditional challengers, we have votes on record and we have years of service for you to look back on to make an educated and informed decision. You don’t have to wait for fake, revisionist history narratives on glossy mailers. You can independently do your own research and determine who you’d rather have representing your interests for another four years…and who hasn’t been representing your interests these past four years.
To get you started, I’ve compiled a small sample of highlights below. I’ve attached links to previous Substacks where available.
Gutting our Wetland Buffers
The board voted 6-1 to ignore your future water quality, our environment and inevitable storm issues to hand over free land to developers and mining companies. This was against 100% public opposition.
f you see a mailer from any other board member claiming they care about your water quality or your environment, ask yourself why they’d approve this against the facts that were presented to us. Ask yourself why they’d claim it was a communist view to actually put the public interests over development interests.
Tunnel 2 Towers Pushback
The rest of the board pushed back on allowing a nationally-respected Veteran and First Responder nonprofit from providing housing for our deserving homeless and near-homeless veterans. It took over a year to finally get approval after all the games they played, including conveniently keeping commissioners off the dais for an important vote. How many of our veterans had to sleep outside without support services for a year longer than necessary due to these games they played?
Ultimately, and thankfully, this amazing project I worked hard to bring into Manatee County was approved after they exhausted all avenues to deny it for their handlers. This included conducting a “West Bradenton Homeless Shelter” town hall where Kevin’s Astroturf proxies claimed alcoholics and drug addicts would move in and literally kill people.
Fees to Cover Growth
There are two fees that are ‘supposed’ to cover the cost of growth and development so you, the existing resident of Manatee County, don’t have to.
One is the Facility Investment Fees, which are used to ensure we have adequate water capacity and utility infrastructure in the future. We all know that’s not keeping up. I tried to motion to get a new study completed to adjust these fees, but Kevin and the rest of the board refused to second the motion or even entertain a discussion about having the developers pay for their fair share of our limited water capacity.
The second, far more discussed fees, are the massively underfunded Impact Fees. I won’t go into detail here as I’ve been pushing to increase these fees since I got on the board and I’ve written FOUR Substacks on this topic, which you can find here, here, here, and here.
Needless to say, when those paying these fees are the same as those funding your campaign, the conflict of interest is quite large.
Any board member, Kevin or otherwise, who sends you a mailer claiming they’re “making the developers pay their fair share” or “voting for the maximum allowed by the State” are flat out lying to you. These aren’t even half truths.
This one is coming back DURING the campaign on August 8. Hope to see you there!
Development As Far as the Eye can See
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Manatee County clearly has been in hyper-growth mode for quite some time. My opponent and other incumbents will send you mailers claiming they’re going to “stem the tide of growth” and focus on “smart growth”. Have they followed through when an actual vote was on the table?
Our comprehensive plan was modified to include Policy 2.1.2.8 back in 2022. It was intended to very selectively allow for development east of the Future Development Area Boundary Line. I voted against transmitting this policy to the State for lack of information. It passed anyway and is now in our Plan. We have come to realize how destructive this policy is to our land and to your tax dollars. I have motioned at least three times to rescind Policy 2.1.2.8 until it could be better assessed. Kevin and the board have refused to second a motion for discussion. The policy, and its detrimental effects, remain today.
The most destructive of the developments taking advantage of this policy was East River Ranch. A development proposal so vast and out of character with the rest of our growth that even FDOT commented that approval would fundamentally break our primary state roads. Nonetheless, that proposal passed this board 6-1 on May 24, 2023.
While all this was going on, the board decided to use the distraction to double down on the development community by attempting to replace our veteran interim County Administrator with the President of a developer lobbyist group.
Once again, that motion passed with little to no discussion 6-1. Fortunately for all of us, contract negotiation is not a skillset of one of our commissioners and that ultimately fell through. However, the fact that they tried and the fact that the motion was made off-agenda and NO ONE else on the board questioned it or even batted an eye, should give you pause.
Power, Control & Vengeance
This board, captained by my opponent, has taken unprecedented steps to consolidate power and control in Manatee County. Inevitably, it’s always been a 6-1 vote because I actually believe in the traditional conservative tenants of smaller government, free markets and the personal freedoms of others.
This board used state influence to supersede the local home rule of a municipality to force a proposed parking garage onto the beaches of Anna Maria Island. This parking garage is not only pointless and wasteful, but it’s being done to the detriment of all our citizens. It will cause expensive paid parking, increased traffic and massive disruption. All for no other reason than to prove they can.
The board pushed to take over a successful Beach Market from a private citizen because she was too successful and the County wanted to reap the rewards of this market. Why a government feels they can, or should, run a beach market is beyond me. I spoke out against this to no avail.
On September 12, 2023, the board moved to take over all historical museums and sites from the Clerk of the Court, who’s office has been overseeing these properties without incident since the 1980s. This was a direct attack on the Clerk for daring to do her job and pointing out blatant financial violations by our then Chair, my now opponent. This transfer is sure to cost you more of your tax dollars for inferior service. But it served the purpose of the board to let Constitutional Officers know they are not to question this board or their actions, however unethical.
As mentioned in last week’s Substack, this board has actively attempted, at times successfully, to exert its will over people and entities to consolidate power. From the 6-1 vote to give it authority to sue the federal government with your tax dollars to manipulating resolutions to give it authority to attack nonprofits at their sole discretion, the end goal has been to achieve absolute control over your county.
More recently, on May 28, 2024, the board, on a 6-1 vote, turned over $840,000 of YOUR money to a new Supervisor of Elections with zero support for the request. The new SOE is part of their team and his “success” is more important than your tax dollars. It’s a new office for them to take control over as they spread and expand their power.
As we’ll discuss next week, the outside direction of these end goals is not to be questioned by the “team” and it’s carried out by one board member.
Fighting Back Against Past Boards and Current Residents
Immediately after the 2022 election, the new board members came in. This turned what was a 3-3 board with my swing vote into a 6-1 board who no longer needed to consider common sense options in the best interest of your county or our citizens. There was no longer a risk of their crazy, power hungry ideas being voted down.
One of the first meetings of the new board in January 2023, they brought up reversing a long-past vote of the board to reinstate the confederate monument in front of the courthouse. My opponent seconded the motion. Fortunately, they forgot to bring this back up when it was originally put on the agenda immediately before Black History Month (you can’t make this up anymore).
After that, as mentioned last week, they moved to unwind a past vote to ban the retail sale of dogs and cats against the will of a previous board. The successful ban passed 4-3. The motion to rescind it passed 6-1.
If they’re not fighting past boards, they’re fighting you, the residents this board is supposed to represent and listen to.
In 2022, Kevin unilaterally ended call-in comments while he was Chair. This was a successful way for citizens to have a say in their government without needing to take time off work or sit downtown all day waiting for their three minutes. This has become more problematic as votes and items have appeared last minute on agendas, if they hit the agenda at all. I've tried to reinstate these numerous times. One time, I thought I had it but then we took a break and, when we came back, no one wanted them anymore.
The "administration" shut down comments on all social media posts from the county. This is another attempt, supported by Kevin and the board, to silence your involvement in your government. I've tried to make motions to bring these comments back without being able to get a second or have a meaningful discussion.
I've pushed over and over to get members seated on various advisory boards so they can meet quorum, including the library board and animal welfare board. No one will seat them to allow them to function. Kevin specifically said he only wants “like minded” individuals on these boards so he can continue to live in his echo chamber.
The above is just a sample as it does not include numerous developments like housing abutting our water supply, a recent third now-successful attempt at the Concession development or 99 townhomes on wetlands and a waterway. The fight to represent you has been one-sided…and not in your favor.
Virtually every item above was lost 6-1 with Kevin and the board he controls on the side against you, the public. All my votes were on the side of the public; each with a focus on smaller government and fiscal conservatism.
These are not campaign points. These are simply facts. Once we’ve represented the people for four years, we’ve lost the ability to blatantly lie about our views and our priorities. An educated, informed voter base can determine those on their own; without endless mailers and ads telling you to reject the evidence to the contrary.
Do your research on the past. Determine, based on real information, who has represented you these past years and who you trust to represent you these future years.
See you all next week for the final Campaign Substack where we will explain exactly what’s at stake in 2024 and why they’re willing to spend “unlimited” funds to achieve it.
George Kruse is the Manatee County Commissioner for District 7, one of two countywide "at-large" seats on the board. He was recently endorsed by TBT in August's Republican primary. This column was originally published in his blog, For Lack of a Second. Click here to subscribe.
