Two Competitive School Board Races Will Give Voters a Chance for Change

BRADENTON – The qualification deadline has passed and while one race failed to draw a single opposition candidate, the other two school board races on August’s ballot will feature a total of seven candidates. School board races are nonpartisan. If no candidate gets a majority of votes, the top two vote-getters square off in a runoff election in November.

In the race to fill the District 1 seat being vacated by Bob Gause, longtime Gause critic and government watchdog Linda Schaich, who came up short in her bid to unseat Gause in 2012, will once again look to get on the board after campaigning for greater transparency and better fiscal management. Schaich’s grassroots campaign has managed an impressive $16,340 through the end of June.

Schaich faces competition from Ed Viltz, a former teacher and executive board member at the Manatee PAL’s charter school, where he helped execute an impressive turnaround, despite considerable challenges. Viltz, who also brings decades of corporate executive experience to the table, has brought in a little over $25,000 through June.

Former teacher and Manatee County native Gina Messenger is also in the running for the seat. Messenger, who taught at challenging title 1 schools outside of Manatee County before returning home to raise children, has put up a little less than $6,000 through June. The top fundraiser in the contest has been Xtavia Bailey. Bailey, whose husband was a candidate for Supervisor of Elections in 2012 and sits on the SCF Board of Governors, has put together nearly $33,000 so far.

In District 3, embattled incumbent Dave Miner faces a tough, uphill battle for a second term. Miner’s first four years have been marred by controversial votes and personal grudges. He’s lost much of his 2012 base and has struggled to match the fundraising success of some of the other candidates, bringing in a little under $10,000 in monetary contributions (Miner lists another $14,250 in "in kind" contributions, much of which is services from his one-attorney practice in west Bradenton).

Misty Servia launched her campaign for the District 3 seat early and has run a very active campaign thus far. Servia, who has been critical of the current board’s fiscal management, has raised over $34,000 in financial contributions. However, what looked like a two-way race became more complicated with the late entrance of West Bradenton banker Charles Conoley. Conoley, who was also critical of the district’s recent financial debacles, says his skill sets would be a valuable asset. Conoley has raised just under $5,000 so far and his candidacy makes a November runoff much more likely.

In District 5, John Colon will keep his seat uncontested. Colon was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott last year, following the death of board member Mary Cantrell. Scott angered many activists by leaning on politically-connected developers Carlos Beruff and Pat Neal to advise on the appointment after they conducted interviews with many of the applicants. Colon has fought hard against reinstating developer impact fees and could now be in office for five years before he is given a mandate by voters. (EDITOR'S CORRECTION: John Colon must stand for reelection again in 2018. His appointment only lasts until the next election (Nov. 2016) because the board member he replaced had served fewer than two years; however, he then takes on the district's normal election schedule).