Commission to bring members on boards

Serving on a town board doesn’t come with the instant claim to fame that a seat on the Longboat Key Town Commission brings. But, although they may spend less time in the spotlight, board members play a key role in town issues.

Before Publix and the Longboat Key Club and Resort made their cases for redevelopment to the commission, they went before the Planning & Zoning Board.

Fail to cut your grass or follow turtle lighting requirements? The town’s code enforcement will usually work with you, but if you don’t comply, you’ll find yourself before the Code Enforcement Board (CEB).

The commission will determine who will serve on four seats of the town’s boards at its Monday, May 7 regular meeting.

Competition is stiffest for the Planning & Zoning Board, which has drawn six applicants for three seats.
Seeking reappointment are current board members Phineas Alpers, an architect for more than 30 years; Leonard Garner, who works in real-estate development, management and construction; and John Wild, who previously served as council member and mayor of Wildwood, Mo.

Also seeking P&Z terms:

Semiretired Alexandria, Va., city planner Larry Grossman, who also applied for re-appointment to the Citizens Oversight Tax Committee (COTC); Ed Krepela, who works as a sales-and-engineering manufacturer’s representative and has also served as mayor and police commissioner of Ocean Beach Fire Island, N.Y.; and current Zoning Board of Adjustment member Andrew Aitken, a pilot and environmental consultant, has applied for seats on the P&Z Board and ZBA but has indicated that P&Z is his top choice.
Gaele Barthold, an attorney who also serves as co-president of the Longboat Key Public Interest Committee, and Thomas Bijou, who wrote on his application that he is a retired manager and has extensive construction experience, have both applied for reappointment to the ZBA.

Kenneth Gorman, who wrote that his occupation was in finance and is an owner/investor in the media industry, has applied for the ZBA, Code Enforcement Board or any pension board.

Current CEB Chairman Robert Krosney Jr., who listed his occupation as president/CEO of Madison Detective Bureau, applied for reappointment to both the CEB and COTC. Glenn Peterson, an engineer, also applied for reappointment to the CEB.

Burt Rosenfield, a retired insurance-company president, has also applied for re-appointment to the COTC.
Many past and present commissioners made their Town Hall debuts on town boards: Mayor Jim Brown and Vice Mayor David Brenner both served on the P&Z Board. Commissioner Pat Zunz was a ZBA member. Commissioner Phill Younger served on the CEB. And Commissioner Lynn Larson was a police pension board trustee.

And, although a board seat doesn’t bring the same level of fame that a commission seat carries, it promises similar fortune: Like commissioners, board members make $0 per year, with no cost-of-living adjustments.