Full Story: Rajewski raises $800 in December for race

Longboat Key Town Commission District 3 candidate Ray Rajewski raised $800 during December, according to a Florida Department of State Division of Elections Campaign Treasurer’s Report Summary released last week by the Town Clerk’s office. The records show that Rajewski, a resident of The Bayou at Bay Isles, has gotten an early start on fundraising compared to incumbent Vice Mayor David Brenner, who did not report contributions in his summary.

Brenner told the Longboat Observer that he plans to begin actively campaigning for the March 20 election sometime after the Republican primary, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 31.

“Any emphasis we’ve been making has been on getting after people who may be voting absentee,” Brenner said. “We’re trying to get out the word to groups like Condo Fed about how easy it is to vote absentee.”

Brenner described development on Key issues as “stagnant” and said that his campaign platform will center on what kind of future voters want for the island.

Rajewski was unavailable for comment. However, in November, after confirming his candidacy, he expressed concern about recent events on the island, including the resignation of longtime Town Manager Bruce St. Denis and changes to town code that he believes have been made to accommodate projects such as the Longboat Key Club and Resort’s $400 million Islandside redevelopment plan or a proposed cellular tower.

Both Brenner and Rajewski reported campaign expenditures of just $1.30 for the last six months of 2011, both paid to the Sarasota Supervisor of Elections Office for petition verification.

The next campaign reports are due Feb. 3 and will cover the period of Jan. 1 through Jan. 27.

The District 3 seat is the only contested race in the town’s general election. Commissioners Lynn Larson, Hal Lenobel and Pat Zunz will run unopposed for re-election.

Voter information
The deadline for voter registration for the March 20 general election is Feb. 21. Absentee ballots are available to registered voters through the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, votemanatee.com, for Manatee County residents and the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office, sarasotavotes.com, for Sarasota County residents. Requests for absentee ballots must be made by 5 p.m. the sixth day before an election — i.e., the Wednesday before a Tuesday election.