News Briefs

+ Rajewski qualifies for commission seat
Bayou resident Ray Rajewski is the first candidate in the Longboat Key March 2014 general election to turn in all of his paperwork and qualify for a seat.

Rajewski is running for the District 3 seat that Vice Mayor David Brenner will vacate. Rajewski ran two years ago and lost to Brenner.

Other seats up for election in March are Commissioner Lynn Larson’s District 1 seat, Commissioner Terry Gans’ at-large seat and District 5 Commissioner Pat Zunz’s seat.

Larson, Gans and Zunz have all picked up paperwork to run for their seats again.

Blue Dolphin Café owner William Robert Ball and James Armstrong have also picked up paperwork.

To qualify, candidates must turn in two sets of paperwork to the Town Clerk’s office and be certified by the county in which they reside.

Deadline to qualify for the March 2014 election is noon Nov. 18.

+ New Longboat Key police cars hit the street
The town of Longboat Key’s new police vehicles, which include a new paint scheme and a new model, hit the streets Oct. 9.

On Oct. 7, commissioners approved reallocating infrastructure surtax funds to provide the $356,000 needed to purchase three all-wheel drive SUVs and one patrol car this year, followed by two patrol cars, one SUV and one detective vehicle in 2014. The SUVs will help police patrol neighborhoods during severe flooding and after major storms.

+ Public invited to meet ULI panelists
The public is invited to meet members of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) advisory panel that will conduct a planning initiative for Longboat Key.

The reception will take place at 5:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, at the Longboat Key Hilton Beachfront Resort, 4711 Gulf of Mexico Drive. RSVPs are not necessary.

The panel consists of Chairman Kamerun Gurol, director of community development of Sammamish, Wash.; Bill Clarke, planning consultant, Ross, Calif.; Donna Lewis, planning director, Mercer County, N.J.; David Panagore, executive director, New Haven Parking Authority in New Haven, Conn.; and Kenneth Voigt, Ayres Associates design consulting firm in Waukesha, Wis.

Meetings & agendas
Town Commission Regular Workshop — 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21.
Town Commission Regular Meeting — 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4.
Code Enforcement Board Regular Meeting — 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11.
Town Commission Regular Workshop — 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13.

All meetings take place at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, unless otherwise noted.