Pastor triumphs over Linde for at-large seat

Last year, Irwin Pastor lost his first bid for a commission seat by 27 total votes when he didn’t capture the votes needed in the Manatee County portion of the island.

In 2014, though, Pastor got exactly 27 more votes on the Manatee County portion of the island than opponent Armando Linde. But he didn’t need them because he won by 440 votes.

Pastor, 71, became the new face on the Longboat Key Town Commission when Town Clerk Trish Granger informed him he received 60.2% of the vote, or 1,300 votes, compared with challenger Armando Linde’s 39.8%, or 860 votes.

Pastor stayed in his L’Ambiance condominium until he got the phone call from Granger. His wife, Sylvia, greeted guests with champagne in a L’Ambiance first-floor party room until he arrived.

“We’ve had four kids, but somehow waiting for this seems more difficult,” Sylvia Pastor said.

Just after 7:30 p.m., a calm-looking Pastor walked into his party to congratulations and hugs from supporters after he broke the news to his family.

Pastor, the former vice president of the Islandside Property Owners Coalition (IPOC), which successfully challenged the Longboat Key Club’s former redevelopment and expansion project, called last year’s election “history” when asked to compare the two elections.

“This campaign was about the future of Longboat Key and promoting positive change Key-wide,” Pastor said.

Pastor was the man behind the scenes of IPOC the past few years and its unofficial Key Club project mediator expert.

But he resigned from his post before running for commission and urged the community to realize he was just part of a group that thought the club’s former project was too massive. Pastor stressed in his campaign that he was for sensible changes to the town’s codes and Comprehensive Plan. Pastor says Islandside residents will also support a future Key Club project expected through a new ownership group as long as it is sensible development.

To shed what he perceives as a misguided IPOC label, Pastor has attended virtually every meeting at Town Hall, spoken with residents and attended community meetings for months. He studied up on town codes and demonstrated a knowledgeable grasp of Key-wide issues this election season.

“I wanted to demonstrate a willingness to bring this community together and a willingness to work with this commission,” Pastor said. “This was a win for everyone, and the race my opponent and I ran showed how you can be polite and work together on this Key.”

Pastor, a businessman with roots in several companies, including Pepsi-Cola Bottling Corp., said he has experience needed to lead and garner business support for a town center.

“I’m ready to help make a difference in any way I can,” Pastor said.

Linde learned the results at his Country Club Shores home and congratulated Pastor on his victory.
“I want to congratulate him not only because of his win but because of the way he ran his campaign,” Linde said.

Of the four candidates, Linde was the only first-time candidate. Commissioner Terry Gans has served on the commission since 2012, and Pastor and Ray Rajewski ran for seats previously.

Linde said he met many new people who supported his message “about the need to shore up our finances, improve our infrastructure and work on our zoning code and Comprehensive Plan within reason.”

“People welcome those with a message that makes sense, the idea of looking at your resources before you spend money,” Linde said.

While Tuesday marked the end of the election, for Linde it marked the beginning of his town involvement.
Said Linde: “I’m no longer the new face.”

This year, 2,243 total votes were cast Key-wide in the municipal election, with 36.29% of the town’s 6,181 registered voters casting a ballot.

In last year’s March election, 2,509 total votes were cast Key-wide, with 40.06% of the town’s voters casting a ballot.

There were 568 votes cast on Election Day this year for two races, compared with 917 votes cast on Election Day 2013 for three commission races.

Early voting drew 1,121 voters from March 10 through March 22 to Town Hall. When combined with absentee vote totals through March 22, at least 1,656, or 26.76% of the town’s 6,181 registered voters cast ballots early for the election.