Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance endorse county, state politicians

LAKEWOOD RANCH — The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance announced last week its first round of endorsements for the 2012 election.

The organization, which represents nearly 500 local businesses and their employees, on Nov. 30 announced its support of the following candidates: Tom Knight for Sarasota County sheriff; Brad Steube for Manatee County sheriff; Ed Brodsky for state attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit; Larry Eger for public defender for the 12th Judicial Circuit; and Vanessa Baugh for District 5 Manatee County commissioner.
Members of the Alliance’s Governmental Affairs Committee interviewed all contenders for the seats and made their recommendations, based on an unbiased scoring system, to the Alliance’s Board of Directors. The board voted unanimously on the recommendations Nov. 17.

“The interviews are really the starting point by which we determine the objectives of what each candidate is looking to accomplish in our greater community,” incoming Alliance President Brian Volner said. “We are looking to be that voice of our community, so we want to make sure there is an alignment there between our political candidates and what’s going to be in the best interest of the greater Lakewood Ranch community.

“It’s important to know the recommendations and the endorsements, without question, have absolutely nothing to do with political affiliation,” he said. “We are a very pro-business organization. We are looking for those candidates who we believe will best serve the community as a whole.”

After the start of the new year, the governmental affairs committee will interview other political candidates in preparation for the Alliance’s next round of endorsements, although no interviews have yet been set, said Craig Cerreta, chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee.

Cerreta said the Alliance plans to announce endorsements in the coming months, likely in groups of five or six candidates, so the organization can better support its candidates of choice. Even though interested persons can file to run for seats in the November 2012 election until June 1, historically, candidates who wait to file have less of a chance of being elected, he said.

The Alliance announced the formation of a Committee of Continuous Existence, an entity that will allow the Alliance to raise money for pro-business political candidates and causes, in October. Moving forward, the CCE will provide a vehicle by which the Alliance can host fundraisers for its preferred candidates or make contributions to their campaigns.

The CCE, called Pro Business Ranch, is its own entity with its own board of directors, however it is under the guidance of the Alliance. The CCE will be funded by voluntary donations identified for the CCE.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].