Longboat welcomes new commissioners to their seats

At Monday's meeting, two new commissioners were sworn in to begin their service on the Longboat Key Town Commission. 

Gary Coffin has taken over Sherry Dominick’s District 1 seat and Deborah Murphy has taken Maureen Merrigan’s District 5 spot. Mayor Ken Schneier kept his District 3 seat. 

“We have two highly qualified, highly motivated individuals in Gary Coffin and Deborah Murphy, who will join us today, and I am sure will continue the tradition of dedicated service that Longboat Key deserves and has come to expect,” Schneier said. “During their periods as commissioners-elect, each has gone above and beyond to prepare for their roles up here and we welcome them unconditionally.”

Neither earned their seat from a contested election, which is far from uncommon in the town. 

The last time an election was contested was in 2018. Since then, every individual that has shown interest in serving on the commission and submitted the necessary paperwork for qualification has been automatically slated to take the spot they were seeking.

There was potential for a contested election this year when Jeff Lenobel qualified for election of the District 1 seat alongside Coffin, but once the qualifying period closed, Lenobel withdrew his name from the race. 

Given that elections are what make the United States a democracy and that contested elections allow for voters to make a choice between potentially different perspectives on important issues facing a town, city or nation, it begs a question: what does the lack of contested races mean for the commission and the town as a whole?

One way to look at it, said Town Manager Howard Tipton, is that if the board is without contested elections, then residents may be without issue with who is on the board, the way it is run or the decisions that are made. 

If residents were unhappy with the town, it may lead to more people stepping up in hopes of making a difference and changing policy direction. 

“I think the way that I would read the community’s reaction to (uncontested elections) is that folks who have applied seem to be extraordinarily well-qualified,” Tipton said. “They seem to be very satisfied with their credentials and the prospect of them serving. When you have that kind of quality it can result in this recent run of uncontested elections.”

Since the creation of the town’s annual citizen satisfaction survey about four years ago, results have continued to show that of the residents that take the survey, 98% of them are satisfied with the town and its services. 

Last year, commissioners discussed the potential for adding pay to the town charter in hopes of enticing people to serve on the commission and increase the number of contested elections. 

However, commissioners decided not to move forward with the change out of fear that people would run for the wrong reasons and because the amount proposed would likely not make a difference to the residents of the island. 

P&Z as stepping stone

The Planning and Zoning Board has acted as a pipeline straight to the commission for the majority over the years. 

In the new board, Coffin, BJ Bishop, Mike Haycock, Debra Williams, Penny Gold and Schneier had previously served on the Planning and Zoning Board. 

The board is often seen as a necessary step for commissioners as it helps to have the experience of deciphering large bodies of complicated text that usually accompany ordinances and site development plans that come before the commission on a regular basis. 

However, it is not a formal requirement that a commissioner serves on the board before taking a seat on the commission. 

Neither Merrigan or Dominick had previously served on the Planning and Zoning Board, but were touted for their skills and knowledge during time spent on the commission. 

Ending a term

Dominick and Merrigan’s final roles as commissioners were to sit in on the statutory meeting, which centered on the swearing in of new members and the start of another term as mayor for Schneier. 

Both women were met with well wishes and appreciation for their time serving on the commission for their respective terms. 

“The downside of today’s change is the loss of two exceptional commissioners,” Schneier said. 

Each commissioner had the opportunity to speak on their experience serving with Merrigan and Dominick. 

Merrigan’s time spent on the commission was marked by her relationship with Manatee County, which in turn was said to improve the town’s relationship as well. Dominick’s legal knowledge from serving as a lawyer in years past provided the commission with an attention to detail others didn’t possess, other commissioners said. 

“It’s been a really special privilege to serve for the last two years,” Merrigan said. “I know we’re in great hands with our new commissioners. Thank you all for making Longboat Key a wonderful home for all of us.” 

Dominick had similar reflections of her time on the commission. 

“Three years has gone by extremely fast,” she said. “I think it’s really owing to the kind of almost magical amalgamation of personalities that we have here that it's actually been a fun job.”

Both were gifted a plaque for their service, their official name tag that would typically sit on the dais and flowers.

After the new commissioners took their new seats, a mayor and vice mayor were selected for the next year. 

Schneier was unanimously selected to continue serving as the town’s mayor for another year. Commissioner Mike Haycock was selected as the new vice mayor in a 5-2 vote. Commissioner BJ Bishop and Debra Williams voted in favor of Williams taking on the role instead.