David Brenner, candidate for the District 3 seat of the Longboat Key Town Commission, spoke to the Longbeach Village Association last night at the group’s monthly meeting.

Brenner told the audience that his background, including his past role as finance director for the city of Philadelphia, has prepared him to be a commissioner.

“The commission has little or no leadership,” Brenner said. “There seems to be no recognition that the world is changing.”

Brenner criticized the Dec. 8 vote by the Town Commission to change term-limit rules by allowing commissioners to serve three consecutive, two-year terms in addition to any time served as a partial term.

“The spirit … was six years is enough,” Brenner said. “We, the citizens, would like to see turnover.”

Brenner also expressed disproval of Monday’s vote to eliminate early voting, saying that more than 50% of voters in last week’s preliminary election voted early.

Brenner said he didn’t have a problem with a revised renovation-and-expansion plan presented by the Longboat Key Club and Resort Jan. 29, if both Key Club officials and Islandside Property Owners Coalition members approve of it.

When asked what he would do to help the Village maintain its character, Brenner said that Village residents need to tell him what they want.

“Everything that I know is second-hand,” Brenner said.

Brenner is running against District 3 Commissioner Peter O’Connor, who is seeking his third term in office.

Contact Robin Hartill at rhartill@yourobserver.com.
 

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