Republican Club of Longboat Key welcomes Bridget Ziegler

The Republican Club of Longboat Key met Oct. 20 for the first time since April.

Sarasota County School Board Member Bridget Ziegler spoke about her work with the board.

Ziegler, known for her fiscally conservative politics, was appointed to the board in June 2014 and was elected last November.

“There needs to be quality people on the board with quality oversight,” Ziegler said.

One of her current priorities is moving the School Tax Referendum from March to next year’s general election in November. She said it would save taxpayers approximately $300,000.

“Voter turnout is rapidly declining, and to hold this in a March election doesn’t make sense,” Ziegler said. “I’m trying to do what we can to move it to November.”

Ziegler helped found the Florida Coalition of School Board Members, which allows low-income families to send their children to private school if the public school is not meeting their needs.

“I like the idea of a parent being in the driver’s seat of their child’s education,” Ziegler said.

Sarasota County School Board Member Ziegler asked members of the Republican Club of Longboat Key if they had children attending school. No one raised his or her hand.

“Most Longboat residents don’t have students, but they’re supportive of being financially supportive of districts,” Ziegler said. “But they want to know how that money is being used. Just because you don’t have a child in the system now doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect you.”

This year, the Republican Club moved its time and location of its meetings, from a Friday luncheon at Portofino Restaurant to a Tuesday dinner at the Longboat Key Club. Meetings are from 5:30 to 7:30 on the third Tuesday of every month through April, at the Longboat Key Club’s John Ringling Room, 220 Sands Point Road.