Deadline to apply for Longboat Key boards is April 24

The deadline to apply for openings on four town advisory boards or committees and Longboat Key’s seat on a county advisory board is 5 p.m. April 24.

Openings exist on the Planning & Zoning Board, the Code Enforcement Board, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Citizens Tax Oversight Committee and the Sarasota County Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail Advisory Committee.

Applicants must be registered voters in the town and would be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of their appointment and annually for the duration of their service, as required by state law. Appointees cannot be town employees or currently serving as an elected official.

 The Planning & Zoning Board consists of seven members.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment consists of five members.

The Code Enforcement Board consists of seven members.

The Citizens Tax Oversight Committee consists of seven members, and appointments last for four years. Appointments to the other boards last for three years.

Applications to the boards are available at Town Hall. The Town Commission is scheduled to appoint members at its 1 p.m. May 6 regular meeting, which will be preceded at noon by a  Meet and Greet event for the applicants in Town Hall.

As with all boards and committees in town, including the Town Commission, the positions are voluntary and unpaid.

Here are the applicants thus far:

• Gary Ehlers, for Code Enforcement Board. Ehlers is a full-time resident and a retired treasurer/finance director of the town of Westminster. Md. According to his application, filed March 16 with the town, Ehlers served as deputy code officials for the town of Westminster as part of his role as treasurer/finance director. In his application, he writes “I have a vast understanding of municipal government code enforcement and fiduciary responsibility for such programs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a masters in management.
• Leonard Garner, for Planning & Zoning Board. Garner is a full-time resident. He’s a current member of the board and is applying for a new three-year term. Garner is a retired developer and contractor with 60 years in the field, according to his application. He holds a bachelors degree from the Wharton School and holds Florida licenses as a general contractor and a plumbing contractor. He applied for the position on March 22.
• Jack Wilson, for Code Enforcement Board. Wilson is a full time resident and a retired CEO of a self-owned company. He currently serves on the Code Enforcement Board and is applying for a new, three-year term. He’s also a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Wilson ran for Town Commission in 2018, losing to Commissioner Irwin Pastor for one of two at-large seats. He applied for the board on March 18.