Younger qualifies for at-large commission seat

Longboat Key resident Phillip Younger is an official candidate for the at-large commission seat currently held by Commissioner Hal Lenobel.

Town Clerk Trish Granger confirmed Friday, Sept. 11 that the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office has confirmed Younger’s petition certification paperwork.

Lenobel has picked up paperwork at Town Hall for his second two-year term, but has yet to submit certification paperwork to the supervisor of elections office.

Lenobel told The Longboat Observer he has not yet decided whether he will run for a second term.
If Lenobel does run, it will be the first time he has ever been challenged for a commission seat.

Younger is currently a code enforcement board member and serves on the board of directors for the Longboat Key Public Interest Committee.

Along with Key resident Lenny Landau, Younger also presented a 2009-10 budget study earlier this year that showed that, in their opinions, the town has the potential for $920,000 in budget reductions.

Younger became the third commission candidate to become certified for a commission seat.

Vice Mayor and District 5 Commissioner Robert Siekmann and District 3 Commissioner Peter O’Connor have been certified for their third and final two-year terms. Neither candidate’s seat has been contested yet for the March 2010 general election.

And, Mayor Lee Rothenberg’s District 1 seat will also be available this March because he will term-limit out. Commissioners are only eligible for three consecutive two-year terms.

Other potential candidates for the March election include former Planning and Zoning Board Chairman David Brenner and IPOC Chairman Bob White, who both have yet to decide whether they will vie for a commission seat.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].