East County resident hopes to ignite commission

A former patrol officer and now a firefighter and paramedic at Longboat Key Fire Rescue Station 91, Thomas "Tom" Batchelor's resume shows he has a passion for helping others.

Now 54 years old, Batchelor plans to retire in June from nearly three decades fighting fires and helping treat injured individuals. But, he plans to serve his community in another way, by challenging Vanessa Baugh for the District 5 Manatee County Commission seat.

So far, he is Baugh's only competition in the 2016 General Election.

Although he's facing an incumbent who has held the position for three years, Batchelor doesn't see himself as the underdog.

He is running as a nonpartisan candidate, but describes himself as a fiscal conservative and a moderate on other issues. The East County resident plans to ramp up his campaign efforts next summer, by mailing letters to local homeowners association groups and speaking at local events.

"I don't want to be stereotyped and for residents to think I always side one way or another, just because of my political beliefs," Batchelor said. "I'll be working for the entire county, and I prefer to look at everything down the middle. A middle view is the best way to see both sides, and that's the best way to make a decision."

He believes there are parallels to running for government office and the previous positions he has held. He plans to listen first and respond with a solution after he has assessed each situation, he said.

"We need more listeners," Batchelor said. "As a firefighter, that's how you learn your instructions, and then you act on the mission you're given."

Batchelor, a dog-lover who rarely goes on a motorcycle ride without his 3-year-old rescue dog, Ichabod, decided to run after noticing insufficiencies dealing with EMS and law enforcement needs, and disagreeing with the county's handling of recent animal-related issues, he said. Those include the Manatee County Animal Services allegations of mistreatment of animals.

But the back-and-forth discussion on the fate of Padi, an East County dog accused of biting a little boy's ear at a local veterinary office, thrusted Batchelor into the race, he said.

He believes the commission hasn't held the Public Safety Department accountable for what he said is a lack of oversight of animal services issues. 

"We need to make sure people who work for the commission are properly overseeing what's happening in the county; someone's not paying enough attention," Batchelor said. 

Addressing a growth explosion

Although Batchelor has only lived in East County for nearly two years, he knows the area is growing.

"There's an explosion out east," Batchelor said.

An issue he plans to spearhead if he scores the seat is increasing the number of EMS personnel throughout the county.

The county lost 88 EMS and EMT workers over the last three years because they quit or were fired, Batchelor said. The county has hired 110 during that same timeframe, Batchelor said. But he contends that's not enough. 

"We're overburdening our EMS people," Batchelor said. "EMS have mandatory overtime, and we still need more of them on the road. Period."

Although a newcomer to district finances, Batchelor acknowledges that more "boots on the street" means more funding for those positions. He doesn't know from where the funding will come yet, without having closely reviewed the budget. 

But, a millage increase or other dollars shifting in the budget to fund those positions are possibilities, but as a last resort, Batchelor said.

Batchelor also hopes to help create community budget and public safety committees to give residents a say in local decision making, while also providing insider feedback on what residents' concerns are and what they agree needs more funding.

"The commission serves its constituents," Batchelor said. "Working together more closely with them might show us that someone else might have another mousetrap that works better than what we already have."

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].