Will Longboat Key face mayoral shakeup?

With one former Longboat Key mayor recently appointed to the Town Commission to fill a vacancy and another running for an at-large seat on the board, a potential challenge to current Mayor Terry Gans may bubble to the surface in March.

Both George Spoll and Jim Brown have said they aren’t specifically seeking to be chosen as mayor after the Town Commission election in March, but they would gladly accept the role if offered.

“I’m not running for it,” said Brown, who served as mayor four of his six years on the commission, and faces Longbeach Village resident Gene Jaleski in the March 14 election. “Will I do it? Sure, I’ll do it.”

Brown also said he would support Spoll, who was Longboat’s mayor in 2010, and was recently appointed to the District 2 seat on the Town Commission after Mayor Jack Duncan resigned due to health concerns. That appointment came exactly 12 years and one day after he was appointed during his first stint on the commission in 2006.

“Would I turn it down? No,” Spoll said. “Do I seek it? Well, not exactly, but I believe if asked, I could do a good job of it.”

Gans, who took on the title after serving as Duncan’s vice mayor, was unanimously appointed mayor in December.

“We have a lot of processes that are going on and a lot of issues that are inching their way through,” Gans said. “But the most important role I see as mayor is to make sure the processes are fair and unbiased for all parties involved.”

Although the mayor’s seat is ceremonial — the individual has the same single vote as fellow commissioners — those chosen for the role run meetings by calling on board members for comment and summarizing the overall conversation.

After Spoll was appointed to the Town Commission in December, Commissioner Armando Linde nominated the retired homebuilder for mayor, but withdrew the motion after he declined.

“I think he’s done a good job since I had to leave because of my health concerns and deserves to stay in at chair another year,” said Duncan. “I think what the town needs is new thinking and new leaders. I think George and Jim have been down that path, and it’s time to put some fresh blood in there. Terry certainly brings fresh blood to the position.”

When comprehensive plan changes that Planning, Zoning and Building Director Alaina Ray thought would be routine sparked a conversation that wavered between agenda items, philosophical thoughts on development and policies that weren’t slated for discussion Jan. 9, Gans steered the conversation toward tabling the discussion.

“He seemed to have wanted to control the conversation,” said Brown. “I think he needs to be careful about doing that, because the mayor’s job is to make things work well.”

Spoll and Brown both served as mayor during tumultuous times on the island, with the former serving during approval of the Resort at Longboat Key Club’s controversial $400 million expansion-and-renovation plan. Brown was mayor when former Town Manager Bruce St. Denis resigned, and during the subsequent hiring of current Town Manager Dave Bullock.

Still, Duncan and Commissioner Irwin Pastor praised how Gans has run meetings and his attitude while doing so.

“I can tell you that Terry Gans as a mayor is doing an exceptional job and has all the skill sets and temperament to continue what he’s done over the past few years,” said Pastor. “I’m obviously, as you can hear, a large supporter.”

Despite his willingness to accept the position, Brown concedes that the role of mayor can add 10 hours of work to a town commissioner’s workload.

“In reality, we don’t get paid any money, so it’s a lot of work for nothing and all you get is complaints,” he said.