- July 29, 2026
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District 1 — In this crowded field of five candidates for this open seat, three candidates stand out — Elizabeth Arnold, Mark Stanoch and Leland Taylor. Each would be an earnest and conscientious, civic-minded commissioner serving the district well.
But here is the difference: As a retired economist with Chase Econometrics, Microsoft and a principal at IBM Global Services, Stanoch has an analytical mind and vision that would be a valuable addition to the County Commission.
Stanoch understands that Manatee’s population is going to continue to grow. Rather than jump on the Bob McCann wagon for moratoria and see the Future Development Area Boundary as an inviolable wall, Stanoch urges rational problem solving.
“People are great at describing problems,” Stanoch told the East County Observer. “I’m more on the solutions side. Now, I don’t have all the answers, but I think in those kinds of terms.”
Another key point: At a recent Manatee Republican Club debate, Stanoch apparently was the only District 1 candidate who had a grasp on the county’s $1.3 billion budget. That’s the job: Oversight on the spending.
It would behoove Manatee voters to add to the commission a person with the business acumen of Stanoch.
We recommend: Mark Stanoch
District 2 — Incumbent Amanda Ballard believes and articulates what we seldom hear from candidates for public office — references to our nation’s core principles:
“Individual Liberty is what allows all of us to work hard and live out our dreams … It’s freedom that empowers families, not bureaucrats …” You can say that again.
Ballard could be more of a spending hawk, but on balance, Manatee voters need her to remain on the commission. The alternatives would be economically disastrous. In this primary, Ballard’s opponent is the former aide to Manatee Commissioner Bob McCann. One McCann is more than enough.
We recommend: Amanda Ballard
District 4 — This race has only two candidates — Republicans Mike Rahn, the incumbent, and challenger Glen Gibellina. The victor will be the next District 4 commissioner.
You have to like Gibellina. He is one of those few engaged citizens who can drive sitting commissioners nuts. He attends every meeting and asks questions. He wears a T-shirt that says “Free-range gadfly.” Perhaps he is annoying at times, but he serves as a check that every government body needs.
He should stay in that role.
Incumbent Commissioner Rahn, a Desert Storm veteran and Marine, has spent his career in the mortgage industry in Manatee and Sarasota counties. His detractors see him as a shill for developers because of his former positions as president of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, vice president of the Florida Home Builders Association; a board member of the National Association of Home Builders and an inductee in 2017 into the Florida Housing Hall of Fame in 2017.
Take your pick: Gadfly or a businessman. This is a serious job. Rahn understands in depth how development and housing fits into Manatee’s future; he knows he cannot be the shill his detractors portray.
We recommend: Mike Rahn
District 6 / At-large — Of the four candidates vying for outgoing Commissioner Jason Bearden’s seat, one of them should be a shoo-in, hands down: Tara Poulton.
Indeed, among all of Manatee County’s commission candidates, you could make a strong case that Poulton is the most qualified of all the candidates to be a member of the commission.
While her resume may look like she can’t hold a job, it’s because she was constantly being recruited to fill slots over the past decade: District chief of staff for Congressman Vern Buchanan; division director and substitute administrator for DeSoto County; Southwest Florida Water Management District; Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; Manatee Chamber of Commerce; United Way of Manatee County. Demonstrated competence and experience with the wide range of issues commissioners face.
We recommend: Tara Poulton
District 2 — Cindy Spray, currently chair, has proven to be a competent, trust board member and steward for Manatee County schools and taxpayers. She is a steady, positive force that brings a solid level of mature thinking and decision making to the board. Says Spray: “I’ll lose hair, I’ll lose weight, but I won’t lose my integrity.”
We recommend: Cindy Spray
District 5 — In this race, there’s a Gen Zer, 23-year-old Camden Bedinghaus; a substitute teacher, mom, all-things-education enthusiast and second-time board candidate, Chantal Wilford; and a long-time small business owner and civic leader (president of the Bradenton Kiwanis Club and Tiger Bay Club board member), Jonathan Mullis.
To cut to the quick, the five-member board needs a second, non-education connected member. Cindy Spray, the chair, is from the business sector. The remaining three — Chad Choate, Heather Felton and Charlie Kennedy — have all been Manatee district teachers.
Good board governance is having disparate perspectives. Mullis would bring that — in particular, business acumen — to the board.
We recommend: Jonathan Mullis.
County Commission — Longtime Sarasota-Siesta Key architect Mark Smith gave it his all. And like many elected officials, he had a mixed record — on balance acceptable, but also some rotten tomatoes (the boatyard purchase; rejecting the Cox workforce housing project; the tax collector-school board fiasco; and his blanket no on data centers). But the biggie: the county’s runaway spending over the past four years.
Say exactly the same for Joe Neunder.
Voters have a tough choice: The incumbents’ challengers — Kristina Sargent (District 1 against Smith) and Jim DeNiro (District 4 against Neunder) — are not widely known. So voters do not know how they’ll perform. All they know is what they promise: Better fiscal management., But Neunder did that bait-and-switch, too.
Or perhaps you can hope (not a good strategy) Smith and Neunder have learned their lessons and should be given a second chance.
Our litmus test is past performance. Smith and Neunder had four years. They should not be rewarded. Give the newcomers a chance and hold them accountable from Day One.
We recommend: Kristina Sargent, Jim DeNiro
Sarasota School Board — School board elections are supposed to be nonpartisan. Reality is they’re partisan.
To that end, all three Republicans on the five-member board are vacating their seats — Bridget Ziegler, Robyn Marinelli and Karen Rose.
And that means Sarasota County Democrats will be doing everything they can to flip the board their way. The Republican candidates can still win; it’s all about voter turnout.
Here’s how the races break down:
District 1 — Republicans: Heidi Brandt; Teresa Ann DeWitt; Democrat: Jimmy Glover.
District 4 — Republican: Frank Dicicco; Democrat: Megan Tennimon.
District 5 — Republican: Michelle Pozzie; Democrat: Beth Mayberry.
For the most part, it’s a field of respectable candidates who want Sarasota County public schools to maintain their A-grade status. But the big unknown is: If elected, what would a Democrat majority do? Go woke?
Whoever is elected, here’s what they should do: Let Superintendent Terry Connor do his job, with the board providing oversight and advocating for less intervention from Tallahassee.
Sarasota Hospital Board — Bill Woeltjen, former chief financial officer for Sarasota Memorial Healthcare, is challenging incumbent Brad Baker.
To be sure, Woeltjen, a longtime CFO in Tampa Bay and Sarasota hospital systems, knows the industry and would bring expertise to the hospital board.
But there is a notable “but”: If Woeltjen is elected, six of the nine hospital board members will be or will have been associated as SMH employees or as healthcare doctors or nurses. Stacked with insiders.
Baker, a longtime, successful Sarasota entrepreneur with operational and finance experience, has performed well and serves an important role as an independent board member.
It is good corporate governance to have out-of-the-industry directors. Baker serves that role well.
We recommend: Brad Baker
Charter Review Board — Two high-quality Republicans are vying for the District 5 seat — Erin Halstead and Andrew Sias. We urge voters to read Sias’ responses to the Observer’s candidate questions on YourObserver.com. He’ll make a great Charter Review Board member, but his responses also will convince you he is suited for higher office — county commission? The Legislature?
For the other seats, incumbent Nicholas Altier has earned re-election, and Chip Adams stands above his opponent. Adams’ endorsements make the case: state Reps. James Buchanan and Danny Nix; Sheriff Kurt Hoffman; County Commissioner Teresa Mast; Charter Review Board members Joe Justice, Tom DeSane, and Jay Riley; and Venice City Council member Rachel Frank.
We recommend: Nicholas Altier, Chip Adams, Andrew Sias.
