BRADENTON BEACH – Barring a tied vote or some other complication, the winner of the Bradenton Beach mayor’s race will be known Tuesday evening after in-person voting concludes at 7 p.m.
In-person Election Day voting will take place Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bradenton Beach Fire Hall, 201 Second St. N.
Incumbent Mayor John Chappie seeks a third consecutive term as Bradenton Beach mayor. First-time challenger David Galuszka seeks a first term as the city’s mayor.
The Sun recently interviewed both candidates separately. In a previous story, the candidates discussed their desires to serve, parking issues, vacation rentals and the lack of affordable workplace housing. In this story, the candidates share their views on golf carts and low-speed vehicles, noise ordinance enforcement, quality of life issues for permanent residents and why they should get your vote in the city election.
What can the city do about golf carts, low-speed vehicles and other alternative modes of transportation that slow vehicular traffic and create public safety issues?
Chappie: “We recently renewed our temporary micro-mobility moratorium and the three Island cities are starting to come together and have discussions about low-speed vehicles and golf carts. Public safety has to be a top priority and that gets back to enforcement. If the police department sees kids driving these things they need to pull them over. Everybody needs to be strapped in their safety belts and child restraints and car seats need to be used. If they can’t go the minimum speed limit when they’re fully loaded, then they need to stay off Gulf Drive. These things all need to be part of the overall ordinance that we’re working on that will be similar to what the other two cities are doing so we have consistency from city to city.”
Galuszka: “The businesses that rent the golf carts need to educate the users about the rules and regulations. As far as going too slow, I call it ‘enforced courtesy.’ Maybe we put up signs that say if there are cars behind you and you’re creating a backup, you should pull over or yield. In Anna Maria, the rental businesses are putting informational stickers in those rented vehicles. We should do the same so people know what the laws are. We should also have increased enforcement. On Bridge Street, I’ve seen golf cart operators that should not have been driving because they were very intoxicated – and drivers need to be at least 16 years old and have a valid driver’s license.”
Is the city doing enough to enforce the city noise ordinance in the residential neighborhoods that are often impacted by vacation rental guests?
Galuszka: “I support the noise ordinance. I don’t think it’s enforced as it could be. Residents shouldn’t be subjected to this non-stop noise coming from these party houses. I’ve experienced it myself. We need to enforce our noise ordinance. Some residents I spoke with tell me they’ve called and nothing happens. A couple people I talked to said they called code enforcement only to get a full voicemail box. I personally emailed code enforcement six or seven days ago and still haven’t got a response. I don’t think that’s acceptable. There isn’t enough being done.”
Chappie: “A lot of people do not call in their noise complaints. I tell people all the time that if you have a noise problem, call the police department. We have a new chief and he and the police department know noise issues are one of the commission’s top priorities. If there’s a problem, they need to take care of it by issuing a warning or taking other measures. It’s an enforcement issue and our police chief knows this.”
What else can be done to protect the quality of life for the city’s permanent residents or attract more permanent residents?
Chappie: “We have the situation with the trash pickup and the piling up of trash has gotten worse. The trash company seems to be having difficulty finding enough employees to do the side-yard pickup that’s required in our Transient Public Lodging Establishment (vacation rental) ordinance. The tourists often bring the trash cans out to the street on their own and they end up sitting by the road for several days and the residents have to look at them. We’re cracking down on that. Our code enforcement officer has sent out letters and he’s putting people on notice. We had a meeting with WastePro management and we’re still having issues.”
Galuszka: “When it comes to comes to affordable housing, I’d like to meet with the developers and see if they’d be willing to provide a single unit out of the four or six units they have and rent that out at the current market rate for an annual rental – especially for the service workers and others who work out here.”
Why should the people of Bradenton Beach vote for you?
Galuszka: “I’ve been a public servant most of my life. I’ve not held an elected office, but in my career with military and the federal government as an air traffic controller there were a lot of responsibilities I had as an air traffic manager that parallel what the city government does. I was involved in seeking requests for proposals and labor negotiations with the union. I developed memorandums of understanding and letters of agreement. I dealt with red tape and bureaucracy. I would foster good working relationships with county commissioners and state legislators and I’d spend time getting a better grasp on how those governments work. I want to keep Bradenton Beach great and I envision opportunities to make it even better. I would bring a fresh voice and some new perspective to the city commission. I’m open to cooperation and listening to the ideas of others. I thrive on challenges and I’m willing to do the work. I’m retired and I have the time, energy and capacity to put 100% effort into being the mayor.”
Chappie: “I hope people will consider voting for me. I have been here basically all of my adult life. I know the community. I’ve been continuously active in the community for the past 37-38 years. I’ve been on numerous boards, committees and agencies. I’ve been an elected official at the city level as a commissioner, mayor and as a CRA board member and chairman. One-third of our city is county-owned property, including the public beaches and boat ramps. I’ve been a county commissioner and that gives me an understanding of working with the county and the county staff. That benefits our community, our residents and the rest of the Island community. I’ve made a lot of government contacts which have been extremely beneficial in knowing who to call and who to talk to to get things done for Bradenton Beach.”
