ANNA MARIA – Seeking to fill two vacant city commission seats, Gary McMullen and Kathleen Morgan are scheduled to participate in a candidate forum on Thursday, Jan. 11 at Anna Maria City Hall.
The forum will begin after the conclusion of the regular city commission meeting that starts at 6 p.m.
In what was once a six-applicant field, McMullen and Morgan are the only remaining candidates seeking to fill the commission seats vacated by Deanie Sebring and Robert Kingan.
In late December, commission applicants John Kolojeski, Pat Olesen and Susan Stephen withdrew their applications, citing the state of Florida’s Form 6 financial disclosure requirements that as of Jan. 1 apply to elected city officials.
On his application form, McMullen noted he currently serves as the vice-chair of the city’s Historic Preservation Board.
The one-page application form asks applicants to list two or three reasons why they wish to be considered for appointment to the city commission.
In response, McMullen wrote, “Longtime resident (over 70 years) and as such have a unique perspective of the history of the city and Island. I have been in government management for over 30 years and am a Management Fellows graduate from Florida State. I have knowledge of city operations as one of the first code and parking enforcement officers for the city. One of my goals is to retain and increase our resident base.”
On her application, Morgan wrote, “I believe in supporting the community I live in. I am the president of the AMI Garden Club with 120 members. I serve as secretary of the community center board. I believe my values support AMI city values and I want to keep improving where I live.”
During Thursday’s forum, McMullen and Morgan will have the opportunity to answer some or all of the 30 questions previously submitted in writing by the public and the media. The sitting commissioners and mayor also could submit written questions.
The list includes questions about why the candidates want to serve, what volunteer or service work they’ve done to benefit the Island community, how many commission meetings they’ve attended in the past year, what they see as the biggest challenge facing the city in the year to come, their thoughts on the Reimagining Pine Avenue project, their thoughts on maintaining or eliminating the existing parallel parking spaces along Pine Avenue, their thoughts on the OPPAGA consolidation study and the possible consolidation of the three Island cities and more.
During past commission discussions, there was talk of also allowing forum attendees to pose follow-up questions to both candidates pertaining specifically to questions already included on the compiled list of questions.
On Thursday, Jan. 25, commissioners Jon Crane, Charlie Salem and Mark Short will be asked to individually rank the candidates according to their personal preferences and the two candidates will then be appointed accordingly.
The appointee who fills Kingan’s vacated seat inherits the remainder of a two-year commission term that expires in December 2025. The appointee who fills Sebring’s vacated seat inherits the remainder of a two-year term that expires in December 2024. Anna Maria City Commissioners earn $400 per month for their service.
Applicant withdrawals
The Form 6 financial disclosure requirements that have long applied to elected state and county officials now require elected city officials and future city candidates to disclose their net worth, income sources and earnings, tangible assets valued at more than $1,000, debts and amounts owed, and more.
On Dec. 29, Stephen sent Mayor Dan Murphy an email notifying him of her withdrawal as a candidate.
“I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the position of city commissioner. Unfortunately, the new laws will impede my desire to run,” she stated in her email.
“In my opinion, public release of my personal financial information is ripe for abuse. If I only was disclosing to the powers that be, it might be a different story. I must wholeheartedly agree with John Kolojeski and Pat Olesen that it’s an invasion of my personal information and subjects me to abuse of said information. It’s my desire to serve the community while choosing not to be part of this government overreach. Thank you and I am very disappointed that I have to do this,” she wrote.
In his Dec. 28 withdrawal email to the mayor, Kolojeski wrote, “The residents of Anna Maria did not need to know the value of an elected official’s oriental rug or art collection; such public information would most interest a thief. Form 6 requirements I personally find onerous and irrelevant to the conflict issues of far greater importance.”
Olesen notified the mayor of her withdrawal on Dec. 22 and later told The Sun she withdrew because of the Form 6 financial disclosure requirements.
In early December, Sharon Wisniewski withdrew her application and recently told The Sun the new financial disclosure requirements did not factor into that decision.
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