HOLMES BEACH – Qualifying is over, and five candidates are entering the race for three open seats on the Holmes Beach city commission with the Nov. 2 election as the finish line.
Commissioners Carol Soustek and Terry Schaefer are the two incumbents hoping to hold on to their spots on the dais.
If re-elected, this will be Schaefer’s second term as a commissioner. He was first elected to the city commission in November 2019.
Soustek was first appointed to the commission Nov. 25, 2014 to fill the unexpired term of previous commissioner David Zaccagnino. She was elected to the commission in 2015 and re-elected for two more terms in 2017 and 2019. If re-elected in November, this will be her third two-year term on the city commission.
Joining Soustek and Schaefer in this year’s race are Renee Ferguson and former city commissioners John Monetti and Pat Morton.
This is Ferguson’s first attempt at joining the city commission, though she has actively participated in commission meetings and attended meetings regularly as a Holmes Beach resident.
Morton, who served as a city commissioner for 17 years, is hoping for another go at a seat on the dais after losing in 2020 to Commissioner Jayne Christenson.
For Monetti, winning in November would mark a return to the city commission after a nearly 10-year hiatus. Previously, Monetti has served not only on the city commission but also on the planning commission.
Commissioner Jim Kihm, whose term also expires in November, opted to not run for a third term as commissioner.
In an Aug. 27 email to his fellow commissioners and The Sun, Kihm said that he had decided not to run for re-election due to personal reasons.
“Today I am announcing my decision not to see re-election as commissioner for the city of Holmes Beach for personal reasons,” Kihm’s email reads. “I have enjoyed serving the people of Holmes Beach over the past four years and I feel that I am leaving the city in good hands as I finish out the rest of my current term. I would like to thank all the voters for putting their trust in me and electing me to serve them. I have made every effort to serve to the best of my ability.”
City commissioners serve two-year terms on the dais. When Holmes Beach voters cast their ballots in November, the top three vote-getters will take the open commission seats. Voters are allowed to support up to three candidates at the polls, one for each available position.
With a five-person city commission, the coming election may prove to be very important for the future of Anna Maria Island’s largest city as most ordinances and resolutions require only a simple majority of three votes to pass or fail commission approval. A large change in the commission lineup could potentially mean big changes for how the city is governed.
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