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The results are in for Holmes Beach

The results are in for Holmes Beach

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – The results are in and the voters have spoken. Holmes Beach has three commissioners elect and all eight charter amendments passed.

About 30% of the city’s 2,751 active voters showed up either at St. Bernard Catholic Church to vote in person or by mail to help choose among four commission candidates vying for three seats on the dais and determine what changes to make to the city’s charter.

Commission incumbents Rick Hurst, Jim Kihm and Carol Soustek all petitioned voters for another two years on the dais while newcomer Terry Schaefer hoped for his first term as commissioner. Kihm and Soustek succeeded, each winning another two years on the dais. Schaefer will join them as a commissioner, meaning that Hurst’s time on the dais has come to an end.

Kihm received the top votes at 658, with Schaefer coming in second with 606 votes. The third and final commission seat goes to Soustek who received 546 votes. Shut out of the top three spots was Hurst who received 471 votes.

The three commission-elect candidates will be sworn into office for two-year terms during the city’s organizational meeting on Monday, Nov. 18 at 9 a.m.

There were eight questions posed to the city’s voters, answered with a simple yes or no, to amend the Holmes Beach charter. The questions were devised by the charter review commission whose members were voted into office in November 2018 by the city’s residents. Voters passed all eight charter amendments.

Question 1, a revision of the city’s legal description, bringing the description of the city’s boundaries in line with the description in other city documents, passed with 767 votes in favor of the amendment and 90 votes against it.

Question 2, governing how city leaders can transfer ownership of or long-term lease city-owned property, passed with 704 votes in favor of the amendment and 152 votes against it.

Question 3, changing how budget amendments of less than $100,000 are adopted by commissioners, passed with 638 votes in favor of the amendment and 218 votes against it.

Question 4, amending how department heads are fired, by the concurrence of city commissioners, not just by the mayor, passed with 616 votes in favor of the amendment and 224 votes against its adoption.

Question 5, changing the job description of the city treasurer to allow for the city’s annual financial statements to be audited by an independent accountant, passed with 790 votes for the measure and 119 against its adoption.

Question 6, removing the building and public works department as a charter department, passed with 493 votes for and 345 votes against the measure.

Question 7, removing human resources as a charter department, passed with 557 votes in favor of and 282 votes against the amendment.

Question 8, transferring the filing of written notices of candidacy from the city clerk’s office to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, passed with 627 votes for and 228 votes against the amendment.

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Questions on the ballot in Holmes Beach

Meet the candidate: Jim Kihm

Meet the candidate: Terry Schaefer

Meet the candidate: Rick Hurst

Meet the candidate: Carol Soustek

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Meet the candidate: Rick Hurst

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioner Rick Hurst has his eyes set on a second term after the November election and is hopeful that the city’s voters agree.

Rick Hurst
Commissioner Rick Hurst waves a campaign sign at the intersection of Gulf and Marina drives while running for his first term in office in 2017. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Hurst first took the dais as a commissioner in November 2017. With only three commission seats available and four candidates, Hurst is squaring off at the polls with incumbents Jim Kihm and Carol Soustek and newcomer Terry Schaefer. To help the voters get to know each candidate, The Sun sat down with Hurst to find out where he stands on the issues facing Holmes Beach. Here are his answers.

What should the voters know about you?

“I’m heavily involved in the community, I have kids, I’m hardworking. I think I’ve been a good commissioner. I take the job seriously and I do it because I want to serve my community and I intend to live here for the rest of my life.”

What has been your greatest accomplishment for the city?

“My greatest accomplishment for the city has been reversing the three-year waiting period between permits for ground-level properties… That would’ve been huge for these ground-level people. I don’t think anyone realizes how big that was. When I found out about that and started talking to real estate agents, even builders, and they said you’re basically going to just kill the ground level homes (with the three-year waiting period for 50% rule FEMA-compliant renovations). I think that would’ve been devastating. I also feel I bring my ability to see all sides of an issue and understand how it can impact the city both positively and negatively.”

What would you hope to accomplish in a new term as commissioner?

“Continue to focus on infrastructure issues and figure out how we can roll back or lower the millage rate. I was very disappointed when that didn’t happen this year. And continue to focus on community, bringing the community together.”

What is the biggest problem facing Holmes Beach?

“Infrastructure. Dealing with potential sea level rise, the cost of the infrastructure changes that are necessary for Holmes Beach, and that includes widening the sidewalks, bike paths, you have crumbling curbs in Key Royale. Dealing with potential sea level rise is very expensive and we have to make sure that we address those needs while trying to reduce the costs to the city… The other one I always look at is the people who live in the R-2 zone who want to live a quiet, happy life and then people who own properties that are trying to make money off those properties. That balance, finding the balance that is justifiable, fair, enforceable and can make the R-2 residents in those zones as happy as possible and that is a challenge.”

How would you fix it?

“The infrastructure has to be dealt with and we have to do it in a systematic manner that minimizes the cost to the residents and that means doing it in a way that we can maximize outside funding as much as possible, which we have been doing… As a commissioner, you try to deal with what’s fair and what’s right. And people do have a right to go to sleep and it be quiet but people spend a lot of money for a place and have a right to come and enjoy themselves and not be hassled by the police unless they’re totally out of hand… To me, it’s an educational thing… Infrastructure’s easy to solve. You just put money at it. The challenge is finding the money. But for this situation (noise issues in residential areas) it’s almost an impossible solution. We’ve just got to find the right solution.”

Do you think the residents have enough of a voice in city government?

“It’s so different than any other government. They vote, they can show up at the commission meetings. I believe that when people do speak at the commission meetings, we do hear what they say. I can’t think of many situations, if any, where people have spoken that has not made me think of how we can smartly accommodate them. Sometimes we don’t always accommodate but that’s because there are other factors.”

What is the most important part of being a Holmes Beach commissioner?

“Understanding the impact of every word of every piece of legislation on the entire city, every resident and the community around us. That’s what I try to do.”

Is there anything else you’d like the voters to know?

“I am raising a 12-year-old daughter. I am a managing partner of The Freckled Fin which makes me a Holmes Beach business owner. That provides me a unique perspective that none of the other commissioners or candidates have. And I’ve worked hard and done my best to do a good job for the city and I believe that I have.”

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Meet the candidate: Carol Soustek

Questions on the ballot in Holmes Beach

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Meet the candidate: Carol Soustek

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioner Carol Soustek is seeking a third full term in November when she runs for re-election to one of the city’s three available commission seats.

Carol Soustek
Carol Soustek

Soustek was first appointed to the city commission in November 2014 to fill the unexpired term of former Commissioner David Zaccagnino.

Including Soustek, there are four commission candidates in Holmes Beach – incumbents Jim Kihm and Rick Hurst, and newcomer Terry Schaefer. To help the voters get to know each one better, The Sun is conducting an interview with each candidate to find out where they stand on the issues. Here are Soustek’s answers.

What should the voters know about you?

“I am very dedicated. I take it seriously and I try my honest best to do what is best for the community.”

What has been your greatest accomplishment for the city?

“The VRC (vacation rental certificate program) and the downsizing of bedrooms, control of the number of bedrooms in the building. By controlling that, you’re kind of giving direction to the development community and we can better direct how we want the community to go.”

What would you hope to accomplish in a new term as commissioner?

“I hope to accomplish the solar conversion, not only for city hall but try to find a company that will offer discounts by gathering a number of residents who would want to do solar together. I think that faced with the threats that we have of the sea rise, we have to do our part. Even though it’s small, it would count toward the overall if we put solar and fossil-fuel-free equipment in the city.”

What is the biggest problem facing Holmes Beach?

“There is more than one. I have three problems that I look at constantly. One is the sea rise because there’ll come a point where I’m not sure we can financially stop it. Second is greed. Neighbors suing neighbors, that upsets me quite a bit. And then I worry about the apathy of the community not paying attention to their government. I was guilty of that way back. That’s why I got into this because my apathy led to the proliferation of all of the vacation houses because I thought everything was fine and it wasn’t, but I wasn’t paying attention and the present commission wasn’t paying attention. The community must monitor their government. They must pay attention to what’s going on and speak up if they’re not happy with what the commissioners are doing. That scares me, that they don’t care.”

How would you fix it?

“By bringing more town hall meetings that are open to the public. By appealing through the paper. By explaining some of the actions that we do, like we tried to explain some of the budget items by each department, making people aware of why we’re doing it. You have to explain it… I would love to be able to broadcast the meetings. People are reluctant to come to city hall. I don’t know why. It’s a nice place… I would like us to be able to go out to them… You have to pay attention to your local government. That’s your control. If you don’t pay attention to what’s going on up there before you know it you’re in a very bad situation and it takes years to get out of it.”

Do you think the residents have enough of a voice in city government?

“They have a voice, but they don’t use it. City hall is open to anybody, all the records, all the people in there, they talk to you, they’ll help you, but you have to come through the front door. A lot of people just don’t want to do it. City hall has to reach out into the community and make contact in any way that we can… I don’t think there’s a commissioner up there that says, ‘Don’t talk to me.’ ”

Some say the city’s budget needs to be cut. Do you agree? How would you address this issue?

“We were trying very hard to keep it at a low rollback rate but when the Bert Harris cases came forward, the city has to protect itself because it only has a limited amount of insurance to protect itself. I feel very confident that we did the right thing and the court will uphold it, but you never know how a judge is going to rule so we have to put money back and that’s what we’ve done. If we win all of the Bert Harris cases, look at the jackpot we have back there. Maybe we’ll hold a town hall and ask everyone ‘How do you want to spend the money?.’ ”

What is the most important part of being a Holmes Beach commissioner?

“There’s a lot of important parts. I guess caring. If you care about how you do your job, if you care about your community and the people in it, you can be a good commissioner. And caring what happens. That’s the most important thing to me.”

Is there anything else you’d like the voters to know?

“I love what I do. I really love directing the way our community is going into the future and safeguarding it. That’s two very important things for me. I love a challenge and this city is certainly a challenge.”

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Meet the candidate: Rick Hurst

Questions on the ballot in Holmes Beach

Four qualify in Holmes Beach

Holmes Beach logo OLD

Questions on the ballot in Holmes Beach

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – City voters will have a lot more decisions to make with their votes in November than choosing which of the four commission candidates to elect to the city commission dais.

There will be eight questions on the ballot in November. Each question was developed by members of the city’s Charter Review Commission and, if approved, will alter the city’s charter, a document outlining how the city should operate and goals for the future. Each question is answered by the choice of a simple “yes” or “no.”

The proposed charter amendments are:

  • Consolidating the legal description of the city located in Charter Article II into one legal description.
  • Adding language to Article III to further restrict the use of city-owned or controlled property to require an ordinance approved by both a super-majority vote of the city commission and a referendum placed on a general election ballot to sell, vacate, convey, transfer or abandon city-owned real property and rights of way.
  • Amend Article III to add language to the charter to allow city commissioners to vote on budget amendments by resolution rather than ordinance provided that funds are already appropriated and the amendment doesn’t exceed $100,000.
  • Delete the specific reference in Article IV that establishes charter officers in city government and require city commissioners to concur on the termination of a department head.
  • Clarify the scope and responsibilities of the city treasurer in Article VI to exclude the preparation of audited financial statements. The city’s annual audited financial statements are currently prepared by an independent CPA.
  • Delete Article IX – Building and Public Works Department from the charter entirely, removing it as a charter-required department and preventing future building officials from being placed in a charter position.
  • Remove Article X – Human Resources from the charter entirely. This would remove the Human Resources Specialist position from the list of city charter positions.
  • Transfer some of the city clerk’s election duties to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections, specifically the filing of a notice of candidacy for elected officials and the mayor. If approved, this would require candidates for elected offices to apply directly with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office rather than with the city clerk at Holmes Beach City Hall.

City commissioners recently passed an ordinance that moved some of the city clerk’s election duties to the Supervisor of Elections Office, however, voters need to agree on the measure in order to change it in the city charter.

Holmes Beach voters will go to the polls Nov. 5.

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Commissioners reject salary increase

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – With Commissioner Pat Morton absent, a motion to give city commissioners a $250 per month stipend raise failed on a tie.

At the suggestion of the 2019 Charter Review Commission, city Commissioner Carol Soustek brought up the idea of giving the city’s commissioners a small raise, bringing their monthly stipend up from $500 to $750. The stipend amount was last raised in 2007. Any change in the stipend amount wouldn’t affect what the sitting commissioners are compensated for the elected position. A current commissioner’s stipend would only be changed after he or she is re-elected. It would also affect any newly elected commissioners.

If the change in stipend amount had been accepted by commissioners, it would have resulted in an annual raise of $3,000 to $9,000 annually or $750 per month. Commissioners currently receive a monthly stipend of $500 for their service to the city.

“I think this is very warranted to those who take their job very seriously,” Soustek said. “It’s not a small job anymore; it’s a big job.” She added that increasing the stipend would show more respect for the hours commissioners spend researching and preparing for city meetings in order to make the best decisions they can for the residents.

“Commissioners are not just a face anymore,” she said. “It’s a job, and you have to do it if you really want to fulfill your promise as a commissioner.”

Commissioner Jim Kihm agreed with Soustek, adding that he felt the city should keep up with what other cities of their size are offering commissioners and that raising the amount of the stipend could encourage more people to run for a seat on the dais.

Commissioner Rick Hurst disagreed with the idea of increasing the stipend to encourage future commission candidates to run for elected office.

“My opinion on this is that I didn’t run for the money,” he said, adding that he doesn’t want to encourage future candidates to run based on the compensation they would receive if elected.

“I’m doing it strictly to serve the residents of Holmes Beach,” Commissioner Kim Rash said, agreeing with Hurst that he didn’t want people to run for office because of a financial incentive. “I just do it because I love Holmes Beach,” he said.

With Soustek and Kihm voting for the raise and Rash and Hurst voting against it, the motion to raise the commissioners’ stipend failed on a tie without Morton there to break it.

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Holmes Beach has a new mayor

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Election Day is coming to a close and a new mayor and new commissioners will take the dais at the city’s organizational meeting Nov. 19.

Holmes Beach mayoral candidates
Holmes Beach mayoral candidate Judy Titsworth answers a question while fellow candidate Joshua Linney looks on during The Sun’s candidate forum held at city hall. – Gail Swain | Sun

Former commissioner and newly-elected Mayor Judy Titsworth took home 79.3 percent of the vote with political newcomer Joshua Linney bringing in 20.7 percent. Though he’s never served on the dais, Linney was previously a member of the city’s parks and beautification committee.

In the commission race, Commissioner Pat Morton was re-elected, bringing in 36 percent of the votes. Morton was first elected to the commission in 2003. This will be his eighth term.

Holmes Beach election Kim
Holmes Beach commission candidate Kim Rash greets voters outside of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church along with his daughter Melissa Rash and granddog Bella. – Kristin Swain | Sun

The new commissioner on the dais will be Kim Rash who ended election night with 36 percent of the vote. Though Rash is no stranger to local politics, this will be his first term as commissioner.

Landing in the third spot is political newcomer and local real estate agent Don Purvis, who ended the night with 28 percent of the vote, just shutting him out of claiming one of the two available commission seats.

In the race for one of five positions on the newly-formed charter review board, eight candidates threw their hats in the ring – Jay Calhoun, Claudia Carlson, Nancy Deal, Major Leckie, Sean Murphy, Johnny Rigney, Edward Upshaw and David Zaccagnino. The five who will be reviewing the city’s charter and determining what issues to place in front of voters in November 2019 as charter amendments are Claudia Carlson, Nancy Deal, Sean Murphy, Edward Upshaw and David Zaccagnino, the five candidates who brought in the majority of resident votes.

According to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, there are 2,810 registered voters across two precincts in Holmes Beach. Out of that number, 1003 voted either in person or by mail, representing 35.7 percent of eligible voters.