Farrington cuts into Satcher's fundraising lead in Manatee elections supervisor race
Challenger raises more than $45,000 during the past two months.
GOP elections supervisor candidate Scott Farrington has considerably narrowed the fundraising gap between him and incumbent James Satcher.
Farrington, former longtime elections office official, reported receiving a total of $45,690 from April 1 to May 31, bringing the total he has raised to $55,590. He has spent more than $4,600, leaving him with more than $51,300 in the bank, according to his campaign finance filings.
Satcher, a former county commissioner who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in early April to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Mike Bennett, reported no campaign finance activity during the past two months. He had earlier raised $70,500 for his re-election campaign, which he could transfer to his campaign for elections supervisor, as long as his donors signed off. Satcher had spent more than $9,400 on his campaign, leaving him with about $61,000.
Farrington on Monday officially qualified for the ballot on Monday, the first day of the official weeklong qualifying period. Presuming Satcher qualifies by Friday, the two will face off in the Republican primary on Aug. 20.
The winner will be the prohibitive favorite in general election on Nov. 5, when they will face Thomas W. Dell who has filed but not yet qualified to run as a write-in candidate.
In his latest campaign finance filings, Farrington reported receiving 167 individual contributions during April and May, including donations from Bennett; Commissioner George Kruse and eight former commissioners; Property Appraiser Charles Hackney; former Bradenton mayor Wayne Poston; former U.S. congressman Dan Miller; and current and former members of the Manatee School Board.
Farrington also received a total of $10,000 from Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder Manatee Ranch and related entities that share the same office address.
Farrington has received wide support from across the political spectrum in Manatee County, gathering a sufficient number of petition signatures to qualify for the ballot without having to pay a filing fee.
You can read Farrington’s latest campaign finance report here:
KVO vs. Kruse may not make it to the a debate stage
As a non-recovering political junkie, one of the best parts about Kevin Van Ostenbridge switching races so he can challenge George Kruse in the Republican primary on Aug. 20, was the prospect of witnessing the two go at each other in debates and candidate forums. There would be no better way for GOP voters to discern the clear choice before them.
Unfortunately, such a faceoff may not happen, thanks to Florida’s Sunshine Law.
The Sunshine Law is not a factor in most candidate forums and debates, when the candidates are non-incumbents and there is at most, only one incumbent present.
But in the Van Ostenbridge-Kruse matchup, they are both incumbent commissioners running against each — something that hasn’t happened in at least 20 years. There are rules for when two or more members of the same body, i.e., the county commission, gather at the same place outside the confines of an official meeting. For example, they can’t talk with each other about county business — a limit that would make a “debate” between Van Ostenbridge and Kruse pointless.
The Sunshine Law does not allow for exceptions for political debates.
Kruse told The Bradenton Journal the county attorney’s office has advised the commissioners that they could only debate each other outside of a commission meeting, only if it was officially noticed as a public meeting.
That may sound simple enough, but it would in a sense put the county government in the position of sponsoring of a partisan political gathering, which could come up all sorts of precarious pitfalls and precedences. Also, organizations that might sponsor a debate might not be comfortable with the county setting the ground rules for their meeting.
Kruse said that after he announced his switch, Van Ostenbridge went to the county attorney’s office “to make sure we could not” debate.
“I do believe there is a way but it would be a noticed meeting. Otherwise, he’ll get away with zero debates, just like he wants,” Kruse said. “I’m working on it but I’m sure he’ll hide behind the attorney. All of a sudden he’s a big advocate for Sunshine laws.”
Van Ostenbridge did not respond to a Bradenton Journal request for comment.
Whitmore ready for her comeback
Former Manatee commissioner Carol Whitmore on Monday qualified to run for the Holmes Beach City Commission, where she began her political career in 1991, before serving as mayor for eight years and an at-large county commissioner from 2006 to 2022, when she lost the GOP primary to Jason Bearden.
On Facebook, Whitmore said she wanted to use her experience to address the tension that has existed between the city and the county for the past several years over beach parking and other matters.
“I can bring knowledge and a positive direction to Holmes Beach citizens, Manatee County and city and state elected officials,” Whitmore said. “We are at a stalemate. I can help the city that I have loved and lived in for over five decades.”
Other qualifiers
According to the elections supervisor website, here’s a look at other candidates in major races who qualified for the ballot on Monday:
County commission, District 1
Carol Felts (R)
Glenn Pearson (D)
Jen Hamey (NPA)
County commission, District 3
Talha (Tal) Siddique (R)
Jeffrey Grey (write-in)
County commission, District 5
Robert McCann (R)
County commission, District 7
George Kruse (R)
Sari A. Lindroos-Valimaki (D)
Nathan Meyer (write-in)
School board, District 1
Heather Felton
Mark Stanoch
School board, District 3
Charlie Kennedy
Elections supervisor
Scott Farrington (R)
Sheriff
Rick Wells (R, incumbent)
Tax collector
Ken Burton Jr. (R, incumbent)
Bradenton mayor
Gene Brown (incumbent)
Palmetto mayor
Daniel West
Holmes Beach mayor
Mike Roth
Judy Titsworth (incumbent)
Anna Maria mayor
Brian Seymour
Mark Short
Check out the elections supervisor’s website at votemanatee.com for the latest filings and qualifications.
Marc R. Masferrer, previously a newspaper and digital editor in Bradenton for more than 16 years and a journalist for more than 33 years, has received multiple awards for his writing, including a first place for commentary writing in the Florida Press Club’s 2022 Excellence in Journalism Competition and a second place prize in the 2023 contest for work published in The Bradenton Journal. You can reach him at Marc.R.Masferrer@gmail.com. You can also like The Bradenton Journal on Facebook.
What a day for local politics! I hope Kruse gets his debate wish 🙏🏼
Farrington has the numbers and the grass roots effort. Send the Political hack Stacher down the road and take his urber ride with him