Revenge and spite are all that matters on Manatee County Commission agenda

It's hard to believe, but commissioners hit new lows at Tuesday's meeting.

During my more than 30 years of working as a journalist in communities in four different states, I have seen a lot of bad local government. But never had I witnessed an exercise of raw, vengeful and vindictive political power like what happened at the Manatee County Commission meeting on Tuesday.

First, commissioners — led by Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who claimed to be piqued because he didn’t get a minute-by-minute update on the Coast Guard’s investigation of an oil spill at Port Manatee; and Jason Bearden who claimed to be outraged that port commission chair George Kruse hadn’t posed for a photo op at the port — removed Kruse as chairman of the port commission. It was a demotion that didn’t bother Kruse but he probably hadn’t had the time to consider how difficult it might be at future meetings to listen to his successor, the rhetorically unskilled James Satcher, explain the intricacies of port operations. (Kruse, however, did get the last word.)

And later in the meeting, the board, with little discussion other than Kruse’s raising of several good points that were quickly ignored by his colleagues, voted 6-1 to strip management of several historical sites in the county from Clerk and Comptroller Angelina “Angel” Colonesso’s office and move them under the county’s Sports & Leisure department.

How Agendas Set Policy

In neither case, was the decision based on any sort of merit or an effort to find a solution to a real problem. Instead, Van Ostenbridge, Bearden et al. delivered the message that the developer-coopted, ideologically stunted majority on the commission, not the minority of one who cares about actually listening to and governing on behalf of the public, is in charge, and revenge is theirs!

Yes, it was a bit peculiar that neither the port nor the county was releasing any information about the oil spill over the Labor Day holiday weekend, but the Coast Guard and U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan did do an adequate job updating the public about what was happening. It’s hard to see how Kruse, as chair of the port commission, fell short in performing the duties of a job with few actual duties, despite Van Ostenbridge and Bearden’s quasi-serious attempt to make it as big a scandal as, say, a public official caught stealing a bougainvillea plant.

The spill and their fake outrage gave other commissioners, especially Van Ostenbridge, a chance to take Kruse down a few notches as payback for all the times that Kruse’s good and inconvenient questions about something commissioners and their paymasters want to ramrod into policy or law with little scrutiny — such as reducing protection of wetlands or stopping development of housing for homeless veterans — have exposed them as the hypocrites, lackeys and empty suits that they are.

As for the vote on management of the historical sites — a solution in search of a problem if there ever was one in local government — maybe there is a case to be made for the change but on Tuesday, no one made it, certainly not the more than dozen speakers who implored commissioners not to make it. But once again, as they did on the wetlands vote and so many other contentious issues that have come before them in recent months, commissioners, except for Kruse, ignored the public and voted to affirm the pre-determined outcome.

The goal was not to protect and promote the sites in a more efficient manner, but to instead deliver a political hammer to Colonesso, who many times since 2020 has drawn the ire of Van Ostenbridge and other commissioners for doing her job in ways that make them look like the amateurs that anyone who watches on a regular basis knows that they are.

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UPDATE | Van Ostenbridge reimburses taxpayers almost $1,700. Is that enough to make up for worst ethics breach since vaccinegate?

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There were many other examples of the majority’s abuse of their authority on Tuesday, for example, the ever-pious duo of Satcher and Bearden, with the equally sanctimonious Amanda Ballard, Mike Rahn and Van Ostenbridge, approving a resolution banning county funding for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions — none of which are performed in Manatee County — and any other group “affiliated” with them, whatever that means. (To his credit, Ray Turner didn’t show much interest in the matter, despite his vote in favor, but that’s not why the development industry booster is on the commission.)

Manatee County residents, please make it a habit of watching commission meetings on their YouTube channel or if possible, in person. Read the meeting agendas and take advantage of the limited opportunities commissioners give you to comment, to tell them what you think about what they are doing in your name and with your tax dollars.

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Manatee County politics is a disaster zone. Only the voters can fix it

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There is an election next year and two of the most incapable — and most vengeful —commissioners, Satcher and Van Ostenbridge, will be on the ballot. Neither Turner, who was appointed to replace the always awful Vanessa Baugh after she resigned in July, nor Kruse have filed for re-election. Make sure you are registered, research the candidates and then vote.

Because none of this awfulness like we saw on Tuesday, will go away until you make it stop.

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Marc R. Masferrer was a first place winner for commentary writing in the Florida Press Club’s 2022 Excellence in Journalism Competition for work published in The Bradenton Journal. Previously, he was a newspaper editor in Bradenton for more than 16 years. You can reach him at Marc.R.Masferrer@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @mrmasferrer. You can also like The Bradenton Journal on Facebook.