Six questions for Manatee County Commission candidate Talha 'Tal' Siddique
Bradenton activist is challenging Kevin Van Ostenbridge in next year's GOP primary
Bradenton activist Talha “Tal” Siddique, a Republican, earlier this month filed to challenge Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge in next year’s GOP primary for the commission’s District3 seat.
District 3 is comprised of neighborhoods in central and west Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, Snead Island and Terra Ceia.
The Bradenton Journal had a few questions for Siddique. (His responses have been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.)
The Bradenton Journal: Presuming you considered political and personal factors before deciding on whether to enter the race, what’s the one thing that most convinced you to challenge Kevin Van Ostenbridge for the District 3 seat on the Manatee County Commission?
Siddique: I believe our commissioner is leading a decline in our community and for this reason we need new representation.
This is something even his colleagues on the commission saw when they voted to remove him as chair over his scandalous, unethical behavior a few months ago. We have seen a decline in ethics, civility and overall quality of life. Our taxes are higher, more homeless are on our streets and we cannot maintain existing infrastructure while our county is on a reckless spending spree building net new. We must do better with what we have, serve the residents we have and offer better quality of services for the dollars we put in.
The Bradenton Journal: Which issues will you emphasize as a candidate and as a commissioner, if you are elected?
Siddique: My top three goals will be restoring fiscal responsibility; improving transparency, ethics and relationships with our residents; and reducing the burdens of a bloated government to improve our quality of life.
The Bradenton Journal: What do you think was the county commission’s biggest mistake since Mr. Van Ostenbridge was elected in 2020?
Siddique: The biggest disaster has been the manner with which we have handled the parking garage on Holmes Beach. From end to end, it demonstrated a failure in leadership at the county level that will cost us, at minimum, $50 million, along with strong partnerships we need to succeed as a community unless I become commissioner. Three years on, it is haunting our county commission and state leaders with no path forward. My opponent, in a bid for attention, threatened the autonomy of the island cities and dragged in state officials to handle a local fight. As county commissioner, I will have a fiscally conservative plan to address infrastructure challenges. The task of repairing relationships, at all levels, will be difficult but I am confident I am the only conservative candidate who can rise to the occasion.
The Bradenton Journal: What would be your priorities when addressing issues related to growth and development in District 3 and countywide?
Siddique: My priorities will be to improve traffic flow districtwide, add trails and sidewalks on the island, promote attainable housing and to serve as a check on overdevelopment. District 3 is unique in that there are few opportunities for new development — most of the land has been preserved or developed. We have also become a place that is unaffordable to live in. Police, firefighters, teachers, nurses, cashiers, bartenders, chefs and all other workers simply cannot afford to live here. They are in Parrish, North Port, Venice, east county or further out. Our businesses are suffering because of this. The No. 1 problem businesses have is they cannot find workers who are willing to brave traffic for the same dollars they could get further North, South, or East where they live. My generation cannot afford to live here anymore.
There is a push, sponsored by special interest dollars in my opponent’s pockets, to turn us into Sarasota, St. Pete or Tampa — catering only to tourists and driving residents from their homes. Our neighborhoods have been turned into rental communities, driving young families and retirees out. Our government would like nothing more than to collect tax dollars from rentals and ensure the rest of us own nothing and rent everything. I aim to develop policy that will bring families back to our neighborhoods, schools and churches. I overcame poverty and worked my way up to the middle class. My story cannot be the exception. It must become the norm.
The Bradenton Journal: How would you address the traffic/parking issues that have caused so much conflict between Mr. Van Ostenbridge and leaders in the city of Holmes Beach? Should the county build a parking garage on Manatee Public Beach over the city’s objections?
Siddique: I think the underlying issue behind the conflict hasn’t been traffic or parking, though that has certainly exacerbated the issue. The real problem is how my opponent has grown the size of government and centralized power underneath him. In any well-run municipality, a county commission is typically the more inconspicuous level of government while the cities enjoy home rule. It all comes down to listening and getting along with others. I can do it and my community support and endorsements prove it. It is fiscally irresponsible, and dangerous, for the government to dictate a solution instead of working with the residents. I will focus on expanding and improving the existing lot, invest in sidewalks and trails to improve beach access, add more ADA-accessible mats to the beach and improve lighting at the trolley stations. My philosophy is to gather ground-up solutions, not setting top-down mandates.
The Bradenton Journal: Much of District 3 is adjacent to water – the Gulf of Mexico, the Manatee River, etc. What should the county be doing to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and more intense hurricanes and tropical storms?
Siddique: Protect our mangroves with an ordinance, invest in sand dune restoration, invest in better stormwater drainage for developed low-lying communities, prioritize pervious surfaces in our land development code for new construction and make protecting wetlands through our comprehensive plan a priority. I have attended multiple scientific panels in recent months. My takeaway from all of it is that the most fiscally responsible way to tackle the challenges we face with flooding, clean water and storm resiliency is by being better stewards of the gift of land we were given. We have failed miserably at maintaining engineered solutions and wasted taxpayers’ money in the process. It is time we protect the land, which shields us for free.
For more about about Siddque and his campaign, visit votetal.com
Wow, this guy is impressive!