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Bradenton voters stick with status quo
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Bemis Smith, above, said his opponent, Joe Henry,
ran a clean campaign about the issues.
Bemis Smith was feeling a bit triumphant Tuesday night at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections office, and no wonder.
The Ward 4 incumbent was ahead in his race against retired city worker and first-time candidate Joe Henry.
Laughing about past campaigns where his head was Photoshopped onto various animals for mailpieces, he looked up at the screen and watched the vote totals climb. This time around, he said, it was good not to see that.
“It may not be as exciting, with people carrying you on their shoulders, but with the economy the way it is, it’s pretty much people are voting and there’s no big issues and people are focused on their jobs and their children,” Smith said. “I think people are relatively happy, relatively satisfied with what we are doing.”
He commended Henry for running a clean race about the issues.
Henry, arriving as a couple of reporters were leaving, said he learned a lot about running for office and that he wished he had done some things. But for now, it was back to taking care of the grandchildren, watching the City Council and writing letters to elected officials and newspaper editors.
“I think that was a wakeup call” for the council, Henry said. “I intend to stay active in all circles.”
Meanwhile, Ward 2 challenger Lori Melton sat in the front row with a thoughtful look on her face. Her campaign, financed with a $25 loan to herself, had netted her 30 percent of the vote in a very low-turnout race in which just 14.26 of registered voters showed up to cast a ballot.
Melton said her main interest was getting back to work as an accountant. Tax season starts up soon and she plans to be busy. And she’ll be back, she said.
Ward 3 incumbent Marianne Barnebey said she was humbled to have won another term, and said it was an indication that her listening strategy was what Bradenton voters wanted.
“I think that the message I got is the citizens like to be listened to and they want to see their downtown redeveloped, they want to see the Players finished and want to see their neighborhoods stabilized,” she said.
The big surprise was how close the Ward 3 race was. University of South Florida professor Richard O’Brien gave the well-financed Patrick Roff a decent run. Initially, when the absentee ballots were posted first, O’Brien had the lead, but then the voting machine results started coming in and Roff jumped ahead to stay.
O’Brien, reached in his car, pulled over and then said he felt pretty good about the race.
“We gave it our best shot,” he said. “It was an honor that so many people supported and helped out.”
Roff said O’Brien got traction from the crime issue.
“This is misinformation capitalizing on the high crime in the south county, which the city can do nothing about,” Roff said.
As for the turnout, it was higher than the normal 10 percent, he said.
Roff said he is ready to return to work. “I can’t wait to get back to work serving the citizens,” he said.
Still, Smith said the low turnout was a worry, and that he hoped more people would come out and express their views on how the city is being run.
"Everyone should come out and express their support or disdain for our work, because it helps us see if we’re doing what they want," he said. "If they’re not out there with pitchforks and torches, we figure we’re on the right track."
