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It seems like a Yogi Berra moment — déjà vu all over again. Once again, Longboat Key voters have begun voting and will be going to the polls March 14. And when they open their ballots, they’ll see familiar names.  

Hey, weren’t these guys on the ballot last year?

Well, it wasn’t last year, but they were in 2015 and 2013.

We’re referring, of course, to the status quo challengers of Gene Jaleski and Larry Grossman. They’re appearing on Longboat Key’s Town Commission ballots for the third consecutive election — Jaleski for an at-large seat, Grossman for the District 4 seat. Perhaps the third time will be a charm.

That would be a shocker. 

Town Hall insiders, as well as regular readers of the Longboat Observer, know Jaleski and Grossman well. They are almost fixtures at town government meetings, and frequently at those meetings you can count on them to offer opinions that always challenge the status quo.

Jaleski has been trying for two decades — to little avail — to persuade the town to change course on beach maintenance. He can cite at great length research of what other beach communities around the world have done to address erosion. At times, we have endorsed his ideas — at least to give them a try.

In 2009, Jaleski won a seat on the commission in an upset over incumbent Randy Clair. But it wasn’t long before Jaleski himself — and town voters — recognized that he didn’t fit with the other town commissioners. Jaleski resigned.

But he continues to challenge commission incumbents, in part, and to his credit, because he chafes at the thought of anyone winning a seat on the commission by default. Give Jaleski credit for his devotion to wanting to make Longboat Key a better place.

You can say the same for Grossman. His heart and intentions are in the same place. Grossman, a former planner from Alexandria, Va., always has been a long-time advocate for updating the town’s comprehensive plan and zoning codes. He was an early advocate for trying to persuade Publix to create a town center when it developed the Shoppes at Bay Isles. 

But if truth be told, Grossman can’t seem to overcome in voters’ eyes that he holds the permanent position as the town resident whose job is to question the Town Commission and planning and zoning board. Every municipality needs that watchdog; Grossman does it well.

Together, however, Jaleski and Grossman do not measure up to incumbent Jack Daly and former Mayor Jim Brown. They are competent candidates who have demonstrated the knowledge, thoughtfulness, judgment and temperament required of Longboat Key commissioners.

In 2015, Longboat Key voters recognized Daly’s attributes as a four-year member of the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board and his 20 years on the board of the Club Longboat condominium. Add to that his professional career as a longtime senior executive with Columbia Gas and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association.

In his two years on the commission, Daly has applied his wisdom well. In fact, asked the difference between himself and his challenger, Daly made an accurate self-assessment when he told the Longboat Observer he has demonstrated an ability “to work well through different issues and personalities while assimilating facts, listening to input from other commissioners and members of the community and then making decisions that are in the best interests” of Longboat Key residents.

While Daly still is learning nuances of being part of government, Jim Brown would bring back to the Town Commission a well-proven record of competence.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable about Longboat Key zoning and town government in general than Brown. An architect by profession, Brown has been involved in Longboat government for two decades, volunteering as a member of the planning and zoning board before being elected to the Town Commission in 2009.

In the six years on the commission, four of them as mayor, Brown found himself leading, navigating and mediating the commission through some of its most trying times in two decades. And he did it competently. In fact, it’s worth reprinting our comments from March 2015, when Brown had reached his term limit and was leaving the Town Commission:

“[W]e hope his successors will always keep him and his characteristics, in mind: an elected official who kept taxpayers first; who maintained his composure and patience; who became tough and curt when necessary; who had ample humor and humility; and who had a skill for bringing differing views and personalities to consensus.”

As the town continues its journey to install underground utility lines; redevelop the Colony; redevelop and expand the Longboat Key Club and Resort; create a town center; implement steps to improve traffic flow; and rework zoning codes that allow for development creativity while preserving the character of the Key, it’s clear who the best two candidates are this year.

We recommend: District 4 Town Commission — Jack Daly; at-large Town Commission — Jim Brown.