Manatee County Commission District 6 (At-Large)

Name: Candace Luther

Age: 51

Occupation: Dental hygienist

Family: Three dogs (two retired racing greyhounds ages 9 and 12, and a 12-year-old old mini Aussie)

Education: Associates of science degree

Elected government experience: Citizen activist, never held elected position.

Why are you running for this position?

I want to give a voice in our local government back to the people of Manatee County. I have seen a steady decline in the public's faith in our county government, and I want to try to make the changes needed to restore the public’s trust and insure that citizens' concerns are not only heard but understood. Too much favoritism is being given to special interests over the people not only by our commissioners, but also by our administration and legal department. It seems the emphasis is placed on how to avoid being sued by the special interests instead of defending the people's wishes.

What uniquely qualifies you for this position?

As a healthcare professional with 32 years of experience, I think it shows that I care about people and their well being. I have a background in science and I understand the environmental and health impacts of various activities. I have a good understanding of the Land Development Code and reasons to either approve or deny a project. I will do the necessary research first to be informed before making decisions. I will be honest, transparent and fair to our citizens.

Since I have no ties to any special interests, I think I am the perfect choice to represent the residents of our county.

What do you see as the biggest three challenges Manatee County is facing and how do you propose to address them?

The first and biggest challenge is addressing the environmental pollution problem. I intend to identify the sources of the pollution and stop them from continuing to destroy our waterways, which is also the cause of the airborne toxins. 

We need a new county administrator. If we act fast, we may be able to review the applications that were received last year and call some of the candidates back for further interviews. That would be a good start, especially since we paid a lot of money for that search. I want to see all of the applications though, not just a small portion of them. 

Our legal department needs to be reviewed as well. Our county attorneys are all construction and real estate attorneys and we need a well-rounded team just like we need a well-rounded board. Overdevelopment beyond what our infrastructure can support needs to stop and we need to stop catering to the builders by amending the LDC every time they want something.

What is your position on the sheriff's request for more deputies and why? If applicable, how would you propose to address this issue?

If the Sheriff needs more deputies to keep crime down and keep our county safe, then that is what should happen. There is money being overspent and wasted quite often so I think we can find the money. Perhaps some of those making six figure salaries shouldn't have a company vehicle provided to them as well. I think they can afford their own cars so that public safety isn't sacrificed. That’s just one suggestion. We also have a FEMA department that I still cannot figure out what they do. They did not go out to clean up the beaches from the environmental disaster we had, so if their job is disaster response, maybe someone can tell me why we paid someone else to come in and do it.

What ideas do you have for improving county operations or programs?

I have a huge list of things I want to do for the county. I think I will keep that to myself for now though, because every time I say something my opponent suddenly claims the same ideas. Some of the ones I have already openly discussed are following up with the new Animal Services shelter that was recommended by the Matrix study that was done back in 2014. Four years have gone by and still no larger more centrally located shelter. Affordable housing for those of us who don't have six figure incomes is a must. I have a list long enough to do a project every month for the next four years.

What is your position on raising the millage rate as a way to generate more revenue and why?

First of all, if we need more revenue then we should be collecting 100% of the impact fees recommended by the study that was done in 2015. The need for more services is because of more people. Secondly, the way the county has generated more money from property taxes is to increase the property values so our taxes go up whether the millage changes or not. I think we just need to be more careful with spending. Things like paying a media guy from St. Pete $866,672.52 for advertising and public relations is a huge mismanagement of funds if you ask me. We should be hiring our own marketing team which wouldn't cost as much and would provide jobs for residents.

Do you think the county needs more revenue and why? What would more revenues provide residents?

I think we can find a way to make what we have work if we are more careful with how we use it. There is so much going on that the citizens don't know, it is hard to give a clear answer on that. For example, the tower in district 4 that was not approved by the commissioners. How can you know what is there when things like that get approved without the board's knowledge? We now have a need to upgrade the water treatment plant to reverse osmosis if it isn't already because nothing else removes cyanobacteria. All the filtration in the world doesn’t remove that and boiling it makes it more toxic.

Manatee County residents of Longboat Key frequently mention the lack of return they receive on their county property taxes. What is your response to that concern and how would you address it?

I know there was a lot of money spent on beach cleanup this year, yet the residents in Bayshore got buckets, nets and dumpsters. I know this year wasn’t the norm by any means though. I would first like to ask why they feel that way, and then I would like to know what they want to accomplish so we can find a way to make it happen and keep everyone happy. That is what this is all about — making sure everyone's quality of life is as good as we can make it. If they have had requests denied, I would like to know what those requests were and why they were denied. Are these residents' needs not being met? I also don't think they are the only ones who feel that way, so I think a lot of changes throughout the county need to happen.