Manatee County Commissioners select Vanessa Baugh as chairman

District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh was elected by her fellow commissioners Tuesday to be the 2021 Chairman of the Board of Country Commissioners.

"I want to thank everyone who voted for me," Baugh said in a Manatee County press release. "I want us to move forward, I want us to get along and be respectful to each other. The main thing is, we need to get on the same page, work for the taxpayer, move in a friendly direction, get things done, and make sure we don't raise taxes on the taxpayer."

At-large Commissioner George Kruse, who joined the Commission in November, will serve as first vice chairman of the Board. Second vice chairman will be District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, also new to the Commission, and District 2 Commissioner Reggie Bellamy will serve as third vice chairman. 

Bellamy will serve as chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority. He was vice chairman of the Port Authority in 2020. District 4 Commissioner Misty Servia will be vice chair and the second vice chair will be District 1 Commissioner James Satcher. At-large Commissioner Carol Whitmore will serve as third vice chairman of the Port Authority. 

Servia will serve as the Tourist Development Council Chair. Whitmore will be the board's alternate representative on the TDC, according to the release.