Parrish attorney runs for District 1 seat on Manatee Commission

In 10th grade at Black River High School in Sullivan, Ohio, Jen Hamey had the first taste of her future world.

"I always was very involved in my school," said Hamey, who now lives in Parrish. "When I turned 14, I was the prosecutor in a mock trial in our government class. I liked the strategy of building a case, and formulating ideas on how you would execute your plan.

"I knew from that point forward I was going to be an attorney."

She has been in the legal field since 1998, starting as a paralegal in Ohio and eventually buying her own practice with a partner in 2009. Since 2016, she has had her practice serving Manatee, Hillsborough and Sarasota counties.

What she didn't consider during her time building her law career was being a politician. Having a home in fast-growing Parrish changed all that.

Always involved in her community, Hamey became troubled with what she was seeing in Manatee County government.

"It has been over the last three or four years when I became involved with the Parrish Civic Association," she said. "It is an organization to help the community with civic issues, such as growth management. I became president 2 1/2 years ago."

While she worked with county officials on issues that affected Parrish, she began to see up close some regular practices she didn't like.

"I didn't feel (the citizens) were being listened to," she said. "I thought (the commissioners) were not interested in engaging. I see abuses, I see corruption. You can't have a set of rules for one person, and a separate set of rules for someone else."

She said if she couldn't work with the commissioners, she would run for office to get her own seat at the table.

Hamey is running for the District 1 seat on the Board of County Commissioners.

With no party affiliation, Hamey will face the winner of the Carol Felts-Steve Metallo primary in the General Election in November. Democrat Glenn Pearson will be in the General Election as well.

"When I saw what was happening, it made me very sad," she said. "We have a situation where all these people are coming in, all this growth. The people who live here, who have enjoyed their quality of life, are being ignored by the people they voted in. As a commissioner, you need to hear everybody, no matter their party. You need to hear what your constituents are saying, which is 'Hey, we can't drive down our roads, and we have dust and dirt everywhere (because of construction). We can't enjoy our pools.'"

She said people are concerned because they can't call-in to commission meetings and they can't post on the county's social media. She said the commissioners have shut it down because they don't want to hear what he citizens have to say.

Hamey said this is a crucial time for District 1.

"Lakewood Ranch had a phenomenal master plan that covered everything," she said. "But that was one owner. Parrish has all sorts of owners and all sorts of plans. I am not against growth, but we need the growth to follow the rules. (Builders and developers) are getting whatever they want. And there's still plenty of land out there."

She said every time someone from the community has a differing opinion from those in office, they are labeled as communists, Republicans in name only, liberals or as being George Soros-backed.

If Felts beats Metallo in the Primary, Hamey expects a "friendly" race for the General Election.

"Carol, Glenn (Pearson) and I get along well," she said. "We won't have a nasty race."

However, she expects that won't be the case if Metallo wins.

"I have raised $14,000," she said. "He was given $85,000 by developers. I am not going to be able to compete with his money. I have to work as hard as possible, in as many hours as possible."

She hopes to send out some text message blasts and perhaps one flyer, but primarily, she hopes to talk with as many residents face-to-face as possible.

"I am happy to talk to anyone," she said.

If an opponent does try a negative campaign against her, Hamey said there would be little fodder.

"I am a very boring person," she said. "I have no history of criminal background. I don't drink. I just want government out of our lives in places they don't belong. At the end of the day, myself, Glenn and Carol all care about our community." 

She said any of the three of them will work to fix the residents' main concerns, which she said are overdevelopment and the environment.

Hamey said she has a "phenomenal" opportunity to win District 1 because she feels she will earn some of the majority Republican votes while dominating the no party affiliation and Democrat votes.

"I think people are wising up," she said. "If you are getting six to eight flyers from the same candidate, you start to wonder, 'Where is all that money coming from?' What is driving that? That amount of people paying attention is higher."

Her law skills should be a plus as a commissioner, she said.

"Being an attorney, I understand how to read a contract and I understand how to read statues," she said. "I would be able to have good conversations with county attorneys. My background, my ability to analyze, my ability to negotiate, my background as a business owner and understanding how to stretch dollars, my ability to understand ordinances and budgeting, all should be a plus. I can jump in with both feet and get going."

She grew up in a dairy farming community and notes that she knows how to milk cows and square dance. Her jobs before or during college include working at a grocery store, delivering newspapers, working at a drag strip, and painting houses.