Unlike recent years, Longboat will have a contested commission race in 2025

Longboat Key will see an oddity this year: a contested commission race. 

The last time a Longboat Key commission seat had a competitive race was in 2018, and since then, every time a seat becomes available, it’s either uncontested or one of the candidates drops out before the election.

In March, Longboat Key voters will elect a new at-large commissioner to fill the spot being left vacant by Vice Mayor Mike Haycock, who will term out in March. 

Residents Steve Branham and Deborah Murphy will vie for that seat. 

There are two other seats available, but neither is contested. The current At-Large Commissioner BJ Bishop and District 5 Commissioner Sarah Karon will retain their commission seats. 

Despite what seems to be a wealth of uncontested races, Longboat Key does have an election history.

Past commission competition

Mayor Ken Schneier was a part of the 2018 race in which three commission seats were up for grabs, and all were contested. 

“Going back a number of years when I first ran, there was some real campaigning that went on,” Schneier said. 

Schneier faced off against John Weber for the District 3 seat; Ed Zunz and Randy Langley battled for the District 5 spot; and Irwin Pastor and Jack Wilson campaigned for an at-large seat.

Schneier said there used to be some real campaigning for previously contested elections: signs around town, some financial backing and debates sponsored by the Observer. 

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Usually, the campaigns breed friendly competition, but Schneier said some campaigns were more intense, especially during the time of The Colony referendum when candidates had opposing viewpoints. 

During his campaign for the District 3 seat, Schneier said he did not spend a lot of money and did not take donations from anyone else. 

But candidates who do accept donations and spend money on campaigns must retain a treasurer and track expenses so that can be submitted to the town. 

Though it might be less work to have an uncontested race, Schneier feels having multiple candidates with different viewpoints is good for the candidates and the community. 

“I think it’s healthy, myself,” Schneier said. “I think it’s good for the community and it’s actually not a bad thing for the candidates.” 

Candidates that bring different perspectives can lead to competition and debate, and sharing those viewpoints during a campaign and responding to the public can be a good thing for the community, Schneier said. 

“I’m a little sad that we don’t have more of it,” Schneier said. “I’m not sure exactly why.” 

Commitment of commissioners

Schneier can’t say for sure why contested races aren’t as common anymore, but one speculation is the time commitment associated with being a commissioner. 

“It’s a pretty sizable commitment of time to do the job, especially being in two counties,” Schneier said. “There are various things you need to do within a county as a commissioner and, in two counties, you basically double that.” 

That means two counties' worth of news to keep up to date on, two tourist development councils, two economic development councils and multiple other boards and commissioners to keep relationships with. 

On top of that, commissioners are tasked with reviewing all the necessary background information before their own meetings and workshops.

Some of that can be time-consuming material, especially in cases like the St. Regis parking departure requests, which included books that were hundreds of pages long. 

According to Schneier, he’s recommended the idea of commission compensation once or twice during his tenure on the board. 

While he agrees with other commissioners who have said serving the town is a privilege, Schneier feels like a commission stipend might encourage some who are unsure if they can give that amount of time. 

“I would have to think that anyone declines to run because there's no compensation,” Schneier said.

The last time the idea was brought up was during the commission’s planning retreat last April, and a further discussion was moved to a commission meeting a few months later. Again, the idea was voted down.

Volunteering for the town

Many of the town’s current commissioners previously served on other town volunteer boards, like the Planning and Zoning Board or the Zoning Board of Adjustment. 

“It’s very, very common for people to work their way up through the boards and learn about the town,” Schneier said. 

Schneier himself served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Planning and Zoning Board for several years before moving up to the town commission. 

Schneier also previously went through the town’s Citizens Academy, which he said is another good source of candidates. Many people who attend the Citizens Academy learn about the town and become interested in joining those volunteer boards, he said. 

“It’s very advisable for people who want to work in the town on any board,” Schneier said about the Citizens Academy. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

The volunteer boards are good for Longboat Key’s population, Schneier said, because many residents are retirees with much more time on their hands. 

“They’re coming from jobs that were pretty intense and, when you retire, everyone needs to figure out what they’re going to do with the time,” Schneier said. 

That’s what led him to become interested in the town’s volunteer boards and, eventually, become a commissioner and mayor. 

He’s now on his last term as a commissioner and will term out in March 2026. 

“I’ve enjoyed all of the town work, and I’m sort of a news junkie from local up to international,” Schneier said. “To be there as things are going on, I find it to be a tremendous amount of fun. 

“I think if you’re going to be involved in government, local government is the place to be. … We’re nonpartisan, which I think is great. And you actually get stuff done that people recognize. It affects people on a day-to-day basis.”