Williams sworn in as new Longboat Key vice mayor, Schneier remains mayor

District 4 Commissioner Debra Williams is Longboat Key’s new vice mayor. 

The town commission board unanimously voted to appoint Williams at the March 24 statutory meeting. Williams was the only candidate for the position, nominated by District 5 Commissioner Sarah Karon.

Williams joined the commission in 2021 after serving on the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board from 2018 to 2021. For five years, she also served on the Planning and Zoning Board in Rumson, New Jersey.

Before entering public service, Williams spent much of her professional career as a consultant for AT&T and later worked with startup businesses to assist with technology infrastructure, human resources and operations. 

The commission also appointed mayor Ken Schneier to serve as Longboat Key’s mayor for his last year on the commission. He will reach his term limit in 2026 and will not be eligible for re-election next year. 

District 1 Commissioner Gary Coffin made the sole nomination for mayor, which was Schneier. 

“I’m looking forward to finishing some projects we started years ago and getting shovels in the ground for a number of projects that we need to get done,” Schneier said. “I’m looking forward to a very productive year for all of us.”

Schneier also said he sees the upcoming year as a transitional year as the commission looks for a successor to the mayor role, which Schneier has held since March 2020.

Also at the March 24 statutory meeting, commissioners verified the results of the March 2025 election. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

Steve Branham was sworn in as a new at-large commissioner, taking over the vacant seat from Mike Haycock, who reached his term limit this year. 

Branham won the Longboat Key general election with 1,079 votes. His opponent, Deborah Murphy, received 498 votes. Branham’s term will run from 2025 to 2028.

He served on the town’s Consolidated Retirement System Board of Trustees and has been the chair since 2014. Before his commission career, Branham spent much of his life serving the U.S. Coast Guard, both as rear admiral and Chief Financial Officer of the organization.

Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop and District 5 Commissioner Sarah Karon were the sole candidates for their respective districts and took their oaths of office on March 24. 

Bishop will serve a standard three-year term from 2025 to 2028. 

Karon was first appointed to the District 5 seat in January 2024, taking over the seat left vacant after Debbie Murphy’s resignation. Karon served a 14-month term until the next general election, at which time the seat would be back up for election. 

After the 2025 election qualifying period, Karon was the only candidate to qualify for the district. She will serve out the remainder of Murphy's original term until March 2026. At that time, the seat will again be up for election.