Campaign Phone
941-812-7983
Email
tony@barrettrealty1.com
Endorsements
Realtor Association of Sarasota Manatee, Florida Realtors, International Association of Firefighters.
The three most important issues facing Manatee County are public safety, infrastructure, and protecting our natural resources. As our county grows, we must ensure roads, utilities, and emergency services keep pace with development while preserving our quality of life.
Of these, infrastructure is the most critical. Growth is not the problem; growth without planning is. As a County Commissioner, I will support responsible growth by ensuring infrastructure is considered before development approvals are granted. We must prioritize road improvements, use impact fees as intended, and coordinate with public safety agencies to meet increasing service demands.
My experience as an East Manatee Fire Commissioner has taught me that planning ahead is far less costly than trying to catch up later. Responsible growth protects taxpayers and our community's future.
I bring a combination of public service, leadership, and private sector experience to the role. I currently serve as an elected East Manatee Fire Commissioner, where I have been responsible for overseeing budgets, policy decisions, capital planning, and public safety operations. I also served as Commission President, working with fellow commissioners, staff, and community stakeholders to address complex issues.
Professionally, I am a small business owner and real estate broker with more than 20 years of experience helping residents, businesses, and veterans navigate important decisions. My background in emergency services, local government, and business gives me a practical understanding of budgeting, growth management, infrastructure needs, and constituent service.
Most importantly, I am accessible, transparent, and committed to listening to residents before making decisions that affect our community.
I believe every budget decision should answer two questions: Is it a core function of government, and does it provide value to taxpayers? My approach is to be fiscally conservative, transparent, and focused on long term sustainability rather than short term fixes.
Public safety, infrastructure, and environmental stewardship are fundamental responsibilities of county government and should remain priorities. As our population grows, investments in roads, emergency services, and stormwater systems must keep pace.
I support regularly reviewing programs and spending to identify inefficiencies, eliminate duplication, and ensure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively. Before asking taxpayers for more money, government should demonstrate that existing resources are being managed responsibly. My experience as an East Manatee Fire Commissioner has taught me the importance of balancing responsible spending with maintaining the services residents rely on every day.
Transparency and accountability begin with accessibility. Residents deserve to know what decisions are being made, why they are being made, and how those decisions will affect their community.
As a County Commissioner, I will be available to residents, attend community meetings, and encourage public participation before major decisions are made. I support clear communication of county projects, budgets, and policy changes, and I believe public input should be considered as part of the decision making process, not after decisions have already been made.
I will approach every issue with an open mind, ask questions, review the facts, and make decisions based on what is in the best interest of Manatee County residents. Elected officials must be accountable for their votes and willing to explain their decisions to the people they serve.
Campaign Phone
941-773-9374
Email
info@reggiebellamy.com
Campaign Facebook
www.facebook.com/vote4rjbellamy
The three most important issues facing Manatee County are infrastructure, growth management, and protecting our natural environment.
Of those, infrastructure is our most immediate challenge. Over the last decade, Manatee County has experienced rapid growth, and our roads, stormwater systems, utilities, and public facilities have not kept pace. We can't change the past, but we can be better stewards of the future.
That means prioritizing infrastructure investments through sound planning while preparing for potential changes to the county's revenue structure. If Amendment 3 or similar proposals change how counties are funded, we'll need creative solutions and balanced budgets to maintain essential services, invest in infrastructure, and preserve the quality of life that makes Manatee County special.
Good decisions come from listening, understanding all sides of an issue, and working together to find practical solutions that serve the entire community.
Having served on the Manatee County Commission from 2018 to 2022, I understand the opportunities and responsibilities of this office. During my term, I helped bring Coach Eddie Shannon Park to completion and expand street lighting in underserved neighborhoods, improving public safety and quality of life. Those experiences reinforced my belief that local government should focus on solving problems that improve people's everyday lives.
As a fourth-generation Manatee County resident, I've built relationships across our community through military service, coaching, and public service. I've learned that the best decisions come from listening to different perspectives and seeking expertise. Leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions, bringing the right people together, and making informed decisions. That's the approach I'll bring to the Commission.
Having served on the Manatee County Commission, I understand that budgeting is about making thoughtful tradeoffs while protecting the county's long-term financial health.
The next Commission may face significant changes to county funding. If Amendment 3 or similar proposals change how counties are funded, we need to begin planning now, not after those changes take effect. That means protecting reserves, preserving our strong bond rating, and carefully managing long-term obligations so we can continue providing essential county services and investing in infrastructure.
Public safety must remain a top priority. Beyond that, every program should be evaluated based on measurable results, long-term value, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
I'll work with my fellow commissioners and county staff to build balanced budgets that prepare Manatee County for the future, because the best time to prepare for financial uncertainty is before it arrives.
Trust in government isn't built by talking to people after decisions are made. It's built by listening before they're made.
Having served on the Manatee County Commission, I've learned that meaningful public engagement leads to better decisions. Listening to different perspectives broadens your understanding of an issue and often produces better outcomes.
Transparency means more than making information available. It means explaining not just what decision was made, but why. Residents may not always agree with every vote, but they deserve to know their concerns were heard, the facts were carefully considered, and every decision was made thoughtfully and in the best interest of Manatee County.
I'll remain accessible, communicate honestly, and stand behind my decisions while working every day to earn and keep the public's trust.
Campaign Phone
941-705-8131
Email
jbcalovich1@gmail.com
Endorsements
County Commissioner Dr. Bob McCann
John Calovich’s platform centers on halting urban sprawl, easing traffic congestion by upgrading infrastructure, and enforcing fiscal oversight on county spending. To tackle the critical problem of urban sprawl and environmental degradation, Calovich proposes a strict, proactive approach to growth management. He advocates for restoring the protective 50-foot wetland buffer that previous boards scaled back, creating a dedicated county Water Department to streamline stormwater and sewage management, and consistently voting to deny aggressive rezoning requests that turn low-density rural land into high-density developments. Ultimately, his solution demands that essential public services, roads, and storm drainage systems are fully expanded and funded before any additional residential or commercial construction is permitted to break ground
An effective Commissioner must bring a strong blend of business-minded leadership, fiscal responsibility, and deep roots within the community. Decades of experience operating a local business provide the practical skills needed to manage large budgets, cut through bureaucratic red tape, and demand operational accountability from county departments. This unique perspective ensures that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly while focusing heavily on common-sense governance, smart infrastructure development, and economic growth. Ultimately, an effective leader pairs this executive problem-solving with a boots-on-the-ground understanding of local families' and business owners' needs, ensuring that county government remains accessible, transparent, and strictly focused on serving its constituents.
As a local business owner running ASP American Swimming Pools right here in Bradenton, John Calovich's approach to fiscal responsibility centers on operational accountability, long-term planning, and treating taxpayer dollars with the same efficiency required to run a successful company. His budgeting philosophy prioritizes a strong return on investment (ROI) for Manatee County residents, focusing public funds on essential services like upgrading core infrastructure and maintaining robust public safety to match the region's rapid growth. To balance the ledger without overburdening taxpayers, his platform emphasizes streamlining county operations, cutting unnecessary administrative overhead, and eliminating funding for non-essential, niche projects that do not offer a clear public benefit. Ultimately, this business-minded strategy ensures that government remains lean, transparent, and strictly focused on the foundational needs of the community.
John Calovich ensures transparency, public engagement, and accountability by leveraging his experience as a local business owner to run a completely independent, grassroots campaign. To eliminate special interest influence, he has pledged to refuse all financial contributions from developers, PACs, and industry attorneys, choosing instead to largely self-fund his run so that his decisions are answerable only to taxpayers. His approach to public engagement focuses on building a "People First" coalition on the commission, actively driving community participation at public meetings, and maintaining direct personal accessibility through phone and email. By applying day-to-day operational metrics to county management, he intends to bring strict business-minded accountability to local government, ensuring that public infrastructure and quality-of-life decisions always prioritize current Manatee County residents over urban sprawl.
Campaign Phone
941-253-7657
Email
elect.ed.ference@gmail.com
Instagram
elect.edference
Campaign Facebook
Candidate Ed Ference
Endorsements
America First Preferred Candidate, Roxy's Coffee
The biggest issues facing Manatee County are overdevelopment, infrastructure that is not keeping pace with growth, and wasteful spending of taxpayers money. I support slowing growth and putting an end to high-density development and urban sprawl. By managing growth responsibly, we can give our roads, water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure the time they need to catch up and properly serve our residents. Growth should not outpace our ability to provide the infrastructure and services that citizens depend on. We need smart growth, fiscal responsibility, and a commitment to putting the needs of our residents first. Growth should pay for Growth.
I was born and raised in Manatee County and have proudly called it home my entire life. For more than 30 years, I served the citizens of Manatee County in the Utilities Department. I started with my boots on the ground and worked my way up through the ranks to senior management. Throughout my career, I gained extensive experience in infrastructure planning, construction, operations, and budgeting for water, wastewater, stormwater, and roadway projects. I understand the challenges our county faces because I have spent decades working to solve them. I know our communities, their unique needs, and how county government operates. I understand the policies, procedures, and regulations that guide county decisions. As your County Commissioner, I will be ready to go to work on Day One. I won't need a learning curve to understand how government functions or where to go to get things done.
I believe that just as families must live within their budgets, local government should too. As your County Commissioner, I will ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly, with transparency and accountability. During my 30-plus years with Manatee County, I witnessed both good stewardship and wasteful spending. I know there are opportunities to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and better protect taxpayer money. We need to review how Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) are managed, how contracts are awarded, and how public-private agreements are structured to ensure taxpayers receive the best value. Special contracts should be limited if county staff can perform the work more efficiently and at a lower cost. In doing this there is a huge cost savings. I will also support open budget workshops where staff clearly explain county spending so citizens can understand where their tax dollars are going. Government should be transparent, accountable, and focused on serving the people.
As your County Commissioner, I will make sure the citizens I work for are heard. I will answer emails, return calls, and listen to concerns. I believe government works best when it is open, transparent, and accountable to the people. I will not support rushing important decisions. Citizens deserve proper notice and enough time to review public matters, ask questions, and provide input before votes are cast. I will not make backroom deals, and I will hold myself accountable for every vote and decision I make. I also believe county staff should be held accountable and operate with the highest standards of transparency and professionalism. The people of Manatee County deserve a government that listens, responds, and puts citizens first.
Campaign Phone
941-504-8728
Email
Tara@TaraPoulton.com
Campaign Facebook
Tara Poulton for Manatee County Commission, D6
The three most important issues facing Manatee County are managing growth while protecting our quality of life, keeping our community affordable through responsible fiscal management, and investing in infrastructure to support our growing population.
Of these, I believe managing growth is the most important because it impacts nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Manatee County continues to grow, but our infrastructure hasn't kept pace. Residents are frustrated with traffic congestion, overcrowded roads, and development that is changing the character of our community.
We can't stop growth, but we can plan for it. That means ensuring roads, utilities, stormwater systems, and public safety infrastructure keep pace with development while protecting green space, preserving our natural resources, and diversifying our water supply. With thoughtful planning, we can accommodate growth without sacrificing our quality of life.
I am a lifelong Republican and seasoned public servant with experience at the local, state, and federal levels of government. I've also served as Vice President of Public Policy for the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and spent seven years with the United Way of Manatee County, giving me a unique perspective on the needs of our community. Combined, these experiences have prepared me to be effective on day one.
I also hold a Master's in Public Administration from Florida State University and a bachelor's degree in Communication from the University of South Florida.
Responsible budgeting starts with setting clear priorities and making sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. I believe county government should focus first on core services like public safety, infrastructure, and maintaining our parks and public spaces while holding every department accountable for how public funds are used.
I support regularly reviewing county programs and major contracts, rebidding services when appropriate, and comparing costs with similar counties to ensure we're getting the best value for taxpayers. Where additional spending is needed, it should focus on infrastructure that keeps pace with growth and public safety.
With discussions underway about potential changes to Florida's property tax system, it's more important than ever to budget conservatively and plan ahead. Good government means living within our means, protecting essential services, and being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.
Transparency and accountability are essential to earning the public's trust. Throughout my career in local government, public policy, and constituent services, I've learned that people may not always agree with every decision, but they deserve to understand how and why those decisions are made.
As a County Commissioner, I will operate with the same open-door policy I have with my team today. I want residents to know they can reach out, ask questions, share concerns, and be heard. I will be accessible, communicate openly, and encourage meaningful public participation before major decisions are made. I also believe commissioners should be accountable by explaining their votes, listening to different perspectives, and regularly engaging with the people they serve. Good government starts with trust, transparency, and accessibility.
