What's Cookin' with the Manatee County Commission?

Editorial by guest writer, Michael S. Hunter

If you believe Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge’s, (D3) recent op-ed, you’d think the “Fab Four” (which is now touted as the “Six” ) brought 1776 back to life in Manatee County. But as always, you must verify before you trust, right?

The Political Art of Concealment

In Washington, D.C., the behind-the-scenes orchestrators have strategically timed feel-good bills to hide very bad bills they know will be wildly unpopular with the majority of American citizens.

Keeping us in the dark is imperative to their success.

Legislators have become experts at distraction, keeping the American people focusing on what the legislators WANT them to focus on…. while hiding what they are really doing to us. You can call it “gaslighting” or slap on the label of “Nothing to see here.” Both are accurate. Unscrupulous lawmakers make careers out of passing bills to benefit their donors and large corporations, not you. At the same time they dodge scrutiny by having the media focus on explosive congressional hearings (that net no accountability) or focus on largely symbolic bills. Symbolic bills start out strongly worded, but while working their way through legislative committees, the wording is watered down making the final version of the bill useless.

E-Verify is a great example. That bill was strongly supported by the American People, but the final version signed into law was impotent. You were told E-Verify became law, and you were likely pleased, but what you weren’t told is the final version isn’t at all the E-Verify legislators started with. The American job market is no safer now than before Congress passed “E-Verify.”

And this is the way federal government works. It’s actually how all government works … even at the county level.

But surely not in Manatee County, right?

Are you watching closely enough to see if the Manatee County Commission Republican Supermajority means you have men and women of integrity and honor, representatives who listen to their constituents, vote with their conscience, and live by a moral code?

Are we willing to be honest about what we see?

The Manatee citizenry —-made up of every kind of people group from industrious blue-collar workers who are raising kids, to corporate people enjoying family and paradise-seeking retirees—the citizenry believes the government wants what we want: to do the right thing and bring peace and prosperity to our communities. It’s simple: our elected government should attend to their responsibilities so citizens have good roads, clean water, public schools and libraries, emergency services, such as police, fire, and utilities.

Those are the main responsibilities of local government and what our tax dollars ought to fund.

But are they?

Expectations versus Reality

Pay special attention to the timing and pairing of these county commission agenda items this year:

1. Confederate Monument (Retail Pet Ban)

A proposal was made to bring back the Confederate monument (literally the dumbest agenda item the Manatee County commission has had, and that’s saying something). It was scheduled for Jan 31, the same exact day as the repeal of the retail pet ban, and then the vote was cancelled at the last minute.

2. Second Amendment Sanctuary (0k’d New Homes Past the Future Development Line)

On February 14, a proposal was made to write a resolution declaring Manatee County a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County. It got a lot attention, which took a lot of attention away from a vote brought up only 48 hours later. Two days later, on February 16, the Board approved East River Ranch, a community with 5400 homes—all past the development line.

The 2nd Amendment resolution came back to the commissioners in the meeting immediately following the Taylor Ranch vote. It passed, which saddles Manatee County with another 4500 new homes, again, all past the development boundary.

3. Library Materials Discussion (Voted to Table the Impact Fee Study)

A discussion about our public library system took place at the exact same meeting as the discussion to table the impact fee study indefinitely.

If you don’t know what impact fees are and how you, the citizen of Manatee County, can get roped into footing the bill of development, it’s time to go find out.

4. Pro-Life Resolution (Wetland Buffer Reduction)

A pro-life resolution, which would restrict funds to “affiliates” of abortion providers, was rushed onto the September 12th agenda—just as the outcry from citizens opposing the wetland buffer being reduced started being reported.

The pro-life resolution was so rushed and poorly written, the County Attorney asked the board to table it for two weeks so he could make corrections to the document.

The commissioners rejected their own in-house counsel’s request and passed the resolution 6-1.

5. Bill of Rights Sanctuary = TBD

Mike Rahn came up with this proposal directing that “Manatee County has the right to be free from the commanding hand of the federal government.” The resolution does not provide for any remedy against the federal government—just like the County’s paper tiger Second Amendment resolution.

Because this resolution is so recent, we have to wait to see what gets added to the county commission agenda at the last minute so we can find out what’s being timed with this resolution.

Who else in Manatee County is calling the shots? (Hint: it ain’t you)

We all think the Commissioners are acting on their own, or maybe on the directive of a very large donor. But a local reporter found the person calling the shots by “pulling back the curtain” by way of a records request. He is an active agitator on social media, a nemesis of conservative Republicans, and an accomplished political operative who will tell you (and the world) what party affiliation you have been in the past. He might even know what street you live on. His name is Anthony Pedicini.

This resident of Tampa, who operates through his consulting firm Strategic Image Management (SIMWINs), has become deeply entrenched in Manatee County politics for the last three years. In the last eight months, media in Manatee County has reported on his ongoing texts directing the Republican commissioners— even during county commission meetings while public testimony and public board discussions are taking place.

Most recent public records reveal Pedicini had a text exchange with Commissioner Amanda Ballard (D2), which she redacted so the texts couldn’t be read. She claimed these texts were of a personal nature so she was not required to share the contents under the Sunshine Law. But what Ballard failed to acknowledge was that the timestamps on the texts reveal she was texting Pedicini during a county discussion that required sworn public testimony on the topic. Her explanation that she ought to be able to redact the texts is because she was sharing details of her “personal” life with her dear friend, Anthony Pedicini, (instead of focusing on this sworn testimony of witnesses presenting before the board). Read here: The Tampa-based political consultant continues to meddle in Manatee County Government Business

Pedicini instructs the Commissioners what to do. There is evidence of his involvement on multiple topics, including which Manatee residents he wants to box out from the citizens advisory board appointments. (Remember, he lives in Tampa. Why is he concerned who is on our citizens advisory boards?) Read here: "Two people we cannot appoint to anything: Kurt Mattingly, Talha Saddique (sic)"

Last year, The Bradenton Times raised questions as to whether: “commissioner-connected political operative, Anthony Pedicini, played a secretive role in drawing maps submitted in the county’s redistricting process.”

In a letter to the editor of the Sarasota Herald Tribune, Robert McCaa of Lakewood Ranch stated “Pedicini, who is a political consultant, gerrymandered Manatee County districts to include a candidate in District 2 whose campaign is now run by the same Pedicini! We've heard about politicians choosing their voters; in Manatee County we have a political operative picking the politicians and drawing their districts.”

It is unusual to have a political consultant so publicly directing duly elected county commissioners. Speculation has run rampant trying to determine what Pedicini’s interest is in a county in which he doesn’t reside. Is it that he has no confidence in his clients’ judgement? Do the elected commissioners rely heavily on his direction because they don’t understand the issues?

Not surprisingly, the votes of the County Commissioners who receive their directives from a political consultant based in deep blue Tampa have not produced positive outcomes for the people of Manatee County.

We the People should be demanding answers. YOU should be demanding answers.

Many people in Manatee worked very hard to get the 7 current commissioners elected to the Board. They promised you they were conservative, they would protect your liberties, and they would represent you when they cast a vote.

Yet, we see every Resolution meant to look like Conservative Red Meat, they actually served us a RED HERRING. They distracted us from what was really happening and who was really “calling the shots” on the votes they were hoping you would ignore. After all ... they gave you resolutions!

It’s time for Manatee County Residents to start asking questions:

• Why is an unelected, out-of-town political campaign manager texting commissioners directives on Manatee County policy?

• Why are the county commissioners, who we DID elect, submitting to a campaign manager from Tampa, which we all know is a liberal hotbed of corrupt politics?

• What do commissioners get in exchange for their votes? Why are the leaders of the Republican Party in Manatee silent?

• What is it going to take for Republicans to start demanding answers from their Commissioners who are ignoring the will of the People in favor of the opinions of a “hired gun” from Hillsborough?

Watching the Commissioners become more and more disconnected from their base has me wondering if they believe the campaign manager who repeatedly talks about how “dumb” their voters are.

It’s time for the ‘silent’ majority to make some noise. We need vocal voters willing to ask questions. The Commissioners need to hear from their base who are smart enough to know they’re being played.

We all like to espouse our commitment to the Constitution and the Republic. The entire premise of the Constitution and a Republic is the We the People are the government.

It’s time to govern. It’s time to stop protecting Commissioners who are voting against our interests and then tell us they are one of us. No. They aren’t one of us.

We are citizens of Manatee County pushing to preserve our liberty and our way of life. We are not Tampa-based, developer-backed mouthpieces pushing for the next lucrative McMansion Community to house blue-state northers.

Self respect is having the courage to seek the truth and the common sense to recognize a lie. Self government means you understand your responsibility to voice opposition when you see your elected representative taking directive from the phone in Pedicini’s palm.

Is that the representative government you elected? If not … what are you going to do about it?