In a world of news that makes one want to hide under a rock, Manatee County Citizens came together as an educated force during this election cycle. That educated force was the power of a vote, something we take for granted in our democracy.
For four years, the majority of our Manatee County Commissioners were puppets for the developers. They destroyed our wetland policies just so these developers could make a few extra million in profit. They changed the eastern limits of development, giving developers close to a BILLION dollars of increased value without providing the necessary road improvements for this increase in traffic.
In August of this year, during the primary election, Christmas came early as the voters fired those County Commissioners who ignored the concerns of their Citizens. These same voters also fired the Supervisor of Elections, who was an incompetent county commissioner appointed by our Governor over the highly qualified Scott Farrington, who will now serve as our SOE. We may be unable to repair all the damage these commissioners did, but some changes are reversible.
Soon after the election, the board voted to restore the wetland policies, ended the desire to force a parking garage at Manatee Beach, and, more recently, began questioning why they should approve any more new development approvals until we have the roads to handle this new growth. The new board also appointed new members to citizen advisory boards who will represent the citizens without the requirement that they be “like-minded.”
There is more work that needs to be done, but the newly elected county commissioners bring that desire to represent you, the people. We as a community mustn't stop being engaged. If anything, we should be more engaged with ideas and work with our elected officials on solutions. They should embrace the citizens' input even when it conflicts with their opinion on issues. Respect is earned, and differences in opinions are always needed to reach the best solutions.
As a community, Manatee County is blessed to have so much talent, from retirees to those who work here and are willing to volunteer. This is what makes our county unique, and it has proved itself, as most of our citizens have seen through the lies of all those developer-funded political mailers, texts, and phone calls. It proved that developers can hire their political hacks and spend the most money trying to con you with fraud no business would ever get away with, but educated citizens are the true defenders of democracy with their vote.
As The Bradenton Times enters a new year, we are optimistic for our community. Our reporting will remain critical to our community’s quality of life, our democracy, and most of all, our freedom. We live in a world where fact-based news is vital to thrive. We cannot have local fact-based news without the support of our community. Without news, our democracy fails. We cannot depend on social media as a news source; there is too much distortion of facts and so-called news without any factual basis. You will be challenged by artificial intelligence, or AI for short. We won’t know if a photo or video is real; the same goes for social media posts. However, you can be confident in our local news reporting. We guarantee our news is factual, and if anyone finds an error in our facts at any time, we will publish a correction with the same visibility.
We cannot continue without your financial support. Please contribute or become a paid subscriber - click here to contribute any amount you can afford, or do a monthly or yearly subscription by clicking here. As a business, I encourage you to place an ad, post your events, create your free business listing, or keep us in mind to post a paid classified ad. If you want to send us a check, mail it to The Bradenton Times 405 26 Avenue West Bradenton, FL 34205. We cannot have our news published without this community’s support.
In closing, I wish the best for you and our community in 2025. You made the difference in 2024, but the work is not done. Democracy will only survive with an educated voter and a free press. I also hope peace will prevail because the world is in so much turmoil.
Semper Fidelis!
Joe McClash
Publisher, The Bradenton Times
5 comments on this item
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sandy
As a retired 26 year employee of Manatee County, I didn't always agree with Commissioner McClash. But I must thank you for The Bradenton Times. Gives the citizens a place to voice our opinions whatever they are. I am a paid subscriber. We must continue the fight to make Manatee County a great place to live.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Report this
Debann
Thank you Joe and Mitch and Dawn ...Keep up the great work and fight..proud subscriber...happy new year
Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Report this
mcems1986
I have been following TBT reporting shortly after COVID19 and all the unnecessary changes at MCG. The paper has kept everyone informed with fact base reporting and some excellent paperwork digging by Dawn K.
I became a subscriber in 2024 and will continue to support local. Have a great 2025 to TBT, Joe, Mitch, Dawn and the team.
Wednesday, January 1 Report this
WTF
Freedom of the Press....Don't take my word for it
No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now trying, and which we trust will end in establishing the fact, that man may be governed by reason and truth. Our first object should therefore be, to leave open to him all the avenues to truth. The most effectual hitherto found, is the freedom of the press. It is, therefore, the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of their actions.
Thomas Jefferson
As unbalanced parties of every description can never tolerate a free inquiry of any kind, when employed against themselves, the license, and even the most temperate freedom of the press, soon excite resentment and revenge.
John Adams
Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.
John F. Kennedy
My personal favorite..... Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.
Jim Morrison ... WTF
Wednesday, January 1 Report this
nellmcphillips
Thank you to all of the team at the Bradenton Times. Your reporting incited many citizens to turn this County around. Cheers to a new year of great reporting in 2025.
Wednesday, January 1 Report this