Salem appointed to Anna Maria Commission

new pre-selection vetting process helped sitting city commissioners make their selections.

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seven and Salem won the seat with the lowest total score.

City Clerk LeAnne Addy then swore Salem into office before he took his seat on the dais and participated in the rest of the meeting as a voting member.

BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA – Charlie Salem now serves in the Anna Maria City Commission seat recently vacated by Carol Carter.

Salem will serve the remaining months of the two-year commission term that expires after the city elections in November. Former commissioner Brian Seymour was also considered for the commission appointment.

On Jan. 26, commissioners Jon Crane, Robert Kingan, Deanie Sebring and Mark Short ranked the two applicants according to their own first and second preferences. Crane, Kingan and Sebring ranked Salem as their first preference and Seymour as their second. Short ranked Seymour as his first preference and Salem as his second. The applicants received one point for a first preference and two for a second preference. Salem received five points, Seymour received

Applicant Presentations

For the first time, the appointment process featured a standalone commission workshop on Jan. 19 that allowed the two applicants to answer 24 questions provided in advance. The workshop also allowed Salem and Seymour to highlight their professional and political accomplishments.

Salem holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and government and a doctorate degree in law. He worked in Tallahassee as a special counsel for the State of Florida’s Office of Planning and Budgeting and then moved to Washington D.C. to run a state office of federal affairs pertaining to Hurricane Andrew recovery efforts in south Florida in the early 1990s. He then served as legislative director and chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) and finished his time working in the D.C. area as a public policy director for Microsoft.

Seymour served as an Anna Maria commissioner from late 2016 to late

2019. He owns and operates the Anna Maria General Store & Deli on Pine Avenue and he and his business partners operate the City Pier Grill in a pier space leased from the city.

Salem and Seymour’s presentations helped the four sitting commissioners make their appointment the following week. When filling past vacant commission seats, the applicants were simply given a few minutes to address the commission before the appointment was made using the same ranking process.

Mayor Dan Murphy proposed the new candidate vetting process.

“I think this is a good process. I think it’s a much better process than what we were using in the past,” Murphy said after Salem was sworn in.

“It was great to learn more about the candidates. I think this was the best way to do it,” Short said. Crane and Sebring agreed.

“As a participant in the process, I thought it was well-thought-out,” Salem said.

Kingan thanked Salem and Seymour for putting themselves forward as candidates.

“Either of you would have been a very good addition to this commission. I very much hope, Brian, that you will remain in contention because I think you’re an asset to the community and definitely have what it takes,” Kingan said.

Workshop Insights

During the workshop, Salem referenced the recently-expressed desires of State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and other members of Manatee County’s legislative delegation for a state-funded study regarding the possible elimination or consolidation of the three Island cities and the three city governments.