Luppino announces candidacy for District 4

MANATEE COUNTY - Former county planner Norm Luppino announced Friday that he is running for the County Commission.

Norm Luppino worked for the county for 23 years as a planner, and has since represented communities before the County Commission.

The 50-year-old Michigan native, who has lived in Florida since August 1986 and worked for the county for 23 years, is one of three people who has announced for the District 4 seat being vacated by County Commissioner Ron Getman in 2010.

Luppino has an opponent in the Republican primary, Robin DiSabatino; at present, one Democrat, Roger C. Galle, has filed for the seat. The primary will be held on Aug. 24, 2010, and the general election will be on Nov. 2, 2010.

"I feel I have what it takes to be a good commissioner for the district and the county at large," Luppino said Friday. "I feel that I can make a difference."

He worked in the county's Planning Department, and he was one of several county employees laid off recently. Since then, he has represented before the County Commission communities in his area that had issues with development plans.

Luppino said he got calls from people telling him he should run. "I have been doing a lot of research, making contacts with people," he said. "I've been doing a lot of legwork on issues."

He said his former position will help him in the campaign. "A lot of the issues within our district deal with the preservation of older neighborhoods," he said. "It does give me some advantage."

He said he has gotten some very positive comments from people who worked with him, and that his neighbors are very excited about it.

"I haven't gotten any negative feedback," Luppino said, but he said people have warned him that it'll be tough, and that his opponent will be able to raise a lot more money.

Economic diversity and growth management

The area's big issue is the economy, he said. "We've got to diversify our economy and not be so dependent on the building industry," Luppino said.

Growth management is still very important, he noted. The big issue in the district is the preservation and revitalization of older neighborhoods.

"A lot of this area is in the core of Manatee County, and a lot of people feel that they've been left behind," Luppino said.

The centrally located, older part of the county, including Bayshore Gardens, Whitfield and the mobile home parks from the 1960s or before haven't had the representation they need, he said.

"There's been a major economic shift in the community," he said. "There's a lot of older neighborhoods that are at the beginning stages of decline."