For Manatee County Commission D1, TBT recommends Liz Arnold

Six Republicans are competing for the chance to earn the party’s nomination for the Manatee County Commission District 1 seat that was vacated by the unexpected passing of first-term commissioner Carol Felts. We find several candidates well qualified, but one stands out for her proven commitment to the district and its issues.

Liz Arnold worked side by side with Felts as an activist and has attended county commission meetings for years, regularly giving public comment on issues unique to District 1. Arnold, who lives in Parrish and owns a farm in Myakka City, has a unique perspective on two major communities in the rural district. She has fought to slow the rampant growth and loss of character in Parrish while fighting to prevent Myakka City from suffering the same fate.

Arnold was a Director for Florida Power Corporation (now Duke Energy), managing major financial operations. Her experience with such budgeting will be an asset to her as a commissioner. Earlier, she worked with the City of St. Petersburg, helping to implement one of the first automated refuse collection systems in the country. She conducted operational reviews to improve efficiency in city departments. Her husband of 50 years was the deputy city manager. Arnold knows how government bureaucracy works as well as how it doesn’t.

Michael Harrison is another candidate in the race whom we find qualified. The 65-year-old Myakka City resident and horse farrier is a walking encyclopedia of Manatee County history, particularly when it comes to its rural lands. We believe Harrison’s knowledge, as it pertains to development plans and the attempted rezoning of agricultural lands for residential use, would be a valuable asset.

John Dunn is another qualified candidate who we think would make a fine commissioner. Dunn, 34, is a Duette resident and former U.S. Air Force medic who is running for all the right reasons. A Lakewood Ranch High alum, Dunn has a deep connection to the district and says he moved to Duette for the “homestead life,” so that he and his wife could raise their children in a rural setting. Duette has never been represented on the board, and Dunn’s youth and maturity make him an attractive candidate for a board long dominated by older members.

Palmetto defense attorney Leland Taylor is another candidate that excites us. Taylor graduated from Palmetto High School and Florida State University (B.S. in Political Science) before earning a Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law. Before entering private practice, he worked in government affairs. Taylor serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board for the Manatee BOCC Infrastructure Sales Tax Oversight Citizen Committee. He has demonstrated a solid understanding of county issues and vows to stand up to developers to ensure growth happens in a sustainable manner.

Mark Stanoch is a candidate with an exceptional resume who wants to focus on bringing higher-paying jobs to the district in order to mitigate the affordability crisis plaguing younger residents. We liked Stanoch as a school board candidate in 2024, and were this an ordinary race for an ordinary board, his skill set would surely be the kind of asset we would be looking for. However, we found his grasp of development issues to be much weaker than that of several of the other candidates. As a result, we are simply not confident that he would best represent the challenges and concerns facing this district.

We find the final candidate, Adam Johnson, to be totally unqualified for this seat. A J6 participant, best known as “lectern guy,” it would be a major stretch to describe Johnson’s understanding of county issues as novice. Moreover, we find his participation at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, to be morally disqualifying. Despite the outside money Johnson has attracted from those who share his views on such matters, he remains woefully unprepared for such a position, and we find him totally outclassed by the other candidates in this race.

While this race includes several strong candidates who may have earned our endorsement under different circumstances, Liz Arnold has proven her commitment to this district in a way that is rare, to say the least. Like Felts, she has put in the time and done the work without being elected to an office or being paid for her efforts. Her candidacy gives us the greatest confidence that District Republican 1 voters would not be disappointed should they elect her to the board. Like most of you, we wish Carol Felts were still here to represent District 1. We believe that Liz Arnold is the closest voters can get.

The winner of this race will face Democrat Sari Lindroos-Valimaki on the November ballot.