For Manatee County School Board District 5, we recommend Jonathan Mullis

The non-partisan Manatee County School Board D5 race features two political newcomers: Jonathon Mullis and Cam Bedinghaus. They are vying for the seat being vacated by Richard Tatum. We see Jonathan Mullis as the obvious choice in this race.

Mullis, a physical therapist who followed his parents to Manatee County after selling his Boston practice in 2017, brings a unique blend of skills that we believe would benefit a board that has overseen steady improvement in district performance.

Mullis is the child of two teachers and currently serves as President of the Bradenton Kiwanis Club, where he has demonstrated an admirable commitment to service in our community. Mullis has also demonstrated an impressive command of district issues, suggesting he could hit the ground running if elected.

Equally important, in our opinion, Mullis has shown a temperament conducive to public office, along with other important qualities, including humility, intellectual curiosity, and an impressive ability to articulate his positions with specificity. We believe he would be a strong replacement for the important role Tatum has played on the board, where he has often served as a thoughtful and effective arbitrator on issues with no consensus. Moreover, Tatum, a retired military officer, seemed to add value to the board by bringing a similarly unique set of skills and experience to the seat.

Cam Bedinghaus is a 23-year-old Manatee County native and district alum who impressed us with his detailed platform and passionate advocacy. However, there is simply no comparison between the candidates in terms of the skills and experience required of an effective board member. The school district is Manatee County's largest employer, with a budget of nearly $1.7 billion.

As something of a social media influencer, Bedinghaus also brings considerable political/culture-war baggage to his campaign that many of our readers have found troubling, despite his commitment to keeping politics and policy separate. We simply see no case for him over a candidate as distinctly qualified as Mullis.

Podcast interviews we conducted with each candidate ahead of the August race for which they qualified for the November runoff are available below.