Home Is Where His Heart Is...

With only 25 days left until the election, the candidates for mayor of Anna Maria could choose any number of relevant issues to talk about. Say, how the city spends the taxpayers’ money and the candidates' real-life experience with handling the responsibility of a $2.1 million budget. Or how about the ongoing debate regarding how commercial development can coexist with Anna Maria’s desirable tranquility and, importantly, what hard-earned development industry wisdom the candidates can offer to facilitate that coexistence.

Of course, that would require that the candidates actually have the real-life experience of being directly accountable for multi-million dollar budgets and have the wisdom one can only glean from going to work every day for decades as a de facto commercial developer. Only one candidate in this mayor’s race can make either of those claims: Mike Selby.

So faced with that reality, what is Sandy Mattick to do?

First, she highlights her willingness to be involved. She says, “I care” and we believe her. One must be involved to be effective and Anna Maria is a place one should care about. She also highlights her community-minded family and there is certainly nothing wrong with that (besides, of course, the obvious conflict of interest issues we discussed last week HERE). They give back. That’s a good thing.

But what else? What else can she say to convince voters that she is not just involved, not just a caring person in a caring family, but that she is qualified to lead them out of what has been an ugly and divisive year. Well, there does not seem to be much else.

So she is forced to create an issue. That issue is where she lives and when she lives there. In a letter to voters under a curiously tattered American flag (another story for another time), she says, “I am a full-time resident and live here 12 months of the year, and intend to spend the rest of my life here.” She does not say she owns a home because, well, because she does not own a home. She does not say she pays property taxes because she doesn’t pay property taxes. She does not say she will not go on vacation or visit her daughter in college next year because, when you think about it, isn’t everyone entitled to vacation and didn’t she take a well deserved cruise just a few months ago?

In her campaign literature and on-line postings Mattick has tried to make the case that since Mike Selby did not attend some recent city meetings he is somehow less interested in the business of the city than she is and therefore is less qualified to be its mayor. Phone calls to voters from her campaign supporters have gone further and brazenly fabricated the nature of Mike Selby’s recent vacation in North Carolina spending time with his children and grandchildren and his intentions regarding future time there.

Desperate? Maybe. False? Most assuredly. But don’t take our word for it. Here is what Mike Selby himself has to say about the issue:

“Several of my children and all of my grandchildren live in North Carolina and we own a 'mountain' home there. Our property has been on the market for over a year and hopefully it will sell soon. When I decided to run for Mayor, I considered the time and commitment necessary to do the job properly. I take, and have always taken, my commitments VERY seriously and as Mayor I will be 'hands on' as is necessary to run the City and run it properly.”

There is not much we can add to that.

Stay informed.

Bill Yanger