East county observer 7 2 15

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E A ST COUNTY

SPIRIT OF

AMERICA

Observer

The Greatest Generation

Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 17, NO. 33

FREE

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

INSIDE: Honor Flight of West Central Florida | Women of the WAC Fourth of July events calendar

INSIDE

Judge sends message on cell towers

A Tampa judge ruled Manatee County was right in denying a cell tower application in River Club. PAGE 5

CHEERS TO AMERICA

PATRIOTIC PRIDE Mary Lou McFate shows her love for America 365 days a year.

PAGE 13 ON A ROLL

Annie Breitinger and Erin Boihem display their fervor for the Fourth at the Cheers for Charity event. They served up drinks as guest bartenders at Polo Grill and Bar. SEE STORY ON PAGE 4

ON THE

RISE Courtesy photo

Art Reilly, the grand knight of the local Knights of Columbus Incarnation Council, delivers a $501 check to Marla Ross,of Community Haven.

Community Haven now has a special appreciation for Tootsie Rolls. The Knights of Columbus Incarnation Council No. 15332 donated $501 to the East County group. The group raised money through a recent fundraiser, “the Campaign for People with Intellectual Disabilities,” which is also coined the “Tootsie Roll Drive.” The local group collected donations outside of local stores, and, in appreciation of monetary donations, donors receive candy — often Tootsie Rolls.

High five or magnificent seven? Voters could decide the lucky number of Manatee County school board members. AMANDA SEBASTIANO STAFF WRITER

The Manatee County School District is struggling with this riddle: Is seven a number greater than five? In terms of arithmetic, the answer is obvious. But the question the school board grapples with is whether it should grow the five-member board to seven members, to help establish a more diverse board that mirrors the Manatee County Commission. Nearly four months ago, Coun-

ty Commissioner Charles Smith brought the idea of a sevenmember board before the commission and discussed it with the school board. “We don’t have turmoil on our board, and you won’t if there’s seven of you,” Smith said to the school board at its June 23 meeting. “More members means no one or two members can hijack board meetings.” Eventually, voters could decide how their school board is elected and how many members it has. At its meeting last week, the

board voted 4-1 to have board attorney Jim Dye review the legality of a proposal to put the issue before voters during the 2016 general election. Chairman Bob Gause cast the only dissenting vote. Gause said he voted against proceeding because he doesn’t know if the change is necessary. The group will revisit the discussion at its July 7 meeting. But so far, it has discussed two options for a seven-member board. SEE EDUCATION ON PAGE 3

East County property values will increase by 7.02%, an amount that’s higher than the countywide average of 5.42%.

8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% East Manatee County County

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