Candidate: Harry Stoltzfus

I love Anna Maria. I love walking its beaches. I love fishing its shorelines. I love swimming and boating in its waters. I love its smells, its sounds, even its weather, unpredictable as it is. But mostly I love its people. In the twelve years since I first brought my wife Cathy and our daughter Molly to this Island, we’ve met and been embraced by an ever widening circle of friends: fishing buddies, horseshoe buddies, parents of other school kids, snowbirds, residents, shop owners, artists, musicians, restaurateurs. Some from the U.S, some from Canada, some from “across the pond.” Anna Maria is a truly exceptional community of really nice people. Anna Maria is no accident. Our city has maintained its residential quality, its Old Florida character, and its quiet, small town personality, thanks to a long line of resident defenders and officeholders who have fought hard to ensure she didn’t become just another overdeveloped, commercialized, exploited resort town. We owe them a debt of gratitude. I’ve chosen to repay my debt by joining their cause. I’m presenting myself as a candidate for Anna Maria City Commissioner. I’m asking for your support. If elected I pledge to: 1. Fulfill the public obligations of my office with transparency and integrity. 2. Oppose any effort or any proposed measure that would diminish the regulations now in place whose purpose is to preserve the residential character of Anna Maria. 3. Establish and maintain a dialogue between the residential and the business members of Anna Maria in order to foster a relationship in which all parties work toward minimizing the negative impact on surrounding residences of a vibrant business community. Thanks for listening. Harry Stoltzfus 411 Poinsettia Rd Anna Maria, FL 34216 (941) 779-9838 email: harry@harconcorp.com Biography: I was born on a farm in Pennsylvania in 1954, the fifteenth of sixteen children. I spent the first eighteen years of my life reading and learning diplomacy. Starting at the age of 14, I worked for my father, sandblasting and painting water towers. There were too many brothers in the business (I have eight) ahead of me, so at 18, I left the family business and went to work for a bridge painter. I\'ve worked on bridges most of my adult life. I\'ve hitchhiked across the United States twice, across Canada once, visited 47 of the 50 states, worked in a greenhouse, managed a deli on Long Island for a year, spent two years at Penn State, painted bridges for six years, managed a bridge painting company for five years, and started my own company, Harcon Corporation, in 1988. My favorite activities are annoying my wife of sixteen years, Cathy, and teasing my fourteen-year-old daughter Molly. Or vice versa. I also enjoy playing guitar badly, singing poorly, and writing. And I fish. I know something about risk management. If an accountant makes a mistake, someone may lose a few dollars. In my business, bridge access, if I make a mistake, someone may lose a life. I know something about business management. I\'ve managed other people\'s businesses for six years and my own for twenty-two years. I know how to make tough budget decisions. And I know a little about creative thinking. I\'ve designed several machines and systems for bridge access. If you happen to see a Volvo tractor pulling a large aluminum contraption, that sorta looks like a big pontoon boat, around town, that\'s mine. I designed it and have the patent for it. I\'ve got another patent pending for another piece of equipment. I believe I can bring my life skills to the Anna Maria City Commission and make a positive contribution to the island I\'ve grown to love. Again, I\'d appreciate your support.