Candidate: Matthew J Bower

Matt Bower, a lifelong west Manatee resident with a long history of protecting Manatee’s coastline and representing the “citizen” point of view, has filed to run for Manatee County Commission District 3. “My belief is, if you’re going to be a leader, then be a leader. Reach out, and speak up. I don’t think we have had that in the District 3 seat,” Bower said. “I want our Commission to be more of an interactive, two-way street.” Bower, 41, is a financial adviser, former law group executive, and 7-year Army veteran. He was born and raised in west Manatee County, is a graduate of Bayshore High School, and is the father of a 2015 Manatee High School graduate. Bower is also in his third of four years on the Manatee County Planning Commission, which he sought to join after taking a public leadership role against key aspects of the Long Bar development that was eventually rejected by the full Commission. Bower is currently the only non-developer on the planning commission. His greatest inspiration is preserving Manatee County’s unique small-town ambience by protecting its coastline from over-development. More specifically, Bower wants to slow the increasing reliance on “mitigation,” which allows developers to destroy mangroves in one area if they preserve them elsewhere. “If we continue the way we’re going now, Manatee County will no longer have a unique coastline,” Bower said. “It will be like every other over-developed coastline. Let’s preserve what is perhaps our greatest natural resource.” Other top goals of Bower are to:  Revitalize west Manatee County through incentives to attract new and expanding businesses;  Unite citizens and other stakeholders countywide in an unprecedented effort to find solutions for traffic congestion;  Collaborate more effectively with the Manatee County School Board to find better solutions for school construction needs; and  Ensure all of his commission decisions benefit not just his home District 3, but all of Manatee County. Bower seeks to help the County Commission be more welcoming of citizen input, encourage more discussion, and ask more of the tough questions typically set aside to avoid divisiveness. He promises a campaign focused on finding solutions through “win-win” decisions based on practical honesty. “We have a tradition in this county of many county leaders simply being ‘placeholders’ to reinforce the status quo,” Bower said. “We have leaders trying to tell people what they should think, instead of engaging in conversation with them to learn. I want to change that.” Bower, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, is a graduate of the 2014-2015 Leadership Manatee class. He is a volunteer fundraiser with the David Gigliotti Foundation for cancer survivors and their families, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough Substance Abuse Coalitions. He has also volunteered for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Suncoast Chapter) and Manatee West Little League. His Army career includes 15 honors and recognitions. Bower is currently a financial adviser for Edward Jones and lives in west Bradenton with his wife and son. He and his family are fitness enthusiasts while enjoying the water and beaches that Manatee County has to offer. Matt is often labeled the Energizer Bunny because he never slows down.