David M. Levin Runs For Bradenton City Council Ward 2 Seat

BRADENTON, FL — Bradenton voters will decide who will win the Ward 2 seat on the Bradenton City Council.

Two candidates are vying for the seat:

• Marianne Barnebey
• David M. Levin

Voters will choose the winner in the Nov. 8 general elections.

Patch has asked all candidates to complete a questionnaire about their campaign and their priorities.

Levin responded to our survey and his responses are posted below:

Campaign website

https://levinforbradenton.com

City or town of residence

Bradenton

Office sought

City Council, Ward 2

Education

M.A., J.D.

Occupation

Finance and technology, five years

Family

My wife’s name is Jacquelyn and our kids are Maddie, age 7, Sebastien, who is 6, and Faelynn is turning 3.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Age

37

Why are you seeking this office?
Because the recycling program fell apart under the current “leadership.” It’s a basic function of local government and they failed.

There is also significant entanglement between developers, their lawyers — Blalock Walters, who also has the city attorney contract — and the government. That entanglement had led to corruption, and my opponent is a part of that club.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

First, I represent the interests of the people, not the developers. Second, I actually have a vision for the city.

I’d like to see the city be a better steward of itself, but especially the stretch between downtown and LECOM Park. Reinstate recycling. Replace the sporadic Marauders banners with something more inspiring. Install a Little Free Library in every city park and host more 5K races.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

Recycling failed on her watch. She recently tried to regulate Airbnb, very anti-capitalist in my opinion.

She abused her station in storm-proofing her house, using the fire department to do it — she tearfully apologized for that one. And much like Nancy and Mark Pelosi, she and her husband are seen as corrupt and on the take by many, many people in the community.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Replacing the police chief and changing the uniforms to something that builds more trust and confidence in the community. Right now, there are big issues with the Bradenton Police Department. There is low trust and low performance at the top and it’s being swept under the rug.

I would also like to see the city hire a city attorney who works exclusively for the city, and not share one with the developers.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I would cite my success in the private sector. After I secured Florida election servers in 2016, I went to work in the private sector where I have been successful at building a host of businesses from the ground up.

In the private sector both a vision and capital allocation (are) very important, if you get it wrong your business will fail.

Career politicians — people like my opponent who was first elected in 1998—have proven themselves vision less, and very bad at capital allocation.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Compare yourself with who you were yesterday, not with who someone else is today.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe in traditional values, and I think we need to balance our growth with preserving our environment while keeping taxes low.