Candidate Profile 2024: Diana Shoemaker For Manatee County Commission

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Diana Shoemaker is running for the Manatee County Commission District 3 seat. She faces three opponents in the race.

Patch sent a questionnaire to all District 3 candidates.

Find Shoemaker’s responses below:

Name:

Diana Shoemaker

Age:

65

Occupation:

Executive Director Elders Action Network

Political Party Affiliation:

Democratic Party

Why are you running for office?

In August I will have lived and worked in Manatee County for 25 years. Like others in our community, I’m committed to making the place I call home the best it can be. I have become increasingly concerned with the direction that our current county leadership is taking us. The current commission is not addressing the important nonpartisan local issues that impact the quality of life for the majority of residents in our county. Short term decisions are being made that have serious long term ramifications for the wider community. I'm running to reclaim the conversation so we are once again focused on the local issues. I'm running to restore the voice of our residents in helping determine solutions to our challenges and finally, to rebuild a sense of trust and transparency in local leadership and governance.

What do you think are the top three issues the county is currently facing?

Maintaining the quality of life of residents: Growth is inevitable and necessary for a community to thrive. The current concerns being raised by residents in District 3 and throughout Manatee County reflect inadequate attention by the commission for balanced and planned growth. Managing traffic and safety needs, providing adequate housing for all residents, and maintaining the integrity of our natural resources requires a commission to work diligently with county staff to assess how to effectively handle expansion while balancing the needs of residents.

Increasing access to housing for all residents: I believe that more focused attention is needed in addressing the current housing gap if we are going to remain economically viable as a community. For a growing segment of residents, if they can even find safe and adequate housing, costs are close to 50% of their income. This puts a tremendous strain on the hundreds of employees who keep our education,law enforcement, medical and hospitality services running. It also has the impact of increasing the number of homeless in our community. Incentives only go so far in encouraging builders. The commission will need to give this matter high priority and work with staff and residents to find partnerships that provide cost effective solutions to meet our housing needs.

Protecting our natural environment: The natural resources and beauty of our area drew so many of us here and helps fuel the tourist economy we depend on. We have a tremendous responsibility in Manatee County, because we live in such an ecologically diverse and potentially vulnerable area. The role of a county commissioner, I believe, is to partner with the county staff, community experts and residents to fully understand the environmental impact of our current growth. It requires making the long term hard decisions that protect our current quality of life and the future economic and environmental sustainability of our county.

Learn more about Shoemaker at her campaign website and on her Facebook page.