Former Bradenton Councilwoman Sworn In To Fill Vacancy

BRADENTON, FL — Marianne Barnebey was sworn in to the Bradenton City Council Friday as her husband Mark, son Matthew and niece, Emily Ellrick, looked on. Her son, Chris, watched the ceremony via FaceTime in Austin, Texas.

"I was elected by the citizens for four terms previously,” Barnebey wrote in a letter seeking the position. “During my time as an elected official, we tackled several difficult decisions in our city. While there was never a time that we all were in agreement completely, we did respect our citizens
and tried very hard to reason together without acrimony."

Barnebey was appointed to fill the unexpired Ward Two City Council seat Wednesday following the resignation of Gene Brown on June 10. He stepped down to enter the Bradenton mayor's race. Councilman Harold Byrd made the motion to appoint Barnebey to the fill Brown's term.

"My pledge to you, should you choose to appoint me, is that I will always try to listen to our citizens, volunteer board members and elected council members with courtesy and respect," Barnebey said in the letter. "That is what I endeavored to do previously, and would do my best to continue that way.”

Barnebey held the Ward Two seat from January 1998 to December 2012. Brown was appointed to the seat when Barnebey stepped down to run against Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston in the 2012 mayoral race.

Barnebey, whose appointment runs for two years, was one of four residents who expressed interest in the vacancy. Officials cited her previous experience on the council for her selection.