Earlier this week, I reported on an argument between Manatee County Commissioner Jason Bearden and County Administrator Charlie Bishop that looked like it might come to blows. Cooler heads seemed to prevail until Friday, when Bishop’s executive assistant, Leslie Silverstein, was summarily dismissed and escorted from the Manatee County Administrative Building.
That was apparently the final straw for Bearden, who took to social media and livestreamed an explanation for his profanity-laced outburst while questioning Bishop’s process for hiring a deputy county administrator during Tuesday’s meeting. During the exchange, Bearden alleged that Bishop had been AWOL for much of the summer. Sources within the administration speculated that Silverstein had been suspected of leaking Bishop’s alleged prolonged absence to Bearden.
Bearden, who’s deeply religious—to say the least—and quite conservative, described a spiritual battle that needs to transcend partisan politics. The commissioner, who is not seeking reelection, implored Republicans and NPAs to “get away from your partisan politics” when it comes to the upcoming Manatee County Commission races…