Political activist Glen Gibellina is challenging incumbent Mike Rahn in the Aug. 18 Republican primary for Manatee County Commission District 4.
Only registered Republicans can vote in the race. No Democratic or no-party candidates qualified, but the filing of write-in candidate Allison Sneed closed the primary under Florida law. The winner will face only write-in opposition in November.
Gibellina, who says he has attended commission meetings for 18 years, made his case alone at a July 23 candidate forum sponsored by the Manatee Tiger Bay Club, a nonpartisan civic organization. Rahn did not attend.
Gibellina, 74, said his priorities are making sure commissioners listen to constituents and “stop the building.” He said the commission at times turns off microphones and has speakers escorted from the chambers.
“Public comment is a very powerful tool and we should respect those people that take their time to come in and express their concerns,” he said.
He also called for a stronger environmental record, saying the county should adopt rainwater harvesting systems, use native plants and widen wetland buffers.
“I’m an old hippie from the ’70s,” he said. “There is no sustainability going on in this county.”
Gibellina opposes data centers, saying their operations produce “harmonics” whose long-term effects are unknown and that the county does not have enough water to support them. He said he would hold developers accountable for paying their full share of impact fees for roads, schools, public safety and other essential services.
He also supports the property tax amendment, saying “seniors are getting crushed.” Trimming waste, abuse and fraud would offset the county’s revenue losses, he said.
Gibellina, who goes by the nickname “Gadfly,” says on his campaign website that people, not special interests, should be the focus of local governance, and that he has spent years holding elected officials accountable by attending commission meetings and posing challenging questions. He also supports home rule, an end to urban sprawl and responsible management of the water supply.
He is vice chairman of the Manatee County Affordable Housing Advisory Board and a former board member of Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness. He has served three times as a guardian for Southwest Florida Honor Flight, escorting veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials built in their honor.
Before his campaign, he completed the Florida Association of Counties’ Certified County Commissioner program and the ethics training state law requires of candidates in 2026.
The Tiger Bay club honored Gibellina with its Community Leadership Award in 2025, citing his enduring influence on the county.
Rahn was elected to the commission in 2022 and is seeking a second term. He has served as chairman of the Seaport Manatee Port Authority.
A former member of the Manatee County Planning Commission, Rahn is a 1980 graduate of Sarasota High School who joined the Marine Corps and served 13 years on active and reserve duty, including in Operation Desert Storm, according to his campaign website. He was honorably discharged.
He has been a residential mortgage lender in the Manatee-Sarasota area for 29 years and is a past president of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, a past second vice president of the Florida Home Builders Association and a board member of the National Association of Home Builders. He was elected to the Florida Housing Hall of Fame in 2017.
Rahn also is vice chairman of the board of directors for the Safe Children Coalition, which serves at-risk children and families in Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties, and sits on its finance and philanthropic committees. He is vice chairman of the coalition’s foundation.