Recent news
Venice 'Indian' topic at board meeting
Michael Scott Davidson, August 5, 2014
District 1 seat Bridget Ziegler announced her support to keep Venice High School's current mascot Monday via Facebook.
"While I believe that we must always listen and consider feedback from every member of the community, we also need to keep an eye on political correctness going too far," she wrote on her candidacy page.
Ziegler, faces re-election in the Aug. 26h primary, said she has received an influx of feedback regarding the controversy, virtually all of it in support of the Venice Indians.
It's important to consider what the Indians mascot means to the community, she said. Most see it as a positive symbol of honor and pride, and their opinions shouldn't be disregarded.
"I think it's a great representation of how the community can come together and stand strong for something they believe is important to them," Ziegler said. "It's exciting to see the mobilization and how passionate the Venice community is. Their schools and athletics mean a great deal to them and you can see that in the way they're supporting them"
What's at stake as Friday qualifying deadline approaches
Jeremy Wallace, June 15, 2014
6. Sarasota County School Board District 1.
The candidates: Bridget Ziegler (incumbent), Geoffrey Fisher, Ken Marsh, Paul Schafer.
The stakes: Four-year term on five-member board paying about $37,000 annually.
Key dates: Non-partisan primary Aug. 26, run-off, if necessary, Nov. 4.
The voters: County-wide, all voters.
For the first time in 16 years, District 1 is an open seat, after Carol Todd’s sudden resignation this spring. That’s brought a crowded field of candidates hoping to land the four-year term. Ziegler gained a leg up on the competition after Gov. Rick Scott appointed her to fill the seat until the election. As with the Manatee School Board races, this is a county-wide contest, though the candidates must live in the northern part of Sarasota County.
860AM WGUL - The Captain's America
Bridget Ziegler - "Why I'm Running" [For School Board]
Gov. Scott Fills School Board Vacancy
David Conway, June 9,2014
A candidate for the Sarasota County School Board District 1 seat has taken the position months before the August election.
On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott appointed insurance agent Bridget Ziegler to the seat vacated by Carol Todd, who resigned in April. Ziegler, who was already running in the race to replace Todd, will serve the rest of Todd’s term, which expires Nov. 11.
Scott’s appointment comes despite current School Board members pushing for the position to remain vacant until the Aug. 26 election. Several School Board members expressed a fear that appointing a candidate to fill the vacancy could offer an unfair advantage in the election.
“We’ve taken the position that we’d like to not have (a replacement),” School Board member Shirley Brown said in April.
The other candidates for the District 1 seat are Ken Marsh, former Sarasota County School District director of long-range planning, Paul Schafer, a retired St. Bonaventure University professor and Geoffrey Griswold Fisher, who formerly served on the West Hartford, Conn. school board.
Governor Rick Scott Appoints Bridget Ziegler to the Sarasota County School Board
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 6, 2014
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced the appointment of Bridget Ziegler as a School Board Member of Sarasota County.
Ziegler, 31, of Sarasota, is a Commercial Agent and Account Executive at Al Purmort Insurance. She is appointed to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Carol Todd for a term beginning June 6, 2014, and ending November 11, 2014.
Two File For Vacant School Board Seat
Ann Klockenkemper, April 18, 2014
SARASOTA COUNTY — Two candidates have filed to run for the recently vacated Sarasota County School Board District 1 seat.
Carol Todd, first elected to the board in 1998, resigned in early April to care for her ill mother. Near the end of her fourth term, she was up for re-election again this year.Bridget Ziegler of Sarasota filed April 9. Geoffrey Griswold Fisher, also of Sarasota, filed Monday.
Ziegler, 31, is married with an almost 7-month-old daughter. She is a commercial account executive for Al Purmort Insurance, managing the agency’s commercial accounts and facilitating new business development. She has lived in Sarasota nearly four years, and said one of her greatest motivations to run is her daughter.
“She will be entering the school system in a couple of years, and when the position opened (on the School Board), it seemed like a great fit for me,” she said. “We’re very lucky to have a very strong school system, but I would like to … make it better.”
Working in insurance, Ziegler has spent time with a lot of small- and local-business owners.“There’s no question that strong schools equal a strong economy, and that’s something I want to continue to see,” she said.
Although a fiscal and social conservative, Ziegler said she’d take a balanced approach if elected. She believes her age will be an advantage.“Obviously we’re inheriting this, and our children will too,” she said. “It’s a nonpartisan position, and I think it’s very important to maintain that. I want to look at the issues from the perspective of what’s best for the children."
“I’m very passionate, very driven and very ambitious,” she continued. “I’m very excited for the potential to have the opportunity to serve my community.”
School Board Candidate Emerges
Jeremy Wallace, April 13, 2014
A week after Sarasota School Board member Carol Todd announced she was resigning her post and not seeking re-election, the first of what many expect will be several candidates has filed to run for her seat in August.
Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota resident, declared her candidacy last week and became the first to officially file to run for the now open seat.
“As a businesswoman and the mother of a young child, I'm looking forward to meeting with the residents of Sarasota County to discuss how we can ensure the best possible education for every child living in Sarasota County!”