Third Candidate Enters City Council Race

A third candidate has thrown their hat into the 2022 Marco Island City Council elections race. Nanette Rivera is the latest Marco resident to declare her candidacy for one of the three seats available in the 2022 non-partisan elections. She joins the race with Erik Brechnitz and Greg Folley, who are both presently serving on the board.

Nanette Rivera and her husband Eugene purchased their home on Marco Island in 1999 and in 2008 moved to the island fulltime. Rivera graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago. She began her career as an engineer, and spent 40 years working in the Pharmaceutical Industry. 

Rivera first applied to fill the seat vacated by former City Councilor Victor Rios. She competed with two other candidates, Claire Babrowski and Elizabeth Stephenson, who also vied for that position. In the end, the nod went to Babrowski, who at the time sat on the Marco Island Planning Board.

In January of 2021, Rivera was appointed to the Planning Board for a four-year term by newly elected City Council Member Joseph Rola. Should she be elected to council she would have to resign, and Councilor Rola would have to replace her on the Planning Board.

In 2020, Rivera was appointed to the Big Cypress Basin Board for a two-year term by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Coastal Breeze News will keep citizens alerted as candidates file for the 2022 Marco Island City Council elections.