A retired prosecutor and a former journalist were tapped Wednesday as the newest members of the Sarasota City Commission. Eileen Normile and Stan Zimmerman were sworn in at a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

"This was no easy selection because of the quality of the applicants," said Commissioner Susan Chapman, one of three sitting commissioners who voted upon the appointments. Chapman stressed there were a number of high quality individuals vying for the posts.

The new commissioners fill the District 2 and 3 seats vacated by former Commissioners Paul Caragiulo and Shannon Snyder, who both resigned to run for Sarasota County Commission. Caragiulo won that election and was named to the county board on Tuesday. Florida's resign-to-run law meant Snyder had to leave his position regardless of whether he was elected to the County Commission or not, and Snyder did not apply to be appointed to the remainder of his term.

The entire series of events led to the unprecedented vacations of two seats at the same time on the city commission. The vacant seats attracted 10 applicants to vie for the District 2 seat and four applicants to apply for District 3. Ultimately, Commissioners Chapman and Suzanne Atwell favored Zimmerman and Normile, while Mayor Willie Shaw backed attorney Shelli Eddie and former Charter Review Committee member Art Levin.

Normile, a former prosecutor, has lived in Sarasota for roughly six years and quickly become engaged in civic affairs, serving recently as chairman of The Citizens Voice, the political committee opposed to a strong mayor initiative earlier this year. In terms of volunteer work with the city, Normile also chaired the Independent Police Advisory Panel. After her appointment, she promised to treat the position with respect and work collegially with the rest of the commission.

Zimmerman has covered local politics as a journalist regularly for roughly 40 years, most recently for The Sarasota News Leader. He also served as a naval correspondent, acting for a period as chairman of the Maritime and Naval Correspondents Circle in Washington, D.C. Locally, he has twice been elected as chairman of the Sarasota Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations. He promised to bring truth and integrity to his new office.

Zimmerman's and Normile's appointments run through the end of Caragiulo's and Snyder's terms in May. District city elections are scheduled in March, with a potential runoff in May.