Sarasota Voters To Decide Charter Issues

Todays News

While two Sarasota City Commission contests have earned most of the press leading into elections on Tuesday, Sarasota voters citywide will also weigh in on two changes to the city charter imposing certain limitations on the citizen petition process and on who will be eligible for appointments to commission vacancies.

Sarasota City Commissioners in January voted to place both charter items on the May ballot, even though there was no guarantee at the time there would still be City Commission races unsettled at that point. City Auditor and Clerk Pam Nadalini said the May contest was the soonest city election where the charter amendments could still make the ballot. “It was brought to our attention by the Supervisor of Elections Office that it would have been too late to meet their deadline for a March election,” she said. “We did as much as we could. This is just a deadline over which we had no control.”

One charter question on Tuesday’s ballot would require residents to be residents of a district for a full year before being eligible for appointment to the Sarasota City Commission. It’s an issue that came up when the city had two vacancies open last year when Commissioners Shannon Snyder and Paul Caragiulo both resigned to run for county office. The residency requirement already exists for candidates running for a seat on the commission.

The second amendment more firmly establishes a 180-day period for citizen petitions to place on items on future ballots, as well as extending the time for the commission to adopt a referendum from 30 to 60 days. Some have raised concerns whether the change would allow the commission too much discretion in when a referendum goes before voters, but Nadalini said that was not the intent of the measure. Rather, it was to clarify the timetable for petitioners.

Voters in all precincts may vote on the measures, including in District 1, which does not have a commission race on the ballot thanks to Commissioner Willie Shaw being elected unopposed. “We’re always concerned about voter turnout,” Nadalini said, “but the city has done as much as we can do to educate voters citywide that an election is happening.”

Polls for the city election open Tuesday at 7am and remain open to 7pm. Both charter amendments, as well as contests for commissioners for Districts 2 and 3, will be decided by the results.

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