The scene at the Supervisor of Elections office on election night. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

After all the hoopla leading up to it, Election Night turned out to be a rapid-fire affair in terms of learning who won and who lost.

Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent and her staff released the early voting and absentee numbers at 7 p.m. and posted the final results 15 minutes later in what Dent described as “record time” for a city election.

Mayor Suzanne Atwell retained her Sarasota City Commission seat, earning another four years in office. As the leading vote-getter, she received 4,575 votes, which equates to 38.48% of the 11,888 votes cast or 64.4% of the 7,102 ballots filled out.

The Supervisor’s Office uses the first percentage figure. The City uses the second, taking into account that each voter was allowed to vote for two candidates because there were two at-large seats up for grabs.

Finishing 695 votes ahead of the other two candidates, Atwell’s victory ends a recent streak of incumbent commissioners failing to win reelection—a list that includes Dick Clapp, Ken Shelin, Danny Bilyeu and Mary Anne Servian.

Susan Chapman earned the second at-large seat with 3,880 votes, 32.6% of the total votes cast and the support of 54.6% of those who voted.

Despite spending more than $60,000 on his campaign, Richard Dorfman finished out of the money, receiving 3,433 votes, 28.8% of the total votes cast and receiving support from 48.3% of those who voted.

By The Numbers

Bucking another recent trend, voter turnout in the May run-off election increased to 19.94%, up from the 17.34% turnout in the March “primary,” with 7,102 city voters participating in the May election compared to 6,153 in March.

The numbers also suggest that absentee voting is becoming the favored method of voting in city elections, with 46 percent of the ballots cast in that manner. Leading up to the May 14 election, 3,286 people voted by absentee ballot (ballots typically delivered to voters by mail, filled out at home and returned by mail or in person to the Elections Office on or before Election Day).

The traditionalists who still prefer going to the polls on Election Day accounted for 2,677 votes and 1,139 voters voted during the weeklong early voting period.

One of the big questions leading up the run-off election pertained to “bullet voting,” a concept that involves voters using only one of their two votes so as not to give their second vote to another candidate.

Given the vast philosophical and personal differences between the Chapman and Dorfman camps, pundits felt bullet voting might favor these two candidates, while voters voting for two candidates would bode well for Atwell (the “centrist” candidate) because Dorfman voters were unlikely to vote for Chapman and vice versa.

According to my math, 2,316 voters bullet voted, but 4,786 voters voted for two candidates, likely contributing to Atwell’s margin of victory.

Radio Pundits

Before heading to the Supervisor of Elections office to watch the results come in, I had the pleasure of appearing on The Nilon Report, talking local politics with WSRQ General Manager Susan Nilon and SRQ Magazine Senior Editor Jacob Ogles.

An hour before the polls closed, Ogles predicted that Atwell and Chapman would be the two winners.

I incorrectly predicted that Chapman and Dorfman would finish first and second based on my belief that the passion exhibited by the Chapman and Dorfman campaigns and bullet voting might offset the “steady as she goes” reelection strategy navigated by Atwell and campaign manager Grace Carlson.

We also discussed the impact the HuB business incubator and its owner, Jesse Biter, would have on the outcome of the race. I wondered aloud if receiving so much support from Biter and the HuB would backfire on Dorfman, working against the candidate in the court of public opinion.

In the end, the HuB’s support produced a third place finish for Dorfman, who also finished third in March, when HuB-supported political newcomer Kelvin Lumpkin finished fifth in the six-candidate primary.

While the efforts did not produce a winner, it’s likely the HuB will remain a significant player in local politics and will flex its political muscle again in the 2014 County Commission races and the 2015 City Commission district races.

Election Office Action

From the WSRQ studio, I made my way to the Supervisor of Elections Office—ground zero in terms of getting the election results first.

The small gathering inside the public viewing area prior to the 7 p.m. release of the early voting results included County Commissioners Carolyn Mason and Joe Barbetta, ACLU attorney Michael Barfield, print journalist Jon Susce, TV journalist Max Winitz, a Chapman supporter who wished to remain anonymous and the aforementioned Nilon.

As was the case in March, the early voting-absentee numbers accurately predicted the final outcome, with Atwell in the lead from the beginning, followed by Chapman and Dorfman.

When the votes from the city’s 18 voting precincts were added to the early voting totals, Dorfman made small gains on Chapman, but never enough to bridge the 400-vote gap that mired him in third place.

As the results came in, texts and phone calls made from inside the public viewing room relayed this information to the candidate gatherings taking place around town.

By 7:15 it was all over, with two female Democrats victorious. When Sarasota Democratic Party Chair Rita Ferrandino walked in two minutes later she was surprised to learn that the final results were already in, but was pleased with the outcome.

While the Sarasota County Commission remains a Republican-dominated body, Democrats continue to experience success at the city level, with Vice-Mayor Willie Shaw also a member of the Democratic Party.

Dorfman Gracious in Defeat

Richard Dorfman addresses media following election loss. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Once the results were  in, my next stop was the Dorfman gathering taking place at Patrick’s on Main Street.

Typically, the losing candidate’s party is the first to end, so I thought I’d speak to Richard before catching up with Suzanne and Susan.

Standing outside Patrick’s within 15 minutes of learning his fate, Richard graciously answered media questions, giving an honest and heartfelt response when asked how it felt to come up short after investing so much time and energy into his campaign.

“It’s incredibly disappointing, it’s indescribably disappointing,” he said. “You feel horrible, there’s no two ways about it.”

Making a sports analogy, the former sports agent stated that one always sets out with the expectation of winning, and losing feels “miserable.”

He talked about how difficult it was to maintain the high level of energy required during the final two weeks of the campaign, noting that although he was “running on fumes” he and his staff never let up.

“I think we worked harder than any campaign team out there,” he said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily that we did not do enough, but the voters decided they wanted a different direction.”

Inside Patrick’s, I spoke with a couple Dorfman supporters, one of whom suggested that the “sucking sound we hear” will be the sound of development taking place in Lakewood Ranch and other locales outside the city limits.

Another Dorman supporter said he wasn’t so sure about the “sucking sound” reference, but did think the failure to elect both Atwell and Dorfman would lead to two more years of “status quo” in terms of downtown development.

Atwell Celebrates Four More Years

Cathy Antunes and Jim Lampl celebrate with Mayor Suzanne Atwell. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

A few blocks over at the Blue Rooster, the mood was more joyous. Mayor Atwell stood outside speaking with well-wishers and media members. She described her mood as “extraordinarily great,” noting that she considered it a privilege to run as an incumbent after governing in the city for the past four years.

As for why her centrist campaign strategy resonated with voters, the Mayor said, “When you campaign, you’re campaigning on issues that are on the edge of policy issues; but when get up there at the dais and you’re governing, you have to govern from the center. Governing is not campaigning. Governing is looking at the entire community and the greater good and trying to bring consensus, and I’ve been in that position for the past four years.”

Her to-do list for her next term includes bringing more development to the Rosemary District and the North Trail, looking at form-based building codes and bringing more opportunity to the downtown core, all of which she planned to address in her State of the City address scheduled for noon on Friday May 17, when she and Commissioner Chapman are sworn in and outgoing Commissioner Terry Turner makes his farewell presentation.

Inside the Blue Rooster, Grace Carlson and Diana Hamilton were among those celebrating Atwell’s victory. As I was leaving, Savory Street co-owner Jim Lampl and longtime political activist and former state legislature candidate Cathy Antunes arrived together and congratulated Suzanne on her victory.

Chapman Focused on the Job Ahead

Newly-elected City Commissioner Susan Chapman surrounded by friends and supporters. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

My final stop was the Chapman celebration taking place at the Word of Mouth café on Osprey Avenue—a gathering that included Vice Mayor Willie Shaw, former commissioners Kelly Kirschner and Dick Clapp, campaign supporters Jennifer Ahearn-Koch, Gretchen Serrie, Kafi Benz, Robin Harrington, Barbara Langston and Valerie Buchand.

Basking in the glow of a hard-won victory, Susan said, “I am so grateful that we were able to prove that you could follow the campaign finance rules, run a grassroots campaign and still win.”

As for the work that lies ahead, she mentioned reaching a “noise compromise,” developing a “comprehensive plan to address homelessness, vagrancy and panhandling” and addressing “fiscal issues looming over the city.”

Echoing the Mayor’s comments, Susan also mentioned expanding the use of form-based codes, which in layman’s terms is a means of regulating development by placing more emphasis on the design, character, scope and aesthetics of a building and how it fits into a greater vision for a certain area, with less concern devoted to the actual intended use of the proposed development.

The Cycle Never Ends

With the 2013 elections now behind us, talk has already turned to the 2014 Sarasota County Commission races, with Commissioners Nora Patterson and Joe Barbetta term-limiting out of office and candidates already lining up to replace them.

And it’s not too early to start giving thought to the 2015 City Commission district races, with District 2 Commissioner Paul Caragiulo having publicly stated that he does not intend to run for a second term and District 3 Commissioner Shannon Snyder having suggested privately that he may not run for reelection.

Graphic by Joe Hendricks.

With less than a week remaining in the hotly-contested campaign for the two at-large Sarasota City Commission seats, the debate between candidate supporters is running at a fever pitch, with emails flying, online debates raging and allegations of campaign improprieties contributing to the last-minute political maneuvering leading up to the May 14 city election that will determine the two winners of the three-way race between Richard Dorfman, Suzanne Atwell and Susan Chapman.

While Mayor Atwell is trying to buck a recent trend of incumbent city commissioners being rejected by city voters, Chapman and Dorfman hope to enter the gilded cage of city politics—with the final results expected by 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

On election night, Mayor Atwell and her supporters will gather at the Blue Rooster. Richard Dorfman and his supporters will gather at Patrick’s and Susan Chapman and her supporters will be at Word of Mouth. Two of the three gatherings will be festive, celebratory events and one will be a somber, reflective and shorter-lived affair.

This race is expected to be close and I don’t think anyone knows who the two winners will be. In the end, it may come down to how many people “bullet-vote,” casting only a single vote for their most-preferred candidate instead of using both allotted votes and voting for their top two choices. There is a school of thought suggesting that Chapman supporters will not cast a second vote for Dorfman and vice versa, so Atwell, by default, would garner the most secondary votes in addition to votes from her own loyal supporters.

If the majority of voters bullet-vote, the passionate and partisan support generated by the Dorfman and Chapman campaigns may be too much to overcome for the “centrist” Atwell campaign that seems to have generated less passion than the other two campaigns.

I personally believe that a Chapman victory would provide the commission with a progressive voice, a greater sense of checks and balances and greater neighborhood representation—and it would be interesting to see how she and Commissioner Paul Caragiulo function on the same commission, because there is no love lost between the two longtime city residents.

Some fear that victories by Atwell and Dorfman (both of whom are considered to be “developer-friendly”) would create a three-vote “alliance” with Commissioner Caragiulo, who shares many of their same political philosophies.

Those who support Chapman are concerned that the aforementioned “alliance” would lead to “rubber-stamped,” predetermined decisions coming out of City Hall—especially when they pertain to development proposals. Supporters of Atwell and Dorfman would argue that having three like-minded commissioners on a five-person commission would create a more business-friendly environment, lead to more downtown growth and result in a commission less prone to gridlock.

Most city commission decisions require a three-person majority vote to enact new policy or undo current policy, with some of the larger decisions (such as hiring a new city manager) requiring a four-person super majority.

However this all turns out, we should commend the three candidates for caring enough about their city to subject themselves to the public scrutiny associated with being a candidate or a commissioner.

Does It Really Matter?

I first delved into community journalism and began paying attention to city commission issues in the mid-2000s while living in the Orlando area. I briefly held the naïve belief that local politics and local governments could, and should, provide an opportunity for engaged citizens to bring out the best in their community. I now wonder if these political differences don’t bring out the worst in us, especially during election season.

A government of neighbors elected by fellow neighbors should provide an opportunity to affect positive change and resolve local issues free of the gridlock and restraints that stymie productivity at the higher political levels, but that’s probably utopian thinking on my behalf.

I’ve often told friends who pay little attention to local politics that the decisions made inside City Hall have more impact on their lives than decisions made in Tallahassee or Washington, D.C. City commissioners decide what type of development and business operations are allowed at a given location, what kind of improvements can be made to your home and what type of activities are allowed on your property. City commissioners decide what type of road runs through your neighborhood, where you’re allowed to park and whether you will pay for those parking privileges. City commissioners determine how late and how loud your favorite band plays at your favorite local bar and whether you need to have your dog on a leash when visiting a city park.

On a larger level, city commissioners determine the level of police protection afforded citizens and the the costs and pension liabilities associated with those protections. Commissioners oversee a $176 million city budget and have to deal with complex social and economic issues such as homelessness, poverty, crime, job creation and infrastructure.

On the surface, this local control seems vitally important, but with each passing election local politics looks more and more like the special-interest, party-affiliated politics taking place at the county, state and federal levels. City commission candidates are spending more money on their campaigns, making the candidates more reliant on campaign contributors and more beholden to those who help put them in office.

We who follow local politics bemoan the fact that so few people participate in the city elections. In March, only 6,153 of the city of Sarasota’s 35,480 registered voters felt it was worth their time and trouble to vote in an election that whittled the field of six candidates down to the final three we have now.

For those of us who think local elections are important, it seems strange that a citizen of the city would not want a say in who determines city policy. But when we take into account the negativity associated with the campaigns, the philosophical bickering among supporters (some of it mean-spirited) and the political gamesmanship employed by behind-the-scenes power brokers, it should come as no surprise that 83 percent of the voters say “no thanks” on election day.

Abraham Lincoln’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people” has become a convoluted affair more akin to a bitter sports rivalry or a WWF wrestling match than any civic-minded attempt at local leadership. I used to think non-voters were apathetic and just didn’t give a damn about the minutiae of city government, but I now wonder if the non-voters and uninterested parties aren’t the wisest among us?

Instead of polluting their lives with political infighting and special interest debates, the “83 percent”  simply ignore the activities taking place in and around City Hall and save the precious space inside their personal “bubbles” (my wife’s term) for family, friends, personal pursuits and self-growth. One could argue that local politics still leaves room for social nobility, but one could also argue that local politics is just a bunch of meaningless crap conducted by people consumed by self-interest and the interests of their friends and business associates.

I’ve spent time with each of the three current commission candidates and each strikes me as a basically decent, fairly intelligent person—some more than others. None of the candidates are as inherently wicked as their detractors would lead us to believe, and none of the candidates are as wonderful as their supporters proclaim. Like the rest of us, these are partially flawed human beings that fall somewhere between the two extremes.

When the city elections are behind us, I can see myself heading in one of two drastically different directions. I might distance myself from city politics and City Hall (except for the plight of the homeless) and concentrate my journalistic endeavors on those operating outside the realm of political folly.

Or, I might tack the other way and make a grassroots run at a city commission seat in 2015 in an attempt to throw myself headlong into the belly of the beast—two scenarios that leave me wondering which extreme is crazier: ignoring local politics altogether or going all in?

(The political fliers below arrived in my email earlier this week … part of the final push for campaign support)

City Commission candidates Suzanne Atwell, Susan Chapman and Richard Dorfman sound off at the CONA forum. Photos by Joe Hendricks.

After months of campaign events, media interaction, verbal exchanges and additional input from political and financial supporters, city residents will soon learn which of the three remaining Sarasota City Commission candidates—Suzanne Atwell, Susan Chapman and Richard Dorfman—will claim the two coveted at-large city commission seats. Voting by mail is already underway, with the increasingly popular absentee ballots already delivered to those requesting them.

The early voting period begins Saturday, May 3 and continues through Saturday, May 11, taking place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Early and absentee voters accounted for nearly 17 percent of the March 12 election results, and those early voting results (posted when the polls closed and while the Election Day results were still being tallied) served as an accurate barometer of what the final results would look like.

Early voting for the city election takes place only at the Supervisor of Elections Office, located inside the Sarasota County Terrace Building at 2001 Adams Lane, near the intersection of Ringling Boulevard and US-301 in downtown Sarasota. Directions and additional information are available at the Supervisor of Elections website or by calling (941) 861-8600.

The traditionalists who still enjoy going to their specific precinct polling locations to cast their votes on Election Day will do so on Tuesday, May 14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Information on where to vote on Election Day is available at the Supervisor of Elections website or by calling the phone number listed above. When voting in person, be sure to bring a valid Florida or Military ID with you.

Voters get two votes each, although many are expected to engage in “bullet voting,” which means they will only vote for their candidate of choice, not wanting to provide a second vote to the opposition, giving up their valuable second vote in the process.

The election results will be announced the evening of May 14, most likely by 8 p.m. barring any technical difficulties or voting irregularities.

6,153 of the city’s 35,480 registered voters cast votes in the March 12 election that narrowed the field from six candidates to three. Chapman was the leading vote-getter, followed by Atwell and Dorfman.

If previous city election patterns hold true, the lowly 17.3 percent voter turnout in March will drop by another percentage point or two due to voter fatigue and the fact that some of those who supported losing candidates will not be inclined to support any of the remaining candidates.

Those who do vote will decide between the neighborhood-friendly/community-minded Chapman, the self-proclaimed incumbent “centrist” Atwell, who has served as mayor for the past two years, or the outspoken pro-business/pro-downtown Dorfman.

Supporters praise Chapman for her neighborhood activism and no-nonsense approach to dealing with local issues, while critics see her as potentially “difficult to work with” and as an obstructionist when it comes to downtown development. Chapman insists that she is not anti-development, as long as development is done according to existing codes and regulations.

Atwell’s critics question her leadership abilities and voting record of the past four years, while her supporters praise her experience and her abilities as a team player and consensus builder. If she’s re-elected, Atwell will buck a recent trend of failed re-election bids by incumbent Sarasota City Commissioners.

Dorman’s critics have questioned his business acumen and suggested that he’s trying to buy a commission seat with financial backing from Sarasota’s king-maker in the waiting, HuB owner Jesse Biter.  Dorfman’s supporters see him as someone who will bring more vitality to the downtown core by encouraging greater residential density limits and pushing for a more vibrant downtown entertainment scene.

It will be interesting to see if a significant fundraising advantage results in victory for Dorfman, who according to the most recent campaign finance reports has $57,516 in campaign contributions, some of which came from the local Republican Party and Political Action Committees, including the Tallahasse-based Floridians United for a Sustainable Economy.

Dorfman and Atwell have received additional support in the form of campaign mailers paid for by Citizens for a Better Florida, a PAC affiliated with the Florida Realtors Association in Orlando, which begs the question: “Why are these outside parties trying to influence a city election in Sarasota?”

The obvious answer is that in the future these local and outside supporters are going to expect something in return for their investment. In local politics this usually equates to the advancement of a political agenda, the approval of a development project or business proposal, or the rewarding of lucrative municipal contracts.

Including PAC money, Atwell has raised $24,238, while Chapman, the only candidate to refuse PAC money, has raised $27,755.

Driven by the desire to shape city policy and attracted to the power and prestige bestowed upon elected officials, two of the three aforementioned candidates will exchange four years of their time and energy in exchange for a $24,983 annual commissioner’s salary, a $4,400 annual expense account and the ability to buy into the city’s employee benefits package.

The three candidates recently engaged in a candidates’ forum hosted by the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) and moderated by CONA member Kafi Benz.

If you remain an undecided voter, or favor one candidate but aren’t sure how to cast that second vote, you can learn more about the candidates by listening to the entire unedited CONA forum at the WSRQ website or the archived and edited version that recently aired on WSLR’s Local Matters radio show.

Regardless of which candidate or candidates you support, be a good citizen, do your civic duty and get out there and vote—and stay tuned to TWIS, WSRQ 1220 AM and WSLR 96.5 FM for continued election coverage.

- TWIS contributor Joe Hendricks will share his insight on the upcoming election when he appears as a guest on WSRQ ’s The Nilon Report, Tuesday, May 7 at 5  p.m.

Graphic by Joe Hendricks.

Last week, Sarasota City Commissioners passed a new ordinance aimed at roadside panhandlers. The ordinance has generated a lot of commentary and criticism in the local community and may face legal challenges from the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. In an effort to better understand the intent and ramifications of the ordinance, I contacted Sarasota City Attorney Bob Fournier via email to get his thoughts on the ordinance that reads as follows:

 Ordinance No. 13-5060

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SARASOTA AMENDING CHAPTER 23 OF THE CITY CODE TO ADD A NEW SECTION 23-1 TO BE ENTITLED “SOLICITATION AND DISTRIBUTION ON PUBLIC ROADS”; PROVIDING THAT NO PERSON SHALL GO UPON OR ALONGSIDE A PUBLIC ROAD TO SOLICIT OR ATTEMPT TO SOLICIT DONATIONS, CONTRIBUTIONS, EMPLOYMENT, BUSINESS, SALES OR EXCHANGES FROM OCCUPANTS OF MOTOR VEHICLES; PROVIDING THAT NO PERSON SHALL GO UPON OR ALONGSIDE A PUBLIC ROAD TO DISTRIBUTE OR ATTEMPT TO DISTRIBUTE PRODUCTS OR MATERIALS TO OCCUPANTS OF MOTOR VEHICLES; ALL AS MORE FULLY SET FORTH HEREIN; AMENDING SECTION 23-7 TO DELETE LANGUAGE THEREIN WHICH CONFLICTS WITH THIS ORDINANCE; MAKING FINDINGS; PROVIDING FOR A STATEMENT OF INTENT; DEFINING SPECIFIED TERMS; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; PROVIDING FOR READING BY TITLE ONLY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

Joe Hendricks: What is the intent of the ordinance?

Sarasota City Attorney Bob Fournier. Photo courtesy City of Sarasota.

Bob Fournier: The intent of the ordinance is stated in Section 23-1(b) on page 3 of the ordinance.

“It is the intent of this Section to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Sarasota; to assure the free, orderly, undisrupted movement of motor vehicles on designated roadways within city limits; and to provide for safety in the interest of pedestrians and occupants of motor vehicles located on designated roadways within the City of Sarasota. This section is intended to apply evenhandedly to all persons who engage in the activities proscribed herein, regardless of their message.”

JH: Does the ordinance outlaw panhandlers in the median, but still allows panhandling while standing on the sidewalk or street corner?

BF: The ordinance makes it unlawful to panhandle (or engage in any solicition) while standing in the median and also makes it unlawful to panhandle FROM OCCUPANTS OF MOTOR VEHICLES while standing on the sidewalk/street corner.

However, the ordinance does not make it unlawful to solicit or panhandle FROM OTHER PEDESTRIANS while standing on the sidewalk/street corner.

From the beginning, the subject matter of the ordinance has pertained only to solicitation directed to people in motor vehicles.

JH: Does the ordinance prevent folks from holding campaign signs or protest signs while standing on a street corner—or along US-41 near the “Unconditional Surrender” statue in the case of the Friday anti-war protesters?

BF: The ordinance does not prevent anyone from holding campaign signs or protest signs while standing on a corner—or along US-41 near the “Unconditional Surrender” statue (like the anti-war protesters) because these activities do not suggest that the person with the campaign sign or protest sign is seeking to have a transaction with an occupant of a motor vehicle.

That is, as long as the campaigners and protesters are not trying to hand out literature to people in cars or to get donations from people in cars and are just holding their signs without any intent to interact with the occupants of the motor vehicles traveling on the road, then they are not in violation of the ordinance.

JH: Does the ordinance prevent the pizza sign wavers from doing their roadside signage?

BF: The ordinance does not make it unlawful for the pizza sign wavers from doing their roadside sign waving based on the same logic as stated … above, i.e., as long as they are not distributing to or receiving items from individuals in motor vehicles traveling in the road.

JH: Does the ordinance prevent non-profit organizations from soliciting donations while standing on a street corner?

BF: Yes, the ordinance does prevent non-profit organizations from soliciting donations from occupants of motor vehicles while standing on a street corner (but does not prevent them from soliciting donations from other pedestrians while standing on a street corner).

This is based on the rationale that it is no less dangerous for someone soliciting for a non-profit charitable organization to be out in the roadway receiving money through the window of a motor vehicle than it is for a panhandler to be doing the same thing.

The exhibit behind the ordinance I’ve attached shows the roads on which the ordinance will apply. The City’s Comprehensive Plan says that these roads carry the highest traffic volumes in the City and that is the basis for the correlation with safety. In other words, the streets with this highest volume of traffic present the highest risk to the pedestrian who enters them for the purpose of soliciting from people in motor vehicles.

The map shows major roads where roadside panhandling is prohibited.
Map courtesy City of Sarasota.

WhereWillWeGoTonight.com founder Don McKeon. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

“Find a need and fill it.” That is the entrepreneurial motto of WhereWillWeGoTonight.com founder Don McKeon, who in 2009 turned his love of local music into a website designed to answer the age-old question of “where should we go” that arises when folks are contemplating a night on the town.

Discussing the origins of GoTonight.com while sitting out in Sarasota Bay aboard the Guys Like You Windsor Craft pontoon boat his co-owns with his friend Joey “Bahama” Vincer, McKeon said, “I had a friend, Frank Papandrea, who would call me three or four times a week and say, ‘Let’s go out dancing. What’s going on and where’s the music?’”

At a time, McKeon was going through a divorce and looking to get out more. He realized there was no definitive website or media outlet in Sarasota that provided detailed daily information on the live music scene, so he took matters into his own hands, filling a need that wasn’t being satisfied.

“I thought to myself: Creating a database of music venues and musicians. How hard can that be?,” McKeon said, acknowledging that tracking down information of this nature can be a “pain in the ass” due to outdated bar and band websites, along with the challenges of making contact with bar managers and musicians not known for keeping regular hours.

This led to the development of the Where Will We Go Tonight website and the extensive (and expensive) process of creating the database required to populate the site also known as GoTonight.com.

From the beginning, McKeon envisioned a product that was “venue-centric,” relying on the venues, not the musicians, to provide the necessary information in exchange for a service provided free of charge. In lieu of a paid advertising campaign, McKeon relied on WhereWillWeGoTonight.com bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets and business cards to promote his new endeavor. It took some time to get venue operators interested and in the habit of entering event data into the online database, but four years later McKeon estimates that 90 percent of the music venues in Sarasota now utilize the free service. The venue listings gradually expanded beyond Sarasota and now include Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Tampa, making GoTonight.com a regional resource.

According to McKeon, the website received more than 96,000 page views in March and more than 4,000 subscribers receive the GoTonight Friday email blast free of charge.

Embracing the strategy of hiring people smarter than himself, McKeon has assembled a team of technical and marketing experts that includes Chief Operating Officer and business partner Chuck Englehardt, joined by Sheree Englehardt, Rich Cloutier, Tom Straub and Joy Kay—some of whom work for little to no pay because they believe in the product’s potential and the service it provides.

Simplicity is a key component of the GoTonight.com website. Upon arrival at the home page, visitors will find an alphabetical venue-by-venue listing of musical performances taking place that day. Additional search features provide information on upcoming and past performances and external links to venue and artist websites.

The GoTonight widget is available free of charge and provides other music-related websites with a scrolling list of who’s playing where on that given day.

Venues utilizing GoTonight.com simply register for a free account and enter into the database information pertaining to upcoming performances. McKeon said regular users can enter a month’s worth of events in less than 10 minutes.

Many venues show their appreciation by purchasing banner ads and event highlighting services that sell for $60 per month or $600 per year, generating enough revenue to more or less cover GoTonight’s monthly operating expenses.

Bill Cornelius, co-owner of the Blue Rooster, is among those who appreciate McKeon’s efforts, saying, “I think it is a very helpful site for bands, venues and people who want to know what bands are playing. It is very easy to use, so I update our venue information as soon as I book a band because it helps me keep track of what I am doing.”

GoTonight.com is also an excellent resource for musicians in search of places to play. Visit GoTonight.com on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (considered to be “off nights” in the music business) and you will likely find at least 25 venues in the greater Sarasota-Tampa Bay area providing weeknight work for local musicians—a testament to the vitality of the local music scene.

Having provided the start-up capital and initial operating expenses himself, McKeon says the goal now is find an investor or investors who would allow GoTonight.com to expand its range and reach, with investor packages now available for those interested.

When asked about franchising the GoTonight model to parties in other cities, McKeon said, “That might happen at some point, but at the moment the plan is to keep it in-house and develop a system of community music activists around the country doing what we’re doing here. It remains to be seen what will happen next. Fortunately, I have some very smart people on the team and we’re looking into all these other options.”

McKeon said it would take “intensive capital and millions of dollars” to expand GoTonight.com nationally, with significant software and database upgrades required for that to happen.

“We are also looking at establishing potential partnerships,” McKeon said, noting that the ultimate payoff might come as a result of selling GoTonight to someone who could oversee statewide or national expansion.

Another revenue option would be to provide the collected data and information to additional users and media outlets. “Data is the new oil, they say, and we’re in the business of collecting and disseminating data,” McKeon said.

Summing up his thoughts on the future of GoTonight.com, McKeon said, “I’m open to anything. I think this GoTonight service is something the community needs. That’s why I started it. If that was to go away, I think this town would be the lesser for it. A community dies without live music.”

Man on the Go

In March, McKeon celebrated his 70th birthday surrounded by 100 or so invited guests at The Flying Dog Café on Tallevast Road. Those of us who know Don would agree that he’s one of the most youthful 70-year-olds you’ll ever meet.

At one point that night, he looked around and said, “Without the music, this would not be happening,” in reference to the role that local musicians and GoTonight.com play in his social life.

When asked how it felt to turn 70, he said, “Its feels absolutely marvelous.”

As for what remains on his bucket list, McKeon said, “I’ve been doing my bucket list for the last 50 years and I haven’t stopped yet.”

Don and Joni at the Blue Rooster grand opening. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

McKeon and his significant other Joni Luckenbill plan to attend multiple musical festivals this year and also have a trip planned that will take them to Montana, up into Canada and then to San Francisco.

Although he loves to travel, Sarasota remains McKeon’s favorite place to be. “I have so much fun around here, it’s hard to leave,” he said.

McKeon was born in Holyoke, Mass. on March 6, 1943. He graduated from nearby South Hadley High School in 1960 during the “sock-hop” era dominated by the likes of Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino.

He attended Hoyoke Community College and the Wentworth Institute in Boston, where he studied engineering.

“When I was in high school the government told us they needed rocket scientists for the coming space age. That sounded good, so I focused on that,” he said. “Then, when I graduated from Wentworth in 1964, there were 30,000 unemployed engineers on the East Coast alone. What was a good idea turned into a not-so-hot idea. I think only three people in my graduating class got jobs in the field we were educated in.”

McKeon was fortunate to land an engineering job at a research lab in Cambridge, Mass., but the thrill was short-lived.

“It wasn’t quite what I had in mind. When I went into it I had this vision of Cape Canaveral and the excitement of rockets going up, but the reality turned out to be completely different. With each one of those rockets that goes up you’ve got 50,000 parts, and each one of those parts has a little laboratory somewhere. A couple years of that and I was ready to get out of there.”

After escaping the big city lifestyle of Boston and returning to his Western Massachusetts roots, McKeon spent four enjoyable years working in the field of mechanical engineering and machine design.

Like many of his era, everything changed with the onset of the Vietnam War and the explosion of the 1960s counter culture.

“I didn’t want to wear the tie and the pocket protector anymore,” McKeon recalled. Embracing the recreational activities of those high and heady times, McKeon found a business niche that needed filling and filled it. There wasn’t anywhere in town to buy rolling papers, so in 1970 he opened the town’s first head shop.

“I did it for 10 years, had a good time and then moved on,” he said, explaining that the peace, love and brotherhood feelings of the late ’60s and early ’70s soured when cocaine started to dominate the recreational drug scene later that decade.

McKeon then managed the family real estate business and “bummed around” for a while before making his way to Sarasota in 1982 to escape the cold weather. He bought a houseboat that he kept at Marina Jack. He also bought (and later sold) the nautical-themed “boat house” that still stands in the Gillespie Park neighborhood.

He later became a partner in a seasonal clothing store in Martha’s Vineyard, as well as the Dreamweaver couture clothing store in St. Armands Circle. He also invested wisely in waterfront properties up and down the Gulf Coast and had the foresight to sell those assets at an opportune time.

These days McKeon can be found dancing with Joni and listening to live music at the venues promoted through WhereWillWeGoTonight.com, sitting on the beach with a good book or hosting brown bag lunches aboard Guys Like You.

Joey, Don and Frank cruising Longboat Key aboard Guys Like You. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Once upon a time, back in the mid-2000s, I wrote a series of “Joe on the Go” columns for

In addition to my reporter’s duties covering “hard news,” the column allowed me to have some fun writing about experiences that included flying in a stunt plane at an air show, going 100 miles per hour in a racing boat and competing in a sailboat regatta. The column was also a good vehicle for covering events that had already been previewed by myself or another writer. 

Flash forward to April 2013 and a busy start to the week that included a visit to the Sarasota Film Festival and one of the after-parties, the CONA-sponsored Sarasota City Commission candidate forum and catching the Florida Studio Theatre production of The Columnist.

As I made my way around town Monday and Tuesday, it dawned on me that this might be a good time to bring back Joe on the Go. So here we go …

Time Stands Still?

Monday afternoon I attended the April 8 SFF screening of Peter Mettler’s The End of Time, a documentary film exploring the concept of time and time’s existence. Having previewed the film for This Week in Sarasota, I expected a slow-paced, intellectually challenging, philosophical, trippy film that relied on imagery as much as dialogue and linear narrative.

Dali’s “Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory” clock that hangs on this TWIS contributor’s wall. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

I enjoy art that requires effort on behalf of the viewer, listener or reader, but that opinion was not shared by all who endured The End of Time. The gentlemen sitting next to me on either side spent much of their time fidgeting and yawning, giving the impression that they did not consider this cinematic experiment to be time well spent—a viewpoint also expressed by a few others while exiting the theater after the film concluded.

In visits to a particle smasher in Switzerland, a lava-encrusted portion of Hawaii where only one resident remains, the urban ruins of Detroit and a family funeral procession in India—interspersed with many non-verbal images of nature and urban life along the way—the film forces the viewer to explore their own thoughts on time.

My takeaway from the film was that time is a human concept on which we rely to create order out of chaos and constant change.

While we humans live our lives in timeframes built upon minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades and lifetimes, the Earth and the universe surrounding it operate on geological time, where change occurs at a glacial pace over millions and billions of years and our human measurements of time hardly matter.

Toward the end of the movie, the director interviews his mother on Mother’s Day. When asked about her feelings on time, Mrs. Mettler stated her non-scientific view that time is what we make of it, and the purpose of life is to do the most we can with however much time we are given. That sounded about right to me.

The Great Chicken Wing After-party

Matt Reynolds and wife Lucie (right) chat with film fan Monday afternoon. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Still pondering the concept of time, I made a quick trip home to let Mellie Dog out before she and I headed back downtown so I could attend The Great Chicken Wing Hunt after-party taking place at Clásico Café.

While Mellie waited in the car, I headed into Clásico to meet director Matt Reynolds, taste the free wings dubbed as “the best in the world” by Matt and his moving-making friends, sample the Tito’s Handmade Vodka (sponsors of the party) and get some photographs for TWIS.

Having come from the initial Sarasota screening of his documentary film, Matt and his wife Lucie made the rounds, chatting with folks who had just seen his film and discussing the merits of the wings being sampled by those on hand.

Wings and a cocktail waiting to be sampled. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

While waiting to meet Matt (after interviewing him by phone the previous week), I eagerly anticipated the arrival of a wing-bearing waiter who would provide a free sample of fried wings tossed in a prize-winning sauce imported from New York for the occasion.

The wait was worth it, as the wings truly were among the best I’ve ever tasted, offering a perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors, enhanced by what might have been a hint of cilantro. Considered “medium” in terms of spiciness, the wings were hot but not too hot, with a pleasant spicy aftertaste that lingered long after the wings were gone.

The experience was enhanced by a strong and tasty Tito’s Vodka and cranberry juice, provided by Tito’s Florida Marketing Manager Grant Portier, a former Sigma Pi fraternity brother of Matt from their days at Cornell. When Matt had a free minute, I asked for his thoughts on the film fest and his visit to Sarasota.

“We had a great response at the 1:15 screening. Everybody was really enthusiastic about the film,” he said. “I was wondering how it would play here because it’s a different kind of crowd than we’re used to, but they got the humor and they dug it,” he said.

After explaining that he has an aunt and uncle who live on Longboat Key, Matt said of Sarasota, “It’s lovely. We love going out fishing with my uncle, seeing dolphins and manatees. It’s really a nice place.” Outside of Clásico, I encountered 65-year-old Sarasota resident Pamela Rosenbaum, who had just eaten chicken wings for the first time in her life.

“I had to give it try,” she said. “I loved them and I loved the movie.” Pamela was accompanied by her gluten-free, Chicago-based daughter Jennifer Price, who did not sample the wings but enjoyed the film, saying, “I thought it was one the most engaging movies I’ve seen in a long time.”

Film-goers Pamela Rosenbaum and Jennifer Price. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

CONA and the Candidates 

Before settling in to watch Monday night’s Michigan-Louisville men’s basketball championship, there was one more trio to make: the Sarasota City Commission candidate forum sponsored by CONA (the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations).

Between 35 and 40 people gathered inside the Sarasota Garden Club for the last significant forum to take place prior to the May 14 run-off election that will determine which two candidates obtain or retain a city commission seat.

City commission candidates Suzanne Atwell, Susan Chapman and Richard Dorfman. Photos and graphic by Joe Hendricks.

Moderated by no-nonsense CONA representative Kafi Benz, candidates Suzanne Atwell, Susan Chapman and Richard Dorfman answered a series of sharp questions—some directed to all three candidates and others directed specifically to one candidate.

Some Dorfman supporters I talked to felt the forum, the moderator and some of the questions were at times anti-Dorfman in their nature. I’m not a fan of the big money and development interests behind Dorfman’s campaign, but I was impressed with his answers and his ability to maintain his composure in a somewhat hostile environment, maintaining his positions of creating a more vibrant downtown and relying on the private sector to bring more jobs and opportunity to Sarasota. Some in attendance felt Dorfman dug an even deeper hole for himself when responding to a question from audience member Gretchen Serrie pertaining to remarks Dorfman made on Phil Grande’s ”Phil’s Gang” radio show, where he expressed his view that city policy is too often influenced by the “white-haired” senior citizen demographic.

Dorfman’s radio comment was insensitive, but I thought he also made a valid point about our elected leaders needing to take into consideration the interests and desires of Sarasota’s younger citizens too.

Mayor Atwell maintained her centrist position, making valid points most of time, but stumbling a time or two as well.

Chapman conducted herself with steady poise, maintaining her pro-neighborhood position while stating that she is not opposed to downtown development (as long as it’s done according to existing zoning regulations) and expressing her opinion that she can work as a “team player” despite ruffling some feathers in the past as a member of the Police Advisory Panel and the city Planning Board.

Most who attended the forum were already-decided super-voters (those who vote in every election), campaign supporters and members of the media. I don’t think the discussion will have much impact on those who already know how they are going to vote, but it might be of interest to city residents still undecided as to how they will cast their two allotted votes.

WSRQ Talk Radio‘s Susan Nilon recorded the 75-minute forum and posted it unedited at the WSRQ website. I also recorded the forum and intend to play an hour-long version on my Wednesday, May 1 “Local Matters” radio show that will air on WSLR 96.5 FM from 9 to 10 a.m.

Give the forum a listen if you want to learn more about the candidates and enjoy a little local political theater.

FST nails “The Columnist”

At the encouragement of our friend William “Dr. Nik” Pearson, my wife and I attended the Tuesday, April 9 Florida Studio Theatre production of The Columnist­—a powerful drama about the life and times of famed Washington, D.C. political columnist Joe Alsop.

The play recaps Joe’s professional and personal interactions with his more open-minded brother and writing partner Stewart Alsop, his wife Susan, his stepdaughter Abigail, his up-and-coming journalistic rival David Halberstam and his Russian lover Andrei.

Having sat through many mostly-enjoyable but song-laden musicals over the years as a community reporter, talk show host and neophyte theater critic, it’s always refreshing to watch hard-hitting, profanity-laden, contemporary drama performed by skilled dramatic actors and actresses.

Jeffrey Plunkett and Robert Gomes were outstanding as the Alsop brothers, depicting a shift in in political philosophies and feelings toward the Vietnam War on Stewart’s behalf, while brother Joe maintained his staunch support of the war, even when public opinion turned against it. The rest of the cast was equally adept in meeting the challenges of this compelling American story.

The final scene of Act One, depicting reactions to the assassination of Alsop’s friend and confidant, President John F. Kennedy, brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience, myself included.

Written by David Auburn, The Columnist examines the privileges and perils that can both benefit and befall a journalist who becomes too cozy with those he covers. Such friendships can provide insight and information not readily available to other reporters, yet are obtained at the risk of influencing the positions and reportage of the journalist himself—in Alsop’s case, eventually tossing him and his column to the sidelines of irrelevance during the the post-Kennedy years that led to his retirement in 1974.

The Columnist ends its successful run on Sunday, April 14. Seats are scarce, but give the FST box office a call at (941) 366-9000 or visit the FST website if you hope to catch this time-worthy production before the final page is turned.

The Embracing Our Differences panel on display at Island Park. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Take a stroll through Sarasota’s Island Park (adjacent to O’Leary’s Tiki Bar) and through the power of art you will be reminded of the importance of accepting the racial, cultural, physical, sexual and philosophical differences that exist among us.

This message is brought to us by Embracing Our Differences, the Sarasota-based non-profit organization responsible for the annual public art exhibit sharing the same name. Now in its 10th year, the annual Embracing Our Differences exhibit was erected in Island Park at the end of March and will remain there for the public to experience free of charge through June 2.

The exhibit features 39 drawings, paintings, photographs and multimedia creations submitted by artists of all ages from around the world. Each selected piece of art is paired with a quotation pertaining to diversity and acceptance, submitted by a wordsmith with no direct connection to the artist or the artwork their words will share space with.

Submitted in digital format via CD, the 39 selected submissions were enlarged and transferred to weather-proof canvas panels measuring 16 feet wide and 12.5 feet high, then attached to metal frames and erected in 13 triangular formations throughout the park. Six “honorable mention” selections are also on display in a smaller format.

“It is a very unique way of displaying art that you’ll only see in a couple other places in the world. The sheer size of it magnifies the message of the art, which is ‘enriching lives through diversity,’” said Embracing Our Differences Executive Director and co-founder Michael Shelton.

“There are very few things that are as powerful as art, no matter what the form, whether it be the performing arts, the visual arts or the written arts. For us, diversity is an extremely broad-based concept and this year we have pieces that deal with mental illness, body image, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age … there are many ways in which diversity can be embraced.”

“Siblings,” by Melanie Chatot and “Working“
by Dennis Smith. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

International Flavor

In preparation for the 2013 exhibit, Embracing Our Differences received 4,419 submissions from professional artists, amateur artists, adults and students from 41 states and 51 countries. More than 60 percent of the submissions were submitted by students in the 12th grade and under.

“We have school kids in India, Korea, England, France, Portugal and Russia as well as here. Last year we had 186 different schools that were in some way part of the program,” Shelton explained.

Embracing Our Differences Executive Director Michael Shelton. Photo courtesy of EOD.

Crediting “the power of the Internet” for the organization’s international reach, the 2013 exhibit produced an influx of submissions from an unexpected source: “We had more than 50 submissions come from Iran this year, from individual artists working within Iran to the Iran School of Art for Girls, which sent us 10 or 15 pieces,” Shelton said.

“There are some really fascinating generalizations you can take from that. One of them is how westernized the art was. You couldn’t look at it and identify it as coming from a Middle Eastern or predominantly Muslim country,” he explained.

“Another is that it’s not easy to send things out of the country by mail. We got some submissions in which the artists didn’t feel comfortable mailing them because they have to go to a post office and the contents have to be inspected. We had one art piece that dealt with gender identity and a little story came with it about how the artist snuck it out of the country and went to the United Arab Emirates to mail it. We hear stories like that all the time.”

Two separate committees judged the submissions, one group reviewing the art and the other reviewing the quotations, with neither committee having knowledge of the submissions collected and eventually selected by their counterparts.

Once the final selections were made, the responsibility fell to Embracing Our Differences Artistic Director Tim Cameresi to marry each piece of art with an accompanying quote.

“The process of matching the quotes to the artwork remains a bit of mystery even to me,” Cameresi said. “It’s actually pretty magical. Each year there seems to be a ‘perfect’ quotation for each piece of art and that continues to amaze me year after year.”

As for the impact the exhibit might have on those viewing it, Cameresi said, “Anytime you give someone the opportunity to view others in a new light, you’re opening the doors for acceptance and understanding on a whole new level.”

The 2013 Best in Show adult art submission was Differences Work, Just Ask A Fork, submitted by Liat Waks from Israel, who says in her “From the Artist” statement, “This illustration demonstrates how even simple tasks are impossible if we are all exactly the same. If we are open to embrace the fact that we are different, together we can achieve much more.”

The accompanying quote, written by Masie Chong from Herndon, Virginia, says, “A second glance opens a world of possibilities.”

Best in Show (adult), “Differences Work, Just Ask A Fork,” by Liat Waks. Image courtesy EOD.

Area Students Make Good

Grace Castilow alongside her Best in Show quote. Photo by Jennifer Castilow.

This year’s overall Best in Show quote came from Booker Middle School student Grace Castilow, who wrote, “No one deserves to be limited by another’s perspective.”

When asked about the origins and creative process behind her quote, Grace, who is 13 and in the 7th grade, said, “This year I have learned to surround myself with the people that really care about me and appreciate me. By changing the way I think about others I am changing the way I think about myself. When I created this quote it was to express my emotions towards how being a middle school student affects my point of view on how others should not be judged or limited.”

When asked to provide an example of young people imposing limitations on their peers, Grace said, “Judging someone based on looks, appearance or personality without getting to know them more.”

As for the importance of diversity on the Booker Middle School campus, Grace said, “Booker is such a diverse campus, it’s really important that we’re able to function as a team and that we all accept each other.”

Submitting the Best in Show quote led to Grace recently being profiled on SNN Local News. When asked how it felt to be featured on a television news broadcast, she said, “It was really cool. I felt honored. I really enjoyed it and I’m really fascinated with how the news is brought together.” The SNN 6 experience has Grace now considering a career in broadcast journalism.

Sharing her own thoughts on her daughter’s accomplishment, Jennifer Casitlow said, “I’m proud that she’s able to speak her mind using such and an abbreviated form of expression.”

In regard to how it felt to see her words on display in Island Park, Grace said, “It felt really great because I was honored to be featured alongside such a great piece of art.”

“Heavy Rain,” by Stephen Parks. Image courtesy EOD.

Grace’s Best in Show quote appears at the bottom of a work of art titled Heavy Rain that was created by Stephen Parks, a Sarasota County Technical Institute student from Venice.

“My piece represents the hate and stereotyping that children face in their daily lives,” says Parks in his written artist’s statement.

The Best in Show student art submission is a piece called Cyber Bullying: Beware of the Big Bad Predator, created by Steven Staub, Bobby Alvarez and Gennadity Kazimirov from Heron Creek Middle School in North Port.

Their artist statement says, “The Big Bad Wolf represents predators in cyberspace. The Little Pigs do not know who is stalking them. Beware of who is watching you through the Internet.”

The accompanying quote, written by Daphne English-Bazenas from Sarasota, says, “Bullies thrive where silence reigns. Look up. Stand up. Speak up. Refuse to be a victim or a silent bystander.”

Many of the Embracing Our Differences artists, wordsmiths, parents, event sponsors and board members will gather Tuesday evening, April 16, for a celebration ceremony taking place at Ringling College of Art and Design.

“Cyber Bullying: Beware of the Big Bad Predator.” Image courtesy EOD.

More Than Meets the Eye

Park visitors enjoy “Card Games” by Osprey artist Terri Adams. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Best known for its annual art exhibit, the Embracing Our Differences organization operates year-round and is the second largest not-for-profit education program in Southwest Florida according to Shelton, who said 23,600 children participated in EOD-affiliated programs last year.

“That’s really the main focus of where we put our energies and resources,” he said, noting that partnerships with Mote Marine Lab, Selby Gardens, the Ringling Museum and others allow the diversity message to be woven into various educational programs and reinforced throughout the year.

“We’re rapidly approaching the point where we will have had an entire generation of young children go through our program year after year,” Shelton said.

“With that constant reinforcement we have feedback that supports the idea that over time, people change the way people think. Arts integration is really starting to get credit as being a viable and important component of teaching kids the things they need to know about life. Our goal, ultimately, is to create a community that welcomes all, embraces differences and celebrates individuality.”

The organization’s annual budget is in the $350,000 to $400,000 range, with approximately $200,000 dedicated to educational efforts.

“We spent $100,000 last year on buses alone,” Shelton said of the efforts to provide free transportation for area student groups interested in experiencing the exhibit.

The primary funding source is individual donations, which are supplemented by grants from local foundations and support from corporate sponsors.

Expanded Range

Shelton estimates that 250,000 people will visit the Sarasota Embracing Our Differences exhibit in 2013.

New this year is a second and similar exhibit on display at the Bradenton Riverwalk from March 31 through April 29, with 20,000 to 25,000 people expected to experience the inaugural Bradenton event. The second exhibit will then be dismantled and transported to North Port High School, where it will be on display from May 1st through June 2nd.

The images, quotes and artist statements for all of the winning submissions can be viewed at the Embracing Our Differences website, but to get the full impact of these works one should walk through Island Park and experience this thought-provoking exhibit in its full-sized glory.

“Laundry” by Myakka student artist Mariah Robertson. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Filmmaker Matt Reynolds and his creative muse: the Buffalo chicken wing. Photo courtesy of “The Great Chicken Wing Hunt.”

Start with fresh, fried chicken wings, toss them in cayenne pepper, butter and other preferred spices, serve with side dishes of road trip camaraderie, endurance, self-discovery, a homecoming while embarking on a quest to find the best Buffalo chicken wings in the world—and the result is The Great Chicken Wing Hunt, a documentary film directed by Matt Reynolds.

Debuting to stellar reviews at the Atlanta Film Fest in March, this saucy slice of documentary filmmaking wings it way to Sarasota for two Sarasota Film Festival screenings on Monday, April 8 at 1:15 p.m. and Tuesday, April 9 at 9:15 pm. The screenings take place at the Hollywood 20 theater on Main Street.

While living in Slovakia, working as journalist for the Reuters news agency and covering an international beat that included the Czech Republic and Poland, Reynolds (a Rochester, N.Y. native) cooked and served Buffalo wings to his foreign friends, turning them on to a “quintessential American food” derived from a delivery error and first served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1964.

Speaking by phone from New York City before departing for Sarasota later in the week, Reynolds said, “As I’m cooking wings for my friends, we’re starting to see wings pop up on local menus and I had this realization that wings were now becoming a truly global food.”

Around 2007, the idea first began percolating for a “wing tour” of the United States, similar to the wine tours of France, where Reynolds would bring his Slovak friends to the “wing belt” of North America.

“Wouldn’t it be interesting to go back to the place where it all started—the Northeastern United States—and do a tour and get into the history of wings while meeting the local unsung heroes of the wing world who work in upstate New York, where every little bar and restaurant has their own secret recipe?” Reynolds explained.

An online call for wing hunters produced an enthusiastic group of American and European wing enthusiasts and filmmakers that included a competitive eater, a chef, a musician and other “crazy characters” who eventually joined Reynolds on a three week tour of the greater New York area. Traveling at various times by bus, small SUV, or car, the wing hunters visited numerous wing joints, rating and critically analyzing what they found along the way.

“This film has many different layers. It starts with the history of the wing and this quest for the best wing in the world, set in the context of my story of living abroad and cooking wings for my friends,” Reynolds said.

“During the course of the trip, you have the Czechs discovering wings and being thrown into this weird world of wing fanatics. You have me returning home, returning to my roots and where I’m from. You have the wing hunters who came along on the trip, and finally you have the cooks who are in the running for the world’s best wing maker,” said Reynolds, who quit his job at Reuters to embark on the journey.

The Great Chicken Wing Hunt chronicles the quest through a series of interviews with wing tasters, bloggers, food critics and wing makers.

At one point in the film, Reynolds says, “Everywhere you go there are wing fanatics, which is interesting because I don’t think you get that for every food. There’s something about the wing that creates a certain enthusiasm and energy around it.”

Expounding on the virtues of wings during these health-conscious, politically correct times, New York City wing enthusiast Craig Wood said, “There’s no expectation of manners. It’s just this pile of meat and bones and all I want to do is pick it up with my hands and tear away at it.”

When asked what makes a good wing during our recent interview, Reynolds said, “Like many foods, there are unlimited possibilities. The thing about wings is that the basic recipe is so simple there’s no real reason there should ever be bad wings. If you fry fresh (not frozen) wings in oil that has been changed on a regular basis, at the correct temperature, and you mix it with cayenne pepper sauce and butter … that tastes good.”

Taking it a step farther, Reynolds said, “What makes a great wing is somebody who takes the time to figure out what more can be done to improve on that by adding more dimensions. I make a sauce where I use five or six kinds of peppers, garlic, a little bit of honey, a little bit of mustard and a little bit of celery salt. You wouldn’t even know that most of those flavors were in there, but they give it a little more depth and dimension.”

As for how wings from Buffalo compare to wings in other cities, he said, “Almost everywhere you go in Buffalo the wings are good. I think that there is more experimenting going on outside Buffalo, where they’re real traditional. It’s kind of like pizza being invented in Napoli. If you go back to Napoli, you get bread and sauce and maybe some cheese. There’s a lot more happening elsewhere.”

During the film, the question arises as to what makes a wing a Buffalo wing and when does it become a different kind of wing?

This led to the creation of a second category honoring the Best Novelty Wing, providing inclusion of recipes that utilize teriyaki, honey mustard, tequila, whiskey and other non-traditional wing ingredients.

As to whether or not he and his friends ever found the “perfect wing,” Reynolds—not wanting to give away the movie’s ending—simply said, “We reached a satisfactory conclusion.”

The cast of The Great Chicken Wing Hunt. Courtesy of the filmmaker.

When asked what he hopes viewers take away from The Great Chicken Wing Hunt, Reynolds said, “Inevitably we’re talking about wings, but a lot of people who see the movie say it wasn’t just about wings, or it wasn’t even primarily about wings. It’s about adventure and camaraderie and going on a road trip. It’s about different countries and cultures. It’s about me returning home, discovering where I came from and figuring out that one of the reasons I love wings and cooked wings for people is because I missed home and hadn’t lived there in a long time.”

Continuing his self-analysis of the film, Reynolds said, “It’s also about this question of finding perfect things in the world. Is it possible to make the perfect plate of food? It’s a question that’s kind of absurd, but we also treat it seriously.”

Summing up his thoughts, he said, “It’s a funny movie, but the humor is deadpan with ironic undertones. The characters in the film take their mission seriously and the film’s not making fun of that.”

Having had the privilege of watching an advanced online screening of The Great Chicken Wing Hunt, I would add that the film is also a love story, celebrating the love of food, the love of friends and the love that exists between a man and woman from two different cultures—even when the woman is not so sure about her mate’s career choices, priorities and future plans.

As I watched the film at home, I developed a serious craving for chicken wings. So, be warned: When attending the Sarasota Film Fest screenings of The Great Chicken Wing Hunt, you will likely experience similar yearnings. But you’re in luck, because the Monday, April 8 screening will be followed by an afterparty at Clásico Cafe and Bar (1341 Main Street) from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Reynolds will be in attendance and folks will get the chance to taste “The World’s Best Wing” as declared by The Great Chicken Wing Hunt wing hunters. The afterparty is free, open to the public and sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

For more information, you can find The Great Chicken Wing Hunt on Facebook or visit the official film website.Having just begun its film festival run, the plan is to screen The Great Chicken Wing Hunt for a year or so in hopes of landing a distribution deal that will lead to future television or theater screenings as well as availability on DVD and through Netflix.

Time stand still
I’m not looking back
But I want to look around me now
See more of the people
And the places that surround me now …

 ”Time Stand Still“ - Lyrics by Neil Peart (Rush)

While browsing through the Sarasota Film Festival online film guide in search of a documentary film to preview for This Week In Sarasota, the film that most interested me was The End of Time, written and directed by Swiss-Canadian filmmaker Peter Mettler.

The SFF film guide describes The End of Time as: “Working at the limits of what can easily be expressed, filmmaker Peter Mettler tackles the elusive subject of time. Mettler takes us from the particle accelerator in Switzerland, where scientists seek to probe regions of time we cannot see, to lava flows in Hawaii that have overwhelmed almost all traces of human civilization, to the disintegration and modern ruins of inner city Detroit, to a Hindu funeral rite near the place of the Buddha’s enlightenment, all the while exploring our perception of what time means.”

The End of Time was included in the Toronto International Film Festival’s list of Canada’s Top Ten feature films of 2012 and has been nominated for a 2013 Swiss Film Award for Best Documentary Film, Best Film Score and Best Cinematography.

With SFF screenings at 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, April 7 and 12:15 p.m. on Monday, April 8, the online film guide categorizes The End of Time as “experimental, philosophical and technological.”

According to his press rep, Mettler is currently on a film shoot in the desert, working very long days and thus unavailable for interviews. That means no interview for me or anyone else in the local media.

With no access to the filmmaker and having only seen the film trailer, I turned to The End of Time press kit to shed additional light on this intriguing film and Mettler’s concept of time.

According to the press kit, the film draws from “science, philosophy, religion and the personal, while chronicling a journey into the nature of time and bearing witness to this perilous period in the history of the planet.”

The film begins at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) and the particle accelerator in Switzerland, where scientists probe regions of time not seen by the human eye,  smashing subatomic particles together at almost the speed of light in hopes of reproducing conditions similar to those that occurred instants after the Big Bang, trying to answer the question: “Is time real, or is it only a perception?”

When asked why he called the film The End of Time, Mettler told his interviewer, “It’s referring to the end of the idea of time, not to the end of the world. I think our species has never been more aware of our place in the big picture of time than now—but it also begs the question: What is time anyway?”

Describing his film, Mettler said, “Ultimately I suppose it’s a film about perception and awareness. It offers a challenge to see through our conceptual thinking. We use concepts like time to organize and understand our lives. We use our created languages to define our world, but these things can also end up controlling us and disconnecting us from the ‘real’ world, the ‘non-conceptual’ world, nature, or whatever else we might choose to call that which is beyond words.”

“The End of Time” director Peter Mettler. Photo courtesy of filmmaker.

According to the press kit, “The film first tunes the viewer into concepts of time, but then leaves the world of ideas and takes them through an experience of time, which is not unlike that of listening to music, with the intention to provoke a heightened awareness and associative thinking process.”

In conclusion, Mettler said, “Ultimately I hope the film inspires an awareness of presence and the realization of the impact of our actions on the future. Specifically, I wanted to explore what we mean when we think of time and how we experience it. It was important to me to get some perspective on the idea that time may not even exist.” 

I turn my back to the wind
To catch my breath
Before I start off again
Driven on without a moment to spend
To pass an evening
With a drink and a friend…

For Joe Hendricks—the musician, writer, husband and “father” of an older dog that he loves like a child—The End of Time is appealing in part because I feel like I’m always pressed for time, always up against a deadline and always in a rush to get to a band gig or a press event on time.

As a Michigan native, the mention of Detroit and the ongoing decay of this once great industrial Midwestern city also piqued my interest.

And as someone who is now past the age of 50, I know that my own time on this planet is limited, as is that of my friends and loved ones, which gives the concept of time even greater personal significance. At best, I might have 20 to 25 years left to live, and the odds are equally good that I have much less time than that. Like all of us, I could drop dead, be killed or be diagnosed with a fatal disease today, tomorrow or before I go see The End of Time Monday afternoon.

This realization of time running out works on me in two ways: On one hand, it helps me treasure the life I’m living and helps me find increased meaning in daily moments large and small, public, private and personal. On the other hand, the waning of my own time drives me to accomplish as much as I can and experience as much as I can before it runs out—hoping to leave something behind in the form of written words, recorded music and memories created.

Time is our most valuable personal resource; we should treasure whatever amount we are given and whatever amount we have left.

So, on that note, it’s time to end this story and go cook dinner before I head off to a band gig … see you at the film fest.

Summer’s going fast, nights growing colder
Children growing up, old friends growing older
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
Experience slips away … The innocence slips away

Time stand still …

From left to right: Sarasota City Commission candidates Susan Chapman, Suzanne Atwell and Richard Dorfman. Photos and graphic by Joe Hendricks.

On Monday, April 8 at 7 p.m., Sarasota City Commission candidates Susan Chapman, Suzanne Atwell and Richard Dorfman will participate in a forum hosted by the Sarasota Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA).

The top three vote-getters in the March city election are vying for the two at-large city commission seats that will be determined by city residents on Tuesday, May 14, with early voting taking place the previous week.

Open to the public and free of charge, the CONA forum will take place at the Sarasota Garden Club (1131 Boulevard of the Arts).

Moderated by CONA Director Kafi Benz, the public forum offers voters another opportunity to learn about the candidates and where they stand on various city issues.

“With less than two months in which to campaign, this opportunity for debate will be important to find out more details about the platforms and positions of the three remaining candidates,” Benz said. “Expect a lively and intense debate.”

In this forum setting, candidates will be asked a series of questions and given the opportunity to explain their positions while also commenting on positions taken by their opponents. With Chapman considered to be the most neighborhood-oriented of the three remaining candidates, the neighborhood association setting may provide her with a slight home field advantage when squaring off against Atwell (a self-proclaimed “centrist” candidate) and Dorfman, whose campaign platform is focused on creating a more robust downtown.

If you live in the city limits and are not registered to vote, you have until April 15 to register. For registration information, visit the Supervisor of Elections website.

Holland and Lumpkin endorse Dorfman

Candidate Linda Holland chats with GOP Finance Chair Jack Brill at Richard Dorfman’s election after-party. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Last week, former Sarasota City Commission candidates Linda Holland (a Democrat) and Kelvin Lumpkin (a Republican) endorsed incumbent Mayor Suzanne Atwell and commission candidate Richard Dorfman as their candidates of choice to fill the two at-large city commission seats to be decided by the second round of city elections taking place May 14.

In the joint statement dated March 26, Holland is quoted as saying, “One of the things I’ve learned in my 30 years of civic engagement is the value of teamwork and Suzanne Atwell is an experienced and essential team player.”

In regard to Dorfman, Holland said, “After debating our way through 12 public forums, I’ve come to admire Richard Dorfman’s ‘can-do’ attitude and robust perspective on the issues.”

In the same statement, Lumpkin is quoted as saying, “Their combined experience and positive outlook will serve our city well. I’m rested and ready to throw my support behind the two candidates I feel are best suited to lead Sarasota: Suzanne Atwell and Richard Dorfman.”

Chapman responds

In response to Holland and Lumpkin’s endorsements, candidate Susan Chapman (the leading vote-getter in the March election), said, “It is now very clear that I am the only candidate who represents the interests of the people who live here. I intend to run a positive, issue-oriented campaign. I trust the voters to elect the person who will stand up for them. I feel honored that I received 44 percent of the votes cast on March 12 and I will be looking for the continued support of voters in May.”

Chapman also noted that her campaign is supported by numerous former Sarasota Mayors, a list that includes Fredd Atkins, Elmer Berkel, Mollie Cardamone, Richard Clapp, Jack Gurney, Kelly Kirschner, Bill Kline, Richard Martin, David Merrill, Nora Patterson and Lou Ann Palmer.

One-on-One Interviews

In the weeks leading up to the March city elections, I interviewed candidates Chapman, Atwell and Dorfman in separate one-on-one settings on my “Local Matters” radio show that airs on WSLR 96.5 FM. These 30-minute interviews can be accessed at the Local Matters podcast page.

Author, planner and architect Jeff Speck addresses a Sarasota audience. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

On a rainy Thursday night not suited for walking, Jeff Speck, author of Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, addressed approximately 70 people gathered inside Sarasota City Hall for a public forum on walkability called “Working Together for a Walkable City.”

Defined as “a measure of how friendly an area is to walking,” walkability ties directly into the interests of the City of Sarasota, the Downtown Sarasota Alliance (DSA) and the Downtown Improvement District (DID)—the three primary sponsors of the March 21 event.

Other local businesses and organizations provided additional sponsorship for Speck’s Sarasota visit, which included a $40-per-person speaker’s luncheon the following day.

Speck is a Harvard-educated city planner and architect who spent a decade working at the Miami-based architectural and urban planning firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company under Andrés Duany, who is regarded as a pioneer of “New Urbanism” design that places greater emphasis on walkability.

In 2000, the Duany firm created the Sarasota Downtown Master Plan 2020 adopted by city commissioners in 2001. As Duany’s Director of Town Planning, Speck had limited involvement in creating the plan, but the experience provided him greater familiarity with downtown Sarasota.

Speck now owns the Washington, D.C.-based Speck and Associates design and planning firm and spends much of this time writing, lecturing and advocating for smart growth and sustainable design. He credits Duany for teaching him how to “make places, not buildings.”

Why walkability?

Jeff Speck’s “Walkable City” provided the foundation of the March 21 forum.

During the forum, Speck concentrated mainly on the advantages of walkable communities and neighborhoods.

During the Q&A session that followed, he touched briefly on how walkability is accomplished, but saved most of that information for the following day’s luncheon.

Assessing downtown Sarasota’s walkability, Speck said, “It’s not that screwed up,” noting that he does not see major issues inhibiting Sarasota’s walkability, even though Fruitville Road is unlikely to ever become pedestrian-friendly due to its width, high traffic volume and the timing of the traffic signals.

He said architects and planners in the 1950s through the 1980s “screwed up” by planning cities dependent on suburban commuters.

Because of their aesthetic values, walkable communities began to appeal to younger planners and architects in the 1990s, which led to the conclusion that walkable communities were more vibrant and active. Over the past two decades, experts from other fields have touted the virtues of walkable communities and warned of the perils of those that are not.

According to Speck, many economists believe that walkable places perform better economically than auto-oriented places, in part because the “millennial” generation (folks 30 and younger) prefer living in urban cores that are less car-dependent.

“Millennials are the engines of entrepreneurship in your community,” he said, noting that most of the inventions and technological breakthroughs currently in demand came from people under 30.

Citing his current work in Grand Rapids, Mich., Speck said he hears comments like, “We want our kids to stay here. We want our grandkids to stay here. We don’t want them to move away. What can we do?”

Applying that line of the thinking to Sarasota, the question becomes, “What can be done to keep  New College, Ringling and USF graduates here instead of them taking their degrees and acquired expertise elsewhere?”

According to Speck, epidemiologists—folks who study patterns, causes and effects of health conditions and disease among specific populations—have concluded that “sprawl is killing us and suburban sprawl is actually making us sick” due to inhalation of exhaust fumes, lack of exercise and death and injuries sustained in car accidents.

Speck said many environmentalists now consider urban areas to be more environmentally sound than suburban and rural areas due to auto emissions contributing to global warming.

“Now, by putting all these arguments together, we have compelling reasons as individuals to move to urban walkable places and to choose as citizens to make wherever we live more walkable and less dependent on the automobile. What we have here is a lifestyle shift—a new generation making the choice not to drive,” he said.

During the Q&A session that ended the 90-minute forum, Speck expressed support for greater downtown density and a paid parking program that places a premium on the most utilized parking spaces and provides cheaper parking along the perimeters.

What’s your Walk Score?

Speck mentioned the Walk Score website that provides walkability scores for cities and specific neighborhoods, with rankings based on access to groceries, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, parks, schools, public transit and other essentials and amenities.

According to Walk Score, the city of Sarasota as a whole has a walkability score of 56 out of 100, making it “somewhat walkable.”

The three most walkable Sarasota neighborhoods are Downtown Sarasota (87), the Rosemary District (87) and Laurel Park (86), neighborhoods deemed “very walkable,” where “most errands can be accomplished on foot.”

Gillespie Park is ranked fourth among Sarasota neighborhoods, with a walkability score of 84, but when I typed in my former address at 504 Gillespie Ave. (along the southeast edge of the neighborhood) the walkability score jumped to a whopping 94, making it a “walker’s paradise,” where “daily errands do not require a car.”

Park East ranked fifth, with walkability score of 67, making it “somewhat walkable.”

My current apartment just outside the city limits, near the intersection of Fruitville and McIntosh roads, has a walkability score of 28, making it “car-dependent.” with “few amenities within walking distance.”

With a walkability score of 6, Bird Key ranks as the least walkable of the 19 Sarasota neighborhoods listed.

Speck’s 10 Steps of Walkability

Unable to attend the walkability luncheon and not in possession of a copy of Walkable City, I turned to the Internet to learn how walkability is accomplished. I found an article at the Natural Resources Defense Council website that summarized Speck’s 10 Steps of Walkability and included additional comments from Speck and blogger Ken Benfield:

1. Put cars in their place: “The car-first approach has hurt American cities and traffic engineers have failed to acknowledge that increased roadway traffic capacity can lead to more, not fewer, cars on the road.”
2. Mix the uses: “Neighborhoods with a diversity of uses and places to walk to have significantly more walking than those that don’t.”
3. Get the parking right.
4. Let transit work.
5. Protect the pedestrian.
6. Welcome bikes.
7. Shape the spaces: “Get the design right and people will walk in almost any climate.”
8. Plant trees: “Trees provide natural cooling, reduced emissions and lower demand for air conditioning.”
9. Make friendly and unique [building] faces: “Pedestrians need to feel safe and comfortable, but they also need to be entertained.”
10. Pick your winners: “Focus on downtowns first and on short corridors that can connect walkable neighborhoods.”

Lasche’s Take

When it comes to more holistic forms of transportation, I often turn to Mike Lasche, a proponent of making Sarasota more pedestrian and bicycle friendly through his work with Florida Walks and Bikes. Here’s some of what he took from the forum, Speck’s book and his own research.

1) “Economist Joe Courtright has shown that for every one of the possible 100 points that a property has in terms of walkability, that property’s value rises $2,000. A property getting all 100 points rises in value by $200,000.”

2) “Since 1996, Portland, Ore. has seen a decline in motorized vehicle miles traveled. This is widely credited to Portland’s decision to not widen roads and not allow sprawl. Instead, it went for skinny streets and urban boundaries, with the money saved spent on better housing instead of transportation costs.”

3) “The typical American spends one-fourth of their income on transportation and working Americans spend an even greater portion.”

4) “Wide lanes are a huge killer and much overused. 10-foot lanes work well in places where people live and are an integral part of some of America’s finest streets, but FDOT loves 12-foot lanes designed for and encouraging 70 mph traffic.”

5) “The recent book Blue Zones tracks six populations that live exceptionally long and well and points out that frequent walking is common to these populations.”

6) “The Mercer Index measures cities around the world for quality of life. The top 50 cities have never been auto-centric. The highest-rated American city is Honolulu at 31. The highest rated city on the Mercer Index is Vancouver, Canada. In Vancouver, as the urban population and density have risen, motorized vehicle miles traveled have gone down. This is an important fact because in Florida the laws assume that greater urban population means that we have to have bigger roads, but in fact, a greater urban population leads to less need for bigger roads.”

Picking Brain’s Brain

Sarasota sociologist, New College professor, musician and former architect David Brain attended the walkability forum, but I was unable to speak with him that night. While appearing on the March 28 episode of WSLR’s Truly Sustainable Sarasota radio show (hosted by Francis Scheuer), I called and asked Brain for his thoughts on the forum, Speck’s book and walkability.

“He did a really nice job laying out all the various arguments and evidence that’s accumulated for the importance of walkability as a characteristic of a downtown,” Brain said. “He made clear that walkability is just a kind of umbrella concept for a whole lot of things that are related to the sustainability of a city and the quality of life of a city in terms of the health and the economic vitality of the community.

“I think the main thing that makes cities walkable is that you have an environment that’s pleasant and comfortable for people to walk in. People feel safe and interested if there are other people around.”

Commenting on Speck’s step #9, Brain said, “Probably the biggest thing is what the building faces are like. People will walk along a main street and if there’s a gap in the street wall, a series of parking lots, buildings set back too far or bushes that suddenly make it less interesting to walk, people will stop, turn around and walk back in the other direction.

“What we see on our Main Street—because we have activity at the east end and the west end and a lower activity area in the middle—is that people will walk to a certain point and they will turn around and walk back because it becomes less interesting and there’s nothing to draw them to the other end of Main Street.”

Brain then addressed downtown density, an issue that continues to be a topic of conversation among the three remaining city commission candidates—heavily supported by Richard Dorfman, supported by incumbent Mayor Suzanne Atwell and less supported by Susan Chapman.

“I thought one of the more challenging points that Jeff Speck made was when he was asked what should be done. He said that there should be higher densities downtown. He made an interesting point that when you have restrictions that restrict the size, the volume and the height of a building, but also restrict the number of units, what you tend to get is larger, more expensive units that take full advantage of the real estate. You build larger units because you can make more money that way.

“If you release some of the density limitations and still limit the height and sizes, you make it possible for developers to build smaller, more affordable units downtown. I’ve seen where the density limits have gotten in the way of creating more affordable housing. People are eager to move downtown, but aren’t able to afford million-dollar condos.”

Expressing praise for the DSA, Brain said, “I have to give a lot of credit to the Downtown Sarasota Alliance for bringing in people like Jeff Speck and contributing to that level of community education. I think that’s really important.”

(The  March 21 walkability forum can be seen in its entirety at the City of Sarasota website.)  

Jeff Speck signing books after the walkability forum. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

The Ferris Wheel: an American icon. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Few things scream “Americana” like the County Fair; and few settings provide better raw material for a person interested in photography.

Setting up camp behind Robarts Arena on Fruitville Road, the Sarasota County Fair opened this year on March 15 and continues through Sunday, March 24.

On Tuesday, March 19, still aglow from the previous night’s sublime and superb Leonard Cohen concert in Tampa, I spent the afternoon strolling the fairgrounds with my wife Amy and our friends Trista and Gary Adams.

Arriving at 3:45 p.m. meant we paid a dollar each to get in, taking advantage of the 2 to 4 p.m. weekday special and saving seven bucks a head.

The ladies eagerly anticipated tossing dietary discretion aside and junking out on fair food, while Gary and I looked forward to a malted beverage inside the Budweiser Beer Garden.

I’ve long wanted to do a fair photo shoot, and armed with nothing more than a simple digital camera, I felt up for anything and on the lookout for everything.

At the age of 51, the three hours we spent strolling the fairgrounds filled me with a younger man’s sense of wonder. Gazing up those fast-moving towering rides and soaking in the sounds and energy in the air jostled memories of the Ottawa County Fair of my Michigan childhood, and also made me feel grateful for a present that finds me still young enough at heart to feel the magic of the midway.

(Click on any photo to begin the manual slide show – Once in, single click on the photo or the arrows on the side to advance to next frame. )

Graphic by Joe Hendricks.

Sarasota has its own version of March Madness: the City Elections that take place in the spring of odd-numbered years, when two at-large or three district city commission seats are up for grabs.

When covering the local madness, the places to be are the Supervisor of Elections office and the after-parties that follow.

As expected, the March 12 City Elections produced no candidate with enough votes to win a commission seat outright. What we got instead was the top three vote-getters (Chapman, Atwell and Dorfman) advancing to the May 14 run-off election and the bottom three vote-getters watching their campaigns end.

Having contacted all six candidates earlier that day, I knew that the under-funded Pete Theisen had nothing planned—not even a pizza party.

First-time candidate Kelvin Lumpkin would learn his fate while gathered with supporters at the Toasted Mango Café on Tamiami Trail.

Gillespie Park resident Linda Holland and her supporters would be at The Broadway Bar on the north end of downtown.

Richard Dorfman (the “downtown candidate”) and his supporters would be at Patrick’s 1481 on Main Street.

Mayor Suzanne Atwell (the “centrist” candidate) chose Caragiulos on Palm Ave.—an establishment partially owned by City Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and geographically positioned between the Dorfman event and the Chapman event.

Susan Chapman (the “neighborhood candidate”) gathered with her supporters at the neighborhood-friendly Word of Mouth restaurant, a mile or so south of downtown.

These election night gatherings are where the candidates and their supporters await the election results. There’s usually a TV in the vicinity tuned to ABC 7 or SNN 6 and most of the candidates have a supporter at the Elections Office calling in results as they come in and become final.

From a reporter’s perspective, after-party coverage is dictated by two things: the final results and the proximity of one party to another.

The polls close at 7 p.m. and it usually takes an hour or less to tally the results. The after-parties then last another hour or two after that, leaving a limited amount of time to catch up to the candidates (with the losing candidates usually shutting it down early).

In addition to speaking to the candidates, it’s always interesting to see who attends their parties.

Chapman in Good Company

Working in order of the election results and knowing that I’d never make it to all five stops, my first stop was Word of Mouth to visit leading vote-getter Susan Chapman.

When I arrived around 8:15 p.m., the place was packed. I found Susan chatting with Sarasota Democratic Party Chair Rita Ferrandino and longtime community activist Gretchen Serrie.

When Susan had time to chat, her first comment was, “I’m very grateful for all my supporters and I’m very grateful that 80 percent of my campaign contributions came from city voters”—a veiled verbal shot at Richard Dorfman.

When asked what it was about her campaign that resonated with voters, Susan said, “Twenty-three years of service in this community, including working a lot of different issues for a lot of different people—not just in city politics, but in the neighborhoods, on mental health and with the Women’s Legal Fund. All of those things gave me the goodwill to get over the negative campaigning I had to face.”

After speaking with Susan, I glanced around the room and spotted quite a few former city commissioners, many of whom also served as mayor, as well as current Vice-Mayor Willie Shaw.

My first thought was, This would make a good photo. My second thought was that having the support of former commissioners Lou Ann Palmer, Richard Clapp, Fredd Atkins, Elmer Berkel and Kelly Kirschner reflects well on the Chapman campaign and the issues she stands for.

From left to right: Richard Clapp, Fredd Atkins, Lou Ann Palmer, Willie Shaw, Susan Chapman, Kelly Kirschner and Elmer Berkel. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

After snapping the “money shot,” I asked Kelly why he supports Susan and her campaign.

He said, “I think collectively you have 200 hundred years of residency here in Sarasota in that photo you just took. I think that speaks to our belief that Susan would certainly represent the continuity of the history of this community and what makes it special. She also has the commitment to continue working to address the problems we have too.

“We want to put Susan to work with the other four commissioners to get back to addressing a number of fundamental issues facing the city that have not been given the attention they require over the past four years. As someone who has worked with Susan Chapman for 10 years, I certainly think Susan deserves one of the two votes in the run-off election and I think she will serve our city well.”

When asked if he had any other election observations, Kelly said, “The media coverage on this election in general, with a few exceptions, has really been lacking in terms of educating voters on the issues and the candidates.”

All’s Well with Atwell

Mayor Suzanne Atwell, Campaign Manager Grace Carlson and campaign supporter Diana Hamilton. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

When I arrived at Caragiulos around 8:40 p.m., I found Mayor Atwell enjoying a glass of red wine with friends and supporters gathered in the lounge area. Some of her supporters had gravitated to the dining room and others had gone home, making for a more subdued affair, but the mayor and her remaining supporters were in good spirits and happy about what transpired earlier that evening.

“I’m feeling really good about this,” Suzanne said. “As we move forward I’m going to be the centrist. I’m governing right now and I am the sitting commissioner. I can look at both sides, be the consensus builder and work toward bridging the gaps between the neighborhoods and the business community—that’s my task. Over the past four years, I’ve had to make some tough decisions and I’ve built consensus as mayor. That doesn’t mean everyone agrees with my votes, but we’re talking about governing with civility and collaboration and involving everybody in the city. That’s what I stand for and the voters voted on my record.”

Commenting on her campaign strategy moving forward, Suzanne said, “I can run the centrist position that takes in the whole town. Downtown Sarasota is a neighborhood; it’s part of the whole city. It’s one city, many neighborhoods.”

Community activist and former commission candidate Diana Hamilton then weighed in, saying, “I think we showed that being a centrist in this city does work in your favor. Certainly there were certain votes Suzanne made that everybody wasn’t crazy about, but overall her votes have been very balanced and represented the greater interests of the majority of residents in the community. Suzanne has a lot of integrity and I think she really works well with the other people at the table, not as an individual, but as a teammate. She’s a really good team player and I think that’s what the vote reflected today.”

Looking ahead to the run-off election, Diana said, “With the three candidates we have remaining, I think there’s going to be a clear distinction for voters in what they want for a governing body. As the only incumbent, Suzanne is going to be pushing more strongly on her centrist position because you’ve got two polar opposites on either side of her.”

Dorfman’s Downtown Delight

Campaign Advisor Suzette Jones, Richard Dorfman and campaign supporter Valerie Dorr celebrate election results. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

I arrived at Patrick’s shortly after 9 p.m. The Dorfman party was still going strong and the Republican-heavy contingent was pleased by their candidate’s performance.

After excusing himself from his supporters, Richard said, “I’m very excited. Being able to do as well as I did against very well-established candidates—our mayor and an activist who’s been working in the city for 30 years—and being able to get within a few percentage points of them and getting into the run-off is just fantastic. The message I’ve been giving all along is let’s push Sarasota forward. Let’s go out and try to reach our potential in regard to opportunity, job creation and giving our young people a future and something to do. I think that resonated with the voters.”

Looking ahead to the run-off, Richard said, “It’s still about reaching the voters and getting the message out.”

When asked if anything about the campaign surprised him, Richard said, “The veracity of the campaign and some of the vitriol … that surprised me.”

Dorfman supporter Andy Dorr enjoys a beverage on election night. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Sitting at the bar enjoying a beer, local developer and longtime city resident Andy Dorr said, “I thought we had a great election today. The results were what I expected. We now can go forward over the next six weeks and try to better define the issues between these three candidates and choose the best two people to lead our city forward.

“I support Richard because he stands for a vibrant downtown. He realizes that we have a fiscal deficit of about $140 million that we have to make up and that one way out of that problem is to grow Sarasota. I think Richard is compelled to do what’s right for downtown, which will ultimately be right for the city. Richard will define himself as looking for a vibrant downtown that leads the rest of our neighborhoods, while not overlooking those neighborhoods. I think the question the voters have to decide in their own minds is whether we want a downtown that flourishes and grows with little or no inhibition or a downtown that is held back.”

When asked what a developer wants from a city commission, Andy said, “First of all we want predictability. We want somebody who will read the rules and regulations of the city and react in a predictable manner,” citing the recent Wal-Mart denial as an example of this, in his opinion, not happening.

Holland Graceful In Defeat

Candidate Linda Holland chats with GOP Finance Chair Jack Brill. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

Around 10 p.m., Linda Holland arrived at Patrick’s after winding down her own gathering.

Reluctant at first to speak so soon after the loss, she opened up a bit after being asked if she was disappointed.

“I think anybody who gives as much as I do to a race and doesn’t win—it’s human nature to be disappointed,” she said. “So yes, I’m disappointed, and surprised.”

Expressing appreciation for those who supported her, Linda said, “They were great. They believed in me so much and I’m sorry to disappoint them. I’m sorry it didn’t work out because they all know I was a damn good candidate—it’s just too bad the rest of the city voters didn’t. It’s real puzzling. I don’t know what else I could’ve done. For 30 years I’ve given everything I have to this community and it’s surprising that it wasn’t enough.”

As far as endorsing another candidate, Linda said, “I don’t know, I have to think about that.”

Learning Experience for Lumpkin

Speaking on the phone two days after the election, Kelvin Lumpkin reflected on his first political campaign. “It was a tremendous experience running for city commission,” he said.

“Of course, it’s disappointing to come out on the losing end because you invest so much of your time and your energy trying to win. It stings when you’ve lost, but I have no regrets at all. I learned so much and met so many great people—even people I didn’t agree with philosophically—and I found that most of them love our city even if we don’t agree on how it should move forward, how it should grow and what is the preferred style of governing. That’s refreshing to know.”

When asked about his political future, Kelvin said, “I wouldn’t rule out or rule in anything at this point. We’ll see what happens.”

Kelvin is expected to endorse fellow Republican Richard Dorfman, but as of March 21 that endorsement had not been made public.

Sarasota voters had many fine candidates to choose from in Tuesday’s City Election. Photo by Joe and Mellie Hendricks.

Rick Farmer: “My first vote was for Susan Chapman because she has a great understanding for the role of the neighborhoods in Sarasota. Further, she is an attorney who can appreciate and understand process decision-making and the rule of law. This is clear if you observe her in various roles such as the planning board. This is the kind of leadership that I want for Sarasota as we make decisions that define our future.”

Mike Lasche: “I voted for Susan Chapman because she has a proven track record of dealing with difficult issues and taking a position on them. I appreciate a commissioner who is not afraid to take a position. Also, Susan has demonstrated that she takes a balanced approach to city issues, balancing the interests of neighborhoods, quality of life and economic development. Some of the other candidates, such as Dorfman, were too extreme in their support of development, with little regard for neighborhoods or other factors.”

Candy Spaulding: “I voted for Susan Chapman and I wish I had known at the time that I could vote for one person instead of having to vote for two. I also voted for Kelvin Lumpkin. I have met him on several occasions and liked him. I had no idea he was supported by the people who want more commercial use downtown or in our neighborhoods.

“I am president of the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association. I’m sure you have heard about our appeal of Wal-Mart. It’s not that I’m against development, just where they want to put it and why. Susan Chapman will make an excellent commissioner. She is sensitive to the neighborhood associations and their needs. I will be voting for her in the runoff election.”

Anthony Paull: “I voted for Suzanne Atwell because she is a kind, well-spoken and polished ambassador to the city of Sarasota. She understands the problems facing the downtown core and has been vocal about finding a middle-ground to meet the needs of people seeking change to the sound ordinance, providing downtown entertainment for those seeking nightlife after 10 p.m. on weekends.

“I also applaud her effort to attend many local events and was delighted to hear she recently showed support for LGBT equality, joining the Harvey Milk Festival Host Committee.

“As a journalist, I’ve had several conversations with Suzanne and have been impressed with her business sense and understanding of the arts. She understands that lending an ear to both worlds is the best way to lead a city.”

Joe Barbetta: “I endorsed Rich Dorfman in the initial campaign and that will continue through the runoff. It is clear to me that someone with business experience, an understanding of economics and tax structure, is needed to take this city forward. There is a financial crisis looming and a clear understanding of growing the tax base in a reasonable and sustainable manner, while representing ALL of the residents of the entire city, is imperative.

“As for the remaining two candidates, Suzanne Atwell, while I am not formally endorsing her, is clearly the better choice. While Suzanne and I don’t always agree, she is thoughtful, caring, willing to research issues and assess alternatives, and clearly understands her role of representing the entire city of Sarasota, not a select few. The other candidate has exhibited divisiveness, and clearly would not be a proper representative of the people of the city of Sarasota.”

Rich Swier, Jr.: “As someone who lives downtown—I was here 20 years ago, when the noise ordinance was created, and it literally put live music venues out of business. I witnessed at that point how powerful a small group of people could be in the city. I live in Sarasota because I believe we are a creative city that embraces art, music, culture and most importantly quality of life. I voted for Richard Dorfman because he believes we can have a balance where we protect the people who live downtown, and at the same time support local artists and live music. If we elect Susan Chapman, I fear that the noise ordinance will turn into a noise ban.

“As someone who owns a business downtown, it is critical for me to retain and recruit the young talent out of Ringling College and New College. The young professionals want to live downtown, play downtown and work downtown. I voted for Richard Dorfman because he believes in smart growth and only developing when there is a clear need and purpose. I don’t want condos filling up our skyline, but we do have gaps to fill and we need to be smart about how we plan for the future of Sarasota. We need more density, and I think the best plan is to provide obtainable housing for young professionals who add to our tax base, create jobs and do not require 3,500 square feet per person to live downtown.”

Francis Scheuer: “I live in the county and did not have a vote, but I ran Precinct  #111 in the city and turnout was LOW. Only 49 voters participated at #111 and they were mostly seniors.”

Mellie Hendricks: ”I’m not a registered voter, because dogs can’t vote, but I did help my ‘Daddy’ get some campaign sign photographs on Election Day!”

(Author’s note: This survey was by no means extensive nor scientific, but simply a sampling of folks who reside in my email address book.) 

Mellie Hendricks: TWIS reporter’s assistant. Photo by Joe Hendricks.

County Commissioner Joe Barbetta (left) and Danny Preston watch the election results come in. .

For political junkies, campaign representatives and members of the media, the Supervisor of Elections office is the place to be on Election Night.

That’s because the computer monitors inside the public viewing area are the first to display the election results, appearing 10 to 20 minutes before that information is posted online at the Supervisor of Elections’ website.

Around 6:45 p.m., interested parties begin to gather inside the small conference room that serves as the public viewing area. A window along one wall allows the public to watch the ballot tabulations taking place. A microphone inside the secure area allows the public to hear any conversations pertaining to potential problems with a ballot or a voting machine.

When the polls close at 7 p.m., voting precincts from around the city begin transmitting data from the voting machines to the Supervisor’s Office via telephone modem. By this time, the early voting and absentee ballots have already been tallied and those results are the first to appear on the viewing room monitors.

The public area was quite full during the presidential election in the fall of last year, with TV crews, radio reporters and newspaper writers filing live reports as the results came in.

With Tuesday being a city election for Sarasota residents only, the media presence was much smaller, with only about 10 people gathered in the room.  The media presence included Jon Susce (publisher of the newly-formed Sarasota Phoenix newspaper),  ABC 7 reporter Max Winitz, and a young lady from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, whose assignment was to call in the final numbers to her editor when the results were in. Also in the room were County Commissioner Joe Barbetta, Sarasota County Democratic Party Chair Rita Ferrandino, Kelvin Lumpkin supporter Danny Preston and two Susan Chapman supporters.

A few minutes before 7 p.m., the early voting/absentee results appeared on the monitors. Accounting for 16.7 percent of the vote, the early numbers proved to be a reliable indicator of things to come, with Susan Chapman getting 26.4 percent of the early vote, Mayor Suzanne Atwell 23.5 percent and Richard Dorfman 20.7 percent – followed in order by Linda Holland, Kelvin Lumpkin and Pete Theisen.

(Author’s note: These early voting percentages are the figures used by the Supervisor of Elections office. The  official city calculations result in increased percentage figures when factoring in that each voter is allowed two votes. It is the number of votes, not the percentage of votes, that determines who wins a race, or in this case moves on to the run-off.)

The early numbers more or less mirrored the final results posted 45 to 50 minutes later, with Chapman receiving 2,712 votes, Atwell 2,611 votes and Dorfman 2,313 votes, with these three top vote-getters moving on to the May 14 run-off election that will decide this race.

Between the time the early votes were posted and the final results were in, Rita Ferrandino expressed her pleasure that two of the three Democratic candidates (Chapman and Atwell) were advancing to the run-off. She had hoped for a Democratic sweep, with Linda Holland advancing as well, but that was not to be, with Dorfman, a Republican, claiming the third spot.

A Voting Conversation

One of the great things about being at the elections office on Election Night is the impromptu conversations that ensue as the results come in. When I asked Ferrandino if anything about this election surprised her, she said she wasn’t surprised, but she was concerned about the low voter turnout, with only 17 percent of registered city voters casting a vote.

Joe Barbetta then said, “That’s why you should get behind a November election. Not only a November ballot, but go with Oregon’s method of voting, which is vote by mail.”

Democratic Party Chair Rita Ferrandino sharing results by phone.

When asked if she supported the idea of moving city elections to coincide with the state and federal primary and general elections in August and November, Ferrandino said, “I think that more people voting is better. I don’t want to say we had a poor showing tonight, because people did come out, and that’s a good thing, but we need to find ways to make sure that we have more people exercising their vote.” She also noted that voter turnout among city voters during the Nov. 2012 general election was upwards of 70 percent.

“Right now we’re approaching 30 percent of the people voting absentee (which is done by mail),” Barbetta added. “Why not just have people vote by mail? It’s cheaper and Oregon has an 80 percent return rate.”

When asked about the counter argument that placing city elections on a large state and federal ballot results in city matters being delegated to the bottom of an already lengthy ballot, Ferrandino said, “That’s how we elect our charter review boards and our hospital boards, and they all seem to be able to make it.”

Barbetta then mentioned the fall 2012 ballot that included a number of city amendment questions placed at the bottom of the ballot, saying, “They got to the bottom … a lot of people voted.”

As for why more people don’t vote in city elections, Rita said, “Because it’s not on their radar. They’re not sitting home today thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to go vote,’” adding that many city residents didn’t even know Tuesday was Election Day.

When I pointed out that you can’t drive around town without noticing the campaign signs, Rita said, “The signs have been up for months and signs don’t vote. Again, I think the long-term solution is putting these things in sync with other issues on the ballot and then you would get more people participating.”

After the all the results were in, it was time to hit the after-parties, where the candidates and their supporters gathered to celebrate or mourn the results.

(Coming soon …“Out & About Part 2: The After-Parties”)

Campaign signs outside the polling location at First Church of the Nazarene on Fruitville Road.

From left to right (literally and philosophically): Susan Chapman, Suzanne Atwell and Richard Dorfman.

And then there were three …

In what was essentially a Sarasota City Commission Primary, three candidates—Susan Chapman, incumbent Mayor Suzanne Atwell and Richard Dorfman—survived Election Day on Tuesday and advanced to the May 14 run-off election that will determine which two of the three remaining candidates will win the coveted four-year city commission terms.

Ms. Chapman was the leading vote-getter, receiving 2,712 votes and 44 percent of the vote (using the City’s percentage calculation method that factors in each voter having two potential votes). Ms. Atwell finished second, with 2,611 votes (42.4 percent) and Mr. Dorfman came in third, with 2,313 votes (37.6 percent). Had any of the candidates recieeved 50 percent-plus one vote, they would have won a commission seat outright instead of advancing to the run-off.

The surprise of the day was longtime neighborhood champion and multiple-time candidate Linda Holland finishing a distant fourth, with 1,531 votes and 28.8 percent of the vote. Based on recent endorsements, conversations with those-in-the-know and my own observations, I thought this would be the year that Linda finally got her much-deserved shot at serving as a city commissioner.

By contrast, the 1,443 votes and 23.5 percent of the vote first-time candidate Kelvin Lumpkin received is considered to be a successful start for a 39-year-old believed to have a bright future in local politics; a belief based not only on election results, but also on his performances at the political forums leading up to election day, his effectiveness in dealing with the media and his many years of community service in the Newtown/North Sarasota area.

While Tuesday’s results may mark the end of Ms. Holland’s political aspirations, they will likely serve as a launching point for Mr. Lumpkin.

Bringing up the rear was Pete Theisen, the lovable, quirky, anti-growth fringe candidate who constantly (and correctly) rallied against the idea of local politicians being “bought and paid for” and “beholden” to local and not-so-local special interest groups.

Theisen, who had very little campaign money at his disposal, managed to pull in 434 votes (7%) of the  votes cast. Wednesday morning, Mr. Theisen sent me an email saying, “Although I came in dead last, as usual, I only spent $3.12 per vote. Dorfman was the highest, at $17.33. If the developers put in another $40K they may even elect him.”

Beyond the results themselves, the other main topic of conversation Tuesday night was was the to-be-expected low voter turnout. Only 6,144 of the city’s 35,480 registered voters (17.32%) cared enough about this election to bother going to the polls or voting by mail via absentee ballot. That means 29,336 registered voters don’t give a damn who sits on their city commission—a governmental body that often has a greater impact on a city resident’s daily life than the state or federal governments.

Extending the non-voter math a little further … According to the 2010 Census, there were 52,917 people living in Sarasota when the census was conducted. Factoring in that 16.8 percent of those counted are under the legal voting age of 18, that means approximately 37,050 city residents and potential voters (registered and non-registered combined) did not bother to vote.

Based on recent history, we can expect these voter turnout numbers to drop even further when the May 14 run-off election takes place. In the 2009 at-large race, 1,725 fewer ballots were cast in the run-off election than in the general election that preceded it. This happens, in part, because it’s hard enough to get local folks to the polls the first time, much less a second time, but also because some voters who supported losing candidates lose interest when they no longer have a horse in the race.

Signs, signs … everywhere there’s signs …

These voter turnout numbers reveal a few things: 1) The large majority of Sarasota’s population could care less who sits on their city commission (at least until a particular issue pertains to them and their neighborhood).

2) For whatever reason, the candidates presented to the general public general seem to generate little city-wide interest to those outside the small circle of folks who closely follow local politics.

3) The time has probably come to move the city elections to  coincide with state and federal primaries and general elections—an idea supported by Sarasota Democratic Party Chair Rita Ferrandino and Republican Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta, both of whom expressed these views while watching the election results being posted at the Supervisor of Elections’ office Tuesday evening.

After a night of “victory” celebrations, the three advancing candidates, their supporters and their supporting political parties will now spend the next eight weeks raising additional money, campaigning and trying to turn out additional supporters as the campaign intensity rises another notch.

With the city’s de facto primary in the rearview mirror and the top three candidates now crystalized, it will be interesting to see what financial and logistical support pours in from the local Republican and Democratic parties—even though city commission races are supposed to be “non-partisan” affairs.

Tuesday’s results set up a fascinating three-way race between three distinctly different candidates, with the polarizing,  but loyally-supported, Ms. Chapman (a Democrat) on the left, incumbent Mayor Atwell (also a Democrat) maintaining her “centrist” stance in the political middle, and Mr. Dorfman (a Republican) representing Sarasota’s political right, with support from noise ordinance advocates The HuB, the development community and the local GOP.

As we look ahead, keep in mind that Holland, Lumpkin and Theisen supporters made up a combined 30 percent of the vote. One of the big questions, and a focal point of the next two months, will be which candidates appeal to the Holland, Lumpkin and Theisen supporters and the 3,405 potential votes they represent.

I’ve been told that Mr. Lumpkin plans to endorse Mr. Dorfman in hopes that his own supporters will also get behind the Dorfman campaign. Tuesday night, Ms. Holland told me she hadn’t made a decision yet in regard to endorsing another candidate, but she made these remarks after arriving at Mr. Dorfman’s election night campaign gathering at Patrick’s restaurant after her own event ended.

The May 14 run-off election may very well come down to whether Holland’s 1,500-plus supporters swing in favor of the Democratic, neighborhood-oriented Ms. Chapman, the Republican, downtown-oriented Mr. Dorfman or the self-proclaimed “centrist” Mayor Atwell.

It’s important to note that each voter in the May 14 election gets to vote for two candidates, as was the case with Tuesday’s ballot. But (and this is a big but), there’s a political tactic known as “bullet-voting” that encourages a particular candidate’s supporters to cast only a single vote for their preferred candidate, while not casting a second vote that would add to an opponent’s vote total. So, bullet-voting will likely play a pivotal role in determining the May 14 winners.

Another factor will be the two-vote voters whose primary support leans toward Mr. Dorfman or Ms. Chapman. In casting their second vote, the Dorfman and Chapman supporters are likely to view Ms. Atwell as the more moderate second-choice candidate, considering her to be more philosophically in tune with their respective first-choice candidates. Based on what I’ve heard from supporters on both sides, it seems highly unlikely that a supporter of Ms. Chapman will also vote for Mr. Dorfman, or vice versa.

So, buckle up your political seat belts and hang on for what’s sure to be an interesting ride …

  … Stay tuned for more TWIS election coverage in the days, weeks and months to come.

Where Will We Go Tonight founder Don McKeon celebrated his 70th birthday Wednesday night (March 6) with a hundred or so invited guests at the Flying Dog Café on Tallevast Road. Ron White and his All-Stars provided the live entertainment, kicking off their performance with a fitting and beautiful rendition of John Mayer’s Gravity, setting in motion a night of music, food, drink and friendship courtesy of the birthday boy himself and Flying Dog owner Bruce Famiglio.

(Stay tuned for an upcoming feature story on Don, his journey to Sarasota, the creation of Where Will We Go Tonight, his love Jonie, his new boat and thoughts from his many friends.)

The decision to deny the Ringling Wal-Mart site plan pleased many, but disappointed others. The question now is whether Wal-Mart will appeal the commission’s decision in court.

Sarasota City Attorney Bob Fournier.

When contacted by email earlier this week, City Attorney Bob Fournier explained the process moving forward: “Before either party can appeal the city commission’s decision, it has to be reduced to writing and signed by the Mayor. We will be bringing a resolution to the city commission denying approval of the site plan and setting out the reasons for the denial (which is required by statute) most likely at the next city commission meeting, which is March 18. The 30-day period to file an appeal will commence on the day that the Mayor signs the resolution. I have not spoken with Mr. Porter or anyone from Wal-Mart since the conclusion of the Feb. 26 hearing and at this point do not know what they plan to do.”

Instead of legal action, the Wal-Mart folks could tweak their plan to make it more neighborhood-friendly—although they’d still be limited to 15,000 square feet as a “department” store at that location.

Their best bet might be a smaller, non-24-hour Wal-Mart “Neighborhood Market” grocery store, similar to the one on Myrtle St. and US-41, leaving room in the plaza for smaller local businesses as well.

Or Wal-Mart can “cut bait” and walk away from the project, leaving the aging shopping center without an anchor tenant.

It is also possible that city commissioners could rezone the Ringling Blvd. property, creating a zoning designation that would allow for a Wal-Mart in that location, but that would come as a slap in the face to those living in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Already the Wal-Mart folks have another local battle on their hands, as more than 300 neighbors living near the Bee Ridge and Beneva intersection have petitioned their developer-friendly county commissioners, asking them to nix the idea of rezoning the River’s Edge Community Church property so the church can be demolished to make way for a 40,000 square foot Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

Final Statements?

After the public had its say on Feb. 26, city staff stood by their interpretation of the zoning code that would have allowed the Wal-Mart to be built.

When the time came for the appealing party to make their final arguments, Alta Vista Neighborhood attorney Bob Turffs paid tribute to the citizen speakers when he said to commissioners, “I’m certainly humbled by all the public comment I’ve heard in support of our position. There’s nothing I can say that would be nearly as eloquent or as appropriate as what we’ve already heard. The question for you legally is: Is this consistent with the zoning code and the comprehensive plan? If you’ll look at your own code, this is not permitted. It’s prohibited.”

Concluding his remarks, and speaking as a “real person” instead of an attorney, Turffs  paraphrased a famous quote from the 1930s when he said, “Once a long time ago, the writer Gertrude Stein said about her former home in Oakland, ‘There is no there there.’ There is a there here in Sarasota—don’t destroy it.”

Wal-Mart attorney Jim Porter made his final plea, expressing his belief that the proposed project was compatible with the zoning code and therefore should be approved.

Vice-Mayor Willie Shaw makes motion to deny Wal-Mart site plan.

It was then up to commissioners to make a decision. After brief discussion, Vice-Mayor Willie Shaw made a motion to deny the site the Wal-Mart site plan, saying, “I think that the presentation made by the appealing group has brought merit to this argument and brings forth the flaws that are presently found within our codes.”

Commissioner Terry Turner seconded the motion, saying, “The applicant is proposing what is essentially a suburban big box store in an urban environment. In my opinion, the proposed site plan is not compatible with the adjoining neighborhoods, the broader community nor the Sarasota city plan. I would mention the bulk, the 24/7 operations, the truck noise, the truck traffic … in general the intensity of the project in a neighborhood area.”

Commissioner Shannon Snyder gave no explanation as to why he voted to deny the site plan, but his third vote carried the day.

Explaining why she felt the proposed Wal-Mart was an allowable land use, Mayor Suzanne Atwell said, “To me, the staff testimony has met the interpretation of the code in a most substantial, competent manner … Based on that, I can’t support the motion.”

Mayor Suzanne Atwell supports city staff and the Wal-Mart proposal.

Commissioners Turner, Shaw and Atwell each expressed support for Tim Litchet and his staff in response to criticism levied in staff’s direction.

Commissioner Paul Caragiulo did not immediately explain why he voted in favor of the Wal-Mart, but after coming out on the short end of the 3-2 vote, he addressed the need to clean up the zoning code, saying, “If nothing else, this is an absolute clear direction that something needs to be done about our code. This is absolutely something that we need to be working on immediately. For anyone to come up here and say that the code is crystal clear on anything, I don’t know what code you’re looking at.”

He then said he voted the way he did based on his understanding of the “rule of law.”

A Former Mayor Sounds Off

Former Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner argues against the Wal-Mart proposal, with an assist from Jerry Sparkman.

A week after the Wal-Mart decision was handed down, Alta Vista Neighborhood appellant and former Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner shared his thoughts on the commission decision and the process that led to it.

“There’s a part of me that’s extremely frustrated that the City puts neighborhoods and citizens through these processes that really consume hundreds of hours of a community’s potential productivity to fight against the system and the City that we pay to make sure they follow the rules that all of us have agreed to go by,” he said.

“So, while I have that frustration, at the same time, when you go through an experience like that, it only strengthens a neighborhood and a community. I’ve met new neighbors and old neighbors that didn’t come out before. Those bonds make the community stronger and I think you saw that with everyone that testified. At the end of the night, getting those three votes, you feel good about your community and the decision they made.”

As for what we learned about the city zoning codes during the appeal process, Kirschner said, “The zoning code has become the convenient whipping boy, but then there’s no accountability for city staff.  If you ask City Attorney Bob Fournier how many times there has been an instance like this, with an appeal to the commission based upon a really significant error in interpreting the code, he will tell you there’s only been two in the past 10 years. One was the Wal-Mart on the North Trail—and that appeal did not go to the commission—and this is the first one that’s ever gone to the commission. You’d expect that if we have such rampant problems with our code that you would see this happen frequently, and that is not the case.”

Continuing that line of thought, Kirschner said, “What we do have, however, if you listen to [former City Planner] Mike Taylor, is that we have created multiple codes and consistently the problem has been that when the commission and staff have created these new codes they do not want to take away anyone’s property rights. So, then you have a code from 1974 that’s still in effect that they don’t want to touch or alter to make any more clear; and we have a new code that we adopted in 2001, but it’s not implemented. It’s really that type of issue that we’re facing here. It’s not really that the code is not clear.”

Tim Litchet (left) and city staff are the subject of both praise and criticism.

Expressing frustration with Director of Development and Neighborhood Services Tim Litchet, Kirschner said, “Shannon Snyder probably asked the best question of the night. He said, ‘The zoning code states, Mr. Litchet, that you had to get sign-off and approval by the City Manager to make the determination that if it’s not in the allowed uses, then the City Manager had to sign off on it.’

“Where is that documentation and which City Manager was it? Bartolotta, was it the interim Terry Lewis or Thomas Barwin? None of it!,” Kirchner said. “He danced around it. He didn’t answer the question and he never answered the question on the pedestrian access issue with Payne Park, that to me, is critical. I respect the fact that Terry Turner and others said staff did a great job, but I think any honest assessment of that should say that staff did an extremely poor job.”

Social Media Reaction

At the suggestion of TWIS contributor Lisa Nisenson, I provided real-time Facebook updates on the Ringling Wal-Mart hearing as it unfolded on the evening of Feb. 26.

At 10:30 that night, I posted a note about commissioners’ decision to deny the site plan, prompting immediate and ongoing reaction from both supporters and opponents.

Here’s a sampling of what your cyber-neighbors had to say this issue:

Vince Pac: “Sounds like Chicago.. Yay… you stopped development! Great job!”

Andy Dorr: “The city made a mistake tonight. 3 commissioners basically voted against the City’s staff. I expect lawsuit”

Susan Nilon: “They (Wal-Mart) will want their money back.”

Bob Gorevan: “and they will get it…and the Ringling property will sit vacant for another 10 years…”

Vaughn Nickel: “You can’t stop Wal-Mart democratically. Voters are about to discover that Wal-Mart owns politicians and the judicial system and what the voters want doesn’t matter.”

Tina Steele: “It’s a great day for Sarasota. Big box stores have no place in a small city like ours. The neighborhood deserves to be rezoned for small locally-owned stores, cafes, restaurants, and affordable housing…like a bigger version of what is in the Orange/Pineapple districts.”

Matt Burdette: “You guys can have one of Bradenton’s several Walmart we have plenty to spare.. There are way to many Walmart’s around here and yes they create jobs but they treat there employees like crap.”

Phil Chmieleski: “Lawsuit indeed. They voted on emotion not fact…regardless of your opinion vis a vis WalMart. As for the neighborhood that shopping center joins Ron Burks site to solidify the blight that the Alta Vista folks seem to revel in. So what now? I don’t see a line forming to move into that run down sleazy strip center.”

Phil Chmieleski: “Here is your smoking gun for a lawsuit “Reasoning that Walmart’s plan is incompatible with the neighborhood, Commissioners Willie Shaw, Terry Turner and Shannon Snyder voted against it, while Paul Caragiulo and Suzanne Atwell voted to allow the store.” It is not their job to “reason” what is “Incompatible” with the neighborhood. This is why we have laws.”

Catherine Hodgson: “I am for the support of our locally owned stores. That is what capitalism is really about, not running over everyone with corporate money… I will give the little guy the chance over the corp greed any day!”

Sam Ward: “Hey . . . I like Walmart. Where else am I going to go to buy products made by slaves, sold by slaves, and bought by guests of the Jerry Springer show? . . .”

(Read what your real-life neighbors had to say during the Feb. 26 Sarasota City Commission meeting when given time to speak during public input.)

The path to the developing Ringling Shopping Center remains in question …

The sun sets over the vacant Publix building in the Ringling Shopping Center.

Regardless of where one stands on the final decision, or the issue itself, the recent Ringling Wal-Mart appeal process stands as a testament to the citizens of a community who cared enough about an issue to take a stand for something they believed in.

Citizens questioned the wisdom and legality of building a “big box” store in the mostly-vacant Ringling Shopping Center that abuts the Alta Vista and Gardens of Ringling Park neighborhoods.

After eight hours of testimony, public input and multiple interpretations of the city’s zoning code that required two meetings and was completed on Feb. 26, City Commissioners Willie Shaw, Terry Turner and Shannon Snyder sided with the neighborhoods and the appellants, while Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and Mayor Suzanne Atwell accepted city staff’s interpretation of the zoning code and sided with Wal-Mart. The 3-2 vote meant the Wal-Mart site plan was denied and the project is either dead or headed to court.

The Feb. 19 portion of the appeal hearing belonged to the “experts,” with Wal-Mart reps and attorneys, city staffers and representatives of the Alta Vista Neighborhood making legal arguments and offering conflicting interpretations of the city zoning code as it applies to the Ringling Shopping Center.

Key arguments centered around whether the zoning code allows the construction of a “department store” larger than 15,000 square feet and what technically constitutes a “department store,” as opposed to the allowed, but somewhat dubious “large store” designation deemed acceptable by Tim Litchet, Sarasota’s Director of Neighborhood and Development Services.

By contrast, the Feb. 26 meeting belonged to the people. According to my notes, more than 50 citizens addressed commissioners when the hearing was opened to the public—a number large enough to warrant serious consideration from commissioners as they formed their opinions on the matter.

The People Speak

Andrea Davis (center) discusses Wal-Mart’s impact on surrounding neighborhoods.

The first folks to speak were the five residents designated as “affected parties” who live within 500 feet of the proposed development—this in addition to the six people serving as the official appellants who had the opportunity to speak on Feb. 19 and would again after the public had its say.

Sharon Juraszek spoke first, her voice taut with emotion as she weighed in on the department store debate. “This is clearly a department store, which is against the code,” she said, calling on commissioners to “make the right call” based on the “rule of the law.”

Andrea Davis then painted a mental picture of the potentially impacted neighborhoods, saying, “This part of town has so much peacefulness and charm. It still reflects the old Florida character and flavor because of the modest one-story bungalows—no mega-houses, no mega-stores, just old Florida.”

Bill Dehart, whose front yard faces the shopping center, expressed support for the Wal-Mart and referred to the shopping center’s current state as an “eyesore.”

Steve McAllister makes an interesting analogy.

Steve McAllister was the first “non-affected” party to speak, eliciting a groan from Mayor Atwell when he said of the Wal-Mart folks, “They gotta work a little bit harder. This is Sarasota. We don’t have to roll over on our backs and spread our legs for the first suitor that comes along.”

Marc Niski disagreed, saying “If they meet the zoning, let them build it … Right now we have nothing.”

Louis Doyle, the California-based co-owner of the Ringling Shopping Center property for the past 15 years, told commissioners about multiple recent incidents involving skateboarders, vagrants, vandals and graffiti taggers.

After referring to the shopping center as “aged” and “obsolete,” he said, “It’s difficult to find quality tenants that are interested in going in there. I think that this proposal we have is a very good one, and by the way, there’s not anyone standing in the wings to come in if this does not go through.”

Ringling Shopping Center owner Louis Doyle asks for approval.

Grant Showalter used to live across the street from the shopping center. He expressed support for the project, saying, “I look forward to the possibility of a Wal-Mart being there. I see a lot of advantages.”

Reflecting back on the 1990s when he lived within view of the plaza, Showwalter said, “I would watch the sun set over the Ringling Shopping Center … I watched it—literally and figuratively—set over Ringling Shopping Center as Woolworth’s went out and Walgreens went out and Dollar General came in. It has been going downhill for a long time.”

Local attorney Chris Pettit questioned Tim Litchet’s advice to commissioners to apply a “holistic interpretation” of the zoning code. He also questioned why Litchet did not get the city manager to sign off on a development project whose defined use was not among those allowed by the zoning code.

Addressing the department store designation Wal-Mart hoped to avoid, Pettit said, “In repeated cases in the United States, Wal-Mart was determined to be a department store, not a variety store.”

Resident Patricia Varley said, ”I am not against growth and development, but as a citizen, a grandma and a teacher I believe in abiding by the law and this is breaking the city zoning code,” sharing her belief that multi-million dollar corporations should not be exempt from the law.

“Ask yourself,” she said, “is this something you would want or approve for your own neighborhood?

Who’s protecting our neighborhoods, if not our elected officials?”

Maryellen Kirkwood (left) makes strong case against Wal-Mart.

One of the most impressive presentations of the night came from Maryellin Kirkwood, who said, “I think biggest problem that we have is one that was brought up last week by Commissioners Turner and Snyder—the idea that the hours of operation for any business in the City of Sarasota that’s in a quiet neighborhood is not defined in our zoning code. A 24-hour, seven-day-a-week department store really is not compatible with the 616 homeowners that comprise that general neighborhood.”

Firing what might have been a verbal shot in the direction of Mayor Atwell, who is currently running for re-election, Kirkwood said, “That’s a least a thousand voters, keep that in mind too.”

Kirkwood then produced a Sarasota Herald-Tribune article from 1999 in which Litchet’s judgment was called into question. Quoting the 1999 article, Kirkwood said, ‘“The latest snafu arose because Building and Zoning Director Tim Litchet incorrectly read the building code,’ said Assistant City Attorney Bob Fournier … ‘Litchet, by his own admission, has given the same wrong interpretation of the code for numerous projects.’”

Stating her own opinion, Kirkwood said, “I think the commission and the city manager need to clean up the building and zoning code—make it clear so that we’re not interpreting it. Also, you must put hours of operation in the code.’’

Striking a more emotional chord, Island Style Watersports owner Laurel Kaiser said, “I will weep if this is what happens.”

James Rose took a more creative approach, expressing his opposition in the form of a three-minute video addressing the main points of contention.

Echoing comments made earlier by Louis Doyle, Pam DeDea, Property Manager for the Ringling Shopping Center, said, “For the past seven years I have been plagued with skateboarders being an issue at my shopping center. A week ago, I got a call from the police department that skateboarders had broken into the vacant Publix unit. The very next night we were tagged at the shopping center.”

She then said, “The property is obsolete. It was built in the fifties. It is old and that is part of the reason for this development. I understand that people don’t like change, and don’t want a big box, but I can assure you that this property is very tired and it is going to be even more time-consuming, not only for me, but for the city police, because of the extra patrols they have to do to make this property safe.”

Expressing displeasure that State Senator Bill Galvano was providing legal counsel to Wal-Mart, Occupy Sarasota activist Paul Tuttle said, “I think it’s absurd that one of our Florida state senators has been hired to represent Wal-Mart.”

Commercial realtor John Harshman supports Wal-Mart proposal.

Commercial realtor John Harshman supported the Wal-Mart proposal, saying, “It’s a shopping center that has seen some really good days, but those days were long ago … Publix didn’t say ‘Let’s expand on this site,’ they left. This is the only plan that has come forward.”

Expounding on his support, Harshman said, “This will help the retail downtown, but more importantly it will help the diversity of our residential downtown. We want to bring more vitality, more life to downtown, and this will give an alternate shopping [experience] that’s not Whole Foods and that’s not some of the higher-end shopping.”

Harshman also supported city staff’s interpretation of the zoning code.

After clarifying that she does not live in one of the potentially affected neighborhoods, Millie Small said, “I wouldn’t want it in my neighborhood, I know that.”

She then said, “There’s one thing I never heard mentioned, and that’s the noise of the air conditioners and where they would be located,” citing pervious complaints associated with Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Referring to the traffic impact, Small said, “The traffic numbers don’t add up to me. If there’s no increase in traffic, I’d be worried if I was Wal-Mart,”—a comment that produced laughter from the audience.

Small also voiced concerns about blocking the existing sidewalk that connects the neighborhoods to the east with the shopping center parking lot that lies between the neighborhoods and Payne Park.

Questioning Litchet’s interpretation of the zoning code, local land use attorney Dan Lobeck said, “This is a no-brainer. A department store is defined as a store of more than 15,000 or more square feet of gross floor area, selling a wide variety of retail goods arranged in general departments. Without question, Wal-Mart is a department store.”

Explaining that he is not opposed to Wal-Mart in general, Lobeck told commissioners they should deny this site plan application, and if they so desire, rezone the property in a manner that would allow for a department store.

Former supermarket  and “big box” executive Jim Lampl was the last citizen to speak. He said, “As a former site analyst, I’m bewildered why Wal-Mart would take this site. I would have turned it down just like Publix did. I would look for a site that has better access on a four to six-lane highway, like the new Publix store. I would never consider for five minutes this location.”

Jim Lampl shares his industry expertise with commissioners.

Addressing the traffic impact study, he said, “The traffic planning study is flawed. I’m thinking that there’s close to 50,000 trip impacts per week, not 36,000, so I think the traffic impact is understated by at least 10 percent. These roads cannot take this kind of the impact.”

Lampl also cited concerns about noise created by semi-truck refrigerator units and as many as ten 25-ton rooftop air conditioning units, saying, “Even with energy efficient units, it makes a hell of a lot of noise at three o’ clock in the morning,” suggesting that the units would run continuously due to the anticipated 24-hour operations.

“The real impact of a 24-hour store is inescapable, and the retail net effect of a Wal-Mart is a zero sum game.”

(See accompanying story on possible legal action, why the commissioners voted the way they did and what others thought after the Wal-Mart decision was handed down.) 

Every now and then, David (the underdog) defeats Goliath (the heavily-funded favorite) and that’s what happened Tuesday night when City Commissioners voted 3-2 to deny the site plan approval that would have allowed for the construction of a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in the vacant Ringling Shopping Center.

After more than eight hours of testimony, spread out over two City Commission meetings, and including more than three hours of public input Tuesday night, Vice-Mayor Willie Shaw made the motion to deny the Wal-Mart site plan originally approved by the city’s volunteer Planning Board by a 3-2 measure in November.

Commissioner Terry Turner seconded Shaw’s motion and Commissioner Shannon Snyder provided the third vote needed to deny the site plan and support the appeal made by representatives of the Alta Vista Neighborhood.

Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and Mayor Suzanne Atwell voted against Commissioner Shaw’s motion and in favor of the proposed Wal-Mart.

(More in-depth reporting and reaction to follow later this week…)