The election is over and attempts for a strong mayor and/or strong manager still languish. Still alive though, is a desire for leadership qualities now regarded as in short supply: accountability, a cohesive story, and vision. But here’s the thing: Cities with vision typically don’t do so because there is one, and only one, person with vision. Strong, visionary leaders need citizens and community leaders who are willing to be part of creating this vision together with others. So SRiQ thought we’d look at how a vision gets done, strong [...]

Kevin Drelich, new owner of a local DwellGreen company, affectionately sees his role as a trusted green advisor. Only three years here, coming to us from New Jersey, Kevin has been aware of the need to care for our environment since his earliest years growing up on a farm. One memory of influence was a blizzard that took place in 1993. ‘The pond froze and killed everything,” he says. “Once the pond thawed, a drought ensued and the water was used by someone for a waning farm.” He realized that [...]

Beautiful weather, beautiful city, beautiful people! Let’s get out this weekend and dance, play in the sand and joust! – Crystal Classic on Siesta crystalsand.org- Mote Marine Laboratoriesmotemarine.org- Sarasota Medieval Fair sarasotamedievalfair.com- Noise Ordinance 3 CD Release Party at the Cock & Bullwww.noiseordinancecd.comwww.facebook.com/noiseordinancehttps://www.facebook.com/events/268522773269067/?ref=ts&fref=tshttps://www.facebook.com/CnBpub

As history runs its course, the grandeur of buildings and sprawling empires, like the great men and women who build them, rises, falls and rises again with the tides of time — and since the dawn of civilization, mankind has gone to great lengths to document that process through art. With the advent of photography in the late 19th century, humanity gained the ability to turn a lens on history to capture these moments — from the construction of the Eiffel Tower in 1888 to the fall of the World Trade [...]

  I woke up on Tuesday feeling like a kid on Christmas morning because it was Election Day. As a citizen, I love elections because voting is the most powerful voice we the citizens have in terms of how our cities, states and nation are governed. As a member of the media, I love elections because they are a blast to cover and analyze.   My big takeaway from Election Day 2012 was that while I may live in a Republican county, I also live in a Democratic nation — [...]

I met the ever-lovable Amanda Landesberg at my first staff meeting with This Week in Sarasota earlier this year. Apart from her good looks and charming personality, I found myself observing the piece of jewelry adorning her neck. After the meeting, I asked Amanda about her intricate necklace, and she told me she did it herself. I thought … yeah, right!  I was blown away by her meticulous attention to detail, her color theory and most importantly her indescribable taste. Soon after that meeting, I got to see many more [...]