WHAT I STAND FOR.

• Increased public participation in and awareness of the County Charter.

I will work toward increasing public participation in and awareness of the Sarasota County Charter. The charter is our county’s “Constitution,” detailing the responsibilities of our elected officials.

An annual Town Hall meeting, involving the public and the Charter Review Board, could make for a more inclusive and healthier dialogue.

When I am elected, I will assess the current procedure for getting a citizen’s proposal on the Charter Review Board agenda; this should be an easy process. I recommend special meetings for a citizen-driven proposal to be heard. I oppose frivolous use of the Charter Review Board, but items that have community support should certainly be welcomed and given respectful consideration and attention.

• Term limits and single-member districts for the Charter Review Board.

We are fortunate to be one of the 19 chartered counties which do not have to go to the Florida Legislature for approval on regional issues. We are also fortunate to have all five of our county districts represented on this board by two members per district.

But without term limits, long-time members tend to support the status quo, when change is often needed. A better balance of representation, and fresh thinking, could be achieved if we had term limits of two 4-year terms for board members. We should also change apportionment to have five members elected to represent each district, and five elected to serve as at-large members. This would ensure that each district will select a member who has direct knowledge of the neighborhoods, and it opens the possibility for more potential candidates to run for the district seats. The cost of countywide races is considerable and cut out many who may step forward.

• Preserve the Charter Review Board as an elected board. This is not something a board member should propose as it could be deemed a conflict of interest to diminish the board’s independence. This is a matter only a citizens’ group should propose. The Charter Review Board voted down the idea of appointed members in 2006, when the Chair of the board proposed it.

Self-determination is the most precious privilege we have as citizens. We can go to bed every night assured that our democracy will be there for us in the morning. While some counties have appointed boards, Sarasota County made the right decision from the start to elect a citizen board to review and recommend changes to the charter for the improvement of county government.