Sarasota Observer announces staff additions

For the last five years, Sarasota Observer City Editor Robin Roy has attended countless City Commission meetings, written a variety of stories — from neighborhood disputes to city and county government stories — and compiled some of the most off-the-wall Cops Corner reports he could find. Roy’s reputation preceded him, and he displayed an excellent reporter trait of making his sources immediately feel at ease — no matter the topic.

Roy announced a few weeks ago that he would be leaving The Observer to run a company providing an Internet-based service to international clients. We wish him all the best!

Taking over as Sarasota Observer City Editor is someone extremely familiar with the position — former Longboat Observer City Editor Kurt Schultheis. While covering Longboat’s news beat for the last five years, Schultheis covered everything from the Longboat Key Club and Resort hearings (yes, he attended every one!), the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort closing and hearings, all town meetings and a variety of other news stories. Schultheis’ trademark is his friendly demeanor — to both sources and co-workers — and the ability to write indepth stories on a tight deadline. Schultheis will no doubt soon become a fixture at City Hall.

The Sarasota Observer’s newest staff member is our web editor, Eddie Kirsch. Kirsch graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in convergence journalism and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Missouri. When he wasn’t busy studying, he could be found playing recreational sports or reading news at a coffee shop.

In college, Kirsch had the opportunity to invest in the academic activity of a research project. He and one of his professors performed a series of empirical studies investigating the lay perception of moral roles. They are now working on a paper for publication in an academic journal.

Kirsch has a unique passion for making the perfect pizza from scratch. His ideal Friday night would be making a pie, inviting a few friends over and watching his Mizzou Tigers win a basketball game.