Q+A with Christine Robinson

Christine Robinson was appointed to the Sarasota County Commission in 2010 to fill the District 3 vacancy and was elected to office in 2012. She will reach her term limit in 2016. In November, she accepted the position of executive director for Argus Foundation, a local nonprofit organization focusing on business, and has received criticism from some for taking on both jobs. The Sarasota Observer chatted with her about taking on Argus work while employed as a commissioner.

Q: Describe your workweek, juggling between Argus and Sarasota County.

A: I’ve worked since the day I’ve served in office. I had a legal practice; I volunteer — my schedule hasn’t really changed, but my county responsibilities come first. It’s a balance like anyone else would have. 

I’m an early riser. I get a lot of work done before my household gets up. County staff joke that they have to turn off their email alerts on their phone because they will get emails from me at 4 a.m. I’m obsessive about making sure my emails and calls are answered.

I also work every day, including Saturdays and Sundays. It was the same when I was a prosecutor. You have to stay on top of it. By the time a citizen reaches out to a commissioner, they’re already frustrated. Before I go to bed at night I make sure I’ve finished all my communications, and I consume a lot of information. I read county materials for recreation.

Q: Some people think your position with Argus is a conflict of interest with being a county commissioner. What’s your response to that?

A:  There hasn’t been an instance where Argus has done business with the county. There’s never been any financial transactions between the county and Argus. 

They’ve only weighed in on general policy issues. They’ve looked at the Sarasota CRA, for example, and looked at it from a distance perspective. They looked at the structure and recommended changes based on inefficiencies; they pointed out ways to make it work better. 

If there ever was something (conflicting), I would (recuse myself) from a vote. I’ve done it before. I think the folks who are saying it’s a conflict are the folks that don’t support the positions I took before anyway. My positions have been clear after I was appointed; I campaigned openly on my positions. No one can say they’re surprised at my votes. 

“When you’re involved in other things, you avoid government think, and it helps you understand what’s going on.”

Q: What are your goals at Argus?

A: My first goal is to modernize the organization but not change its mission or focus. I’ve got a new website up — there was one before, but it didn’t work. I’ve got a Facebook page working, an email domain. We updated the logo. We’re modernizing but not changing the focus on quality-of-life organizations, such as our education and school system. It’s why the Argus Foundation has been so successful and has maintained a good reputation in our community. 

Q: What’s the business climate like, in your opinion? Is there anything you’d like to see change? 

A: Back in 2010, we had a survey on the county’s business climate. It was jaw-dropping terrible and wasn’t a surprise to me, although I think some others were. We’ve improved greatly since then, but there’s always room for improvement. 

We need to continue to take a hard look at making regulations more understandable and accessible, easier to read, and not just about the business side, but for everyone.

It’s important to make sure we’re diversifying our economy, so that if one sector gets in trouble it doesn’t drag the economy down. The recession was pretty bad and we’ve seen a dramatic turn-around. It taught us, the government, how to be leaner and more efficient, and that we need to be a diverse economy so our recovery can be more even next time. I think we’ve got some programs in place to help that, such as the collaboration with machinists program with Career Edge. We need a diverse workforce for a diverse economy.

Q: Your term limit is coming up in 2016. After you’re off the board, how will your experiences in county government help your position at Argus?

A: My ability to analyze issues, that will help. I will also continue my legal work.

After I’m done here, I’ll have other opportunities, too, and I will probably continue the legal pro-bono work I’ve been doing. Argus will be my primary focus. 

Working has helped keep me grounded on understanding what’s really going on out in the community and it’s helped me keep a focus.

The real world doesn’t operate the way the government operates. Working helps you understand what everyone else is going through and keeps me close to the issues. 

I’m a nerd. I really do enjoy what I do.

I haven’t done any switches on my positions on any matter that’s come before the commission.

Staying interested in our school system — it’s the key to our future, and it’s been one of their prime areas of concentration.