New city commissioners sworn in at City Hall

As the Sarasota City Commission prepared to say goodbye to two members and welcome two new faces today, Mayor Willie Shaw made clear that he was happy with the work the interim board was able to accomplish during its six-month lifespan.

Even following the Tuesday defeat of Eileen Normile and Stan Zimmerman, both of whom were appointed to join the board in November, Shaw looked back fondly on the two departing commissioners’ time on the board — comparing it favorably to previous commissions.

“We were given the opportunity to once again govern,” Shaw said before today’s swearing-in ceremony.

In his state of the city address, Shaw pointed to a number of challenges the new board will have to face as Liz Alpert and Shelli Freeland Eddie step aboard the commission following Tuesday’s election. Shaw, who ran unopposed for the District 1 seat, emphasized the importance of extending the downtown Community Redevelopment Area, set to expire next year, and community-based policing, among other issues.

During the meeting, Commissioner Susan Chapman added a laundry list of short-term and long-term priorities for the new board to focus on, extending from infrastructure issues to transportation to sea level rise.

As it embarks on a new era, the board — which re-appointed Shaw as mayor and selected Suzanne Atwell as vice mayor for the next year — expressed optimism about the future and an excitement to begin addressing the issues facing the commission over the next few years.

“It’s a beautiful city, but we do have some challenges,” Eddie said.  “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to sit here and begin to work on your behalf.”

The new commission's first meeting is scheduled for Monday. The agenda for that meeting can be found on the city's website.

 Parting Shots

The two departing commissioners offered thanks to city staff members who provided assistance during their time on the board, reiterating the belief that the interim commission was an effective one.

“This short-term commission has accomplished a great deal,” Normile said. “None of it skewed to one faction or another, all approached issue by issue.”

Both Normile and Zimmerman — both of whom have prior journalism experience — had less kind words for the local media in the wake of the election and their defeat.

“Ours is a news media with no credibility, no apparent ability, and yet it has great power,” Normile said. “Ironically, the fourth estate has itself become the enemy of honest public discourse in Sarasota.”

Zimmerman, in particular, expressed a concern that the media coverage enabled the intrusion of partisan politics into the nonpartisan City Commission race.

“The local news media was intellectually AWOL, and the consequences of it will be with us for quite a while,” Zimmerman said.