New city commissioners officially take office

The City Commission got two new members today, as Hagen Brody and Jen Ahearn-Koch were officially sworn in after winning seats in Tuesday’s municipal election.

The two at-large representatives made brief comments during today’s meeting, expressing their optimism that the board would be able to work collegially toward progress for the city.

“While we might differ on how to get problems solved, how to move forward, we all agree on these common, good principles,” Brody said.

The board also selected a new representative to hold the ceremonial title of mayor, unanimously picking Shelli Freeland Eddie for the position. The commission selected Liz Alpert to serve as vice mayor.

Following up on outgoing Mayor Willie Shaw’s state of the city address, Eddie highlighted issues such as homelessness and the development of new zoning regulations as issues the board would have to work together to address during the next year.

“As we go forward, we have some additional hurdles to climb,” Eddie said. “It’s going to take some guts, it’s going to take some tenacity and it’s going to take some compromise.”

The commission shared kind parting words for outgoing board members Suzanne Atwell and Susan Chapman. In her final statement as a commissioner, Atwell directed Brody and Ahearn-Koch to act in the best interests of Sarasota residents during their four-year terms.

“You have been elected to exercise judgment — not as delegates to one group, but as representatives for the entire city and beyond,” Atwell said.