A Conversation with Irwin Pastor

Longboat Key At-large Commissioner Irwin Pastor is known as the quietest commissioner on the dais,    but there’s a reason for that: Pastor says he prefers to hear all arguments before making a decision and helps to gain a consensus at the end of the discussion.

Pastor will finish his first term in office in March.

In 2016, he hopes to help bridge better relationships with county and state officials that he says might lose sight of the “ATM” Longboat Key is for the revenue it brings to both Manatee and Sarasota counties and its two school districts.

Why is it so important to have good working relationships with both county and state officials?

At the end of the day, it’s very important that both Sarasota and Manatee counties and Tallahassee recognize the importance of Longboat Key. Longboat Key is an ATM. We subsidize all the municipalities from North Port to north of Bradenton and the school districts. No one should ever take it for granted that 34228 will always be a premier community attracting the people we need to create the dollars to subsidize communities.

Sum up your first term as a commissioner.

It’s been fun. I’m a former CEO and have done a lot of philanthropic work in the past. But there’s not a job in the world like being a commissioner. It’s a different animal. It’s challenging and takes up a lot of time. I’ve met a lot of great people.

What’s the most satisfying part of being a commissioner?

It’s a unique community. You wouldn’t believe the number of people who walk up to me and thank me for my service and recognize the job we do for not getting paid a cent. This isn’t a thankless community. That’s what satisfies me the most. It’s important that people here are involved. I have people call me to ask for explanations of the decisions we made before they vote.

You went from supporting the status quo with Longboat Key dispatchers to supporting the switch to Sarasota County. What happened?

I truly didn’t understand it. If I have doubts, I’m going to get a better understanding. So I did a lot of digging with both counties and held a lot of meetings with staff and county officials. I got a great understanding of it. I won’t go along with something I don’t understand. I became comfortable with switching the service. It’s the right thing to do.

Do firefighter/paramedics deserve wage increases?

We want to be competitive. We recognize where we can improve to attract and keep our fire and police services top notch. We will make corrections to achieve this. Top-notch health and safety departments is part of being a premier community. And the safety and health of our residents is a top priority.

Are you worried about your lack of beach behind your L’Ambiance condominium?

No. We have enough protection from the vegetation and sand dunes to wait for sand from a New Pass dredging. The beach is so tricky and unpredictable. A couple weeks ago, we lost the beach altogether, and then a rain storm cooled the temperature of the Gulf, and our beach returned. The feedback I get from my neighbors is they would rather wait for the dredging than deal with an emergency project that has dump trucks dumping sand and making a lot of noise.

Were you worried the Key Club mail-only density referendum in March wasn’t going to pass?

I knew it would be close, but I knew it would pass. People against the Loeb Properties’ Key Club project support Ocean Properties. I guarantee all the no votes for the last project were yes votes for this referendum.

What’s your take on the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort bankruptcy case?

The litigation is basically gone now. I think things will start moving real soon once appeals are exhausted. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Ocean Properties is involved at the end of the day.