People to Watch: Armando Linde and Ed Zunz

Welcome to the dais, District 1 Commissioner elect Armando Linde and District 5 Commissioner elect Ed Zunz.

Linde or Zunz didn’t have to campaign for office, because they had no challengers. But the newest Longboat Key commissioners, who will assume their new roles in March, are up for a challenge that requires lots of volunteer time with no pay or benefits.

Linde will serve in the seat Commissioner Lynn Larson will leave in March after three consecutive two-year terms. Term limit requirements prevented Larson from running for another term.

Zunz, a retired litigation attorney, steps into the commission seat his wife, Pat, has held since 2011.

The two commissioners couldn’t be more different on many topics.

Zunz lives in Lands End, and his main priority is revitalization of the north end, which includes several structures that have been vacant for years. He questions the town’s effort to bury above-ground utilities islandwide and thinks the commission should have handled the issue differently.

Linde lives on the south end in Country Club Shores, and his main wish for the Key is that voters approve a second referendum to bury power lines in neighborhoods and side streets in March.

Zunz wants a roundabout at Gulf of Mexico Drive and Broadway as soon as possible. He thinks it was a mistake to put all of the town’s BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement money — approximately $968,000 — into pension funds.

Linde thinks the revision of the town’s land-use development codes and comprehensive plan — and doing it more efficiently than the town has over the last three years is more important than a roundabout at the north end. And the retired economist from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) supports the decision to use the town’s BP settlement to pay down its $23 million in pension debt.

But there’s one thing the new commissioners from opposite ends of the island both agree on:

“I’m committed to serving this island the best I can and am up for the challenge,” Linde said.

Zunz shares that commitment.

“I’m proud of what my wife has accomplished and looking forward to stepping into her seat, taking over what she started and serving the citizens of Longboat Key.”