Your candidate: Jack Daly

When Jack Daly retired from the corporate world as the executive vice president of a natural gas company in 1994, he and his wife, Jane, made their Club Longboat unit their permanent residence.

“Retirement” lasted about a week.

“I got on the board at Club Longboat immediately, and before I knew it, I was president,” Daly said.

This week, Daly will hand over the Club Longboat gavel after 20 years of service on the board, 10 of which he served as president.

But Daly isn’t wavering in his urge to serve.

His sights are set on the Longboat Key Town Commission’s District 4 seat that Mayor Jim Brown will vacate in March, when he reaches his term limit of six years.

Daly is facing off against St. Judes resident and frequent Town Hall visitor Larry Grossman.

“I’m a firm believer in participating in the communities I live in,” Daly said.

Daly is currently the vice chairman of the town’s Planning and Zoning Board and a four-year board member.

“The PZB board whets your appetite a bit to want to do more,” he said.

Daly’s corporate and business background revolved around a changing natural gas industry.

Armed with a degree in civil engineering he earned from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1957, he began his career as an engineer with Columbia, Ohio-based Columbia Gas of Ohio.

He attended law school at night after being promoted to the company’s planning division in New York City and transferred to the company’s legal department upon graduation in 1967.

Daly spent years in Washington, D.C., working to try, settle and mediate cases that helped open up supplies of natural gas at a time when the federal government had strict regulations.

After a string of promotions to roles that included a chairman and CEO position and an executive vice president position, Daly retired in 1993.

After eight moves that ended at Club Longboat, when Daly looks back, he said he couldn’t have had the career he had without his wife, who died four years ago.

“She had the tough job of keeping the family on track,” Daly said.

Daly and his wife chose Longboat Key as their retirement home for its perfect blend of serenity and, more importantly, its tennis amenities.

The Dalys made their first visit to Longboat Key in 1983, staying at the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort.

“What a place that was in its heyday,” Daly said.

Daly has enjoyed his planning board duties, proposing a year ago the board hold a joint meeting with the commission to discuss topics and planning objectives in a public forum together.

“You have to get the important players across the board in one room once in awhile to discuss the major issues,” Daly said. “That’s Management 101.”

Daly said he doesn’t claim to be a zoning expert like his opponent, but he said the comprehensive plan and code changes the town is undergoing is the major issue at hand.

“It’s not a sexy process to change codes and regulations, but it’s very significant,” Daly said.

Daly is in favor of a Bayfront Park expansion and a town center and hopes the commission can “get some of the money back we send to Sarasota County to transform Bayfront Park.”

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm around town and big things coming down the pipeline,” Daly said. “With my community involvement and corporate and business background, I can bring more value to the commission.”

Jack Daly
Age: 78
Occupation: Retired engineering planner; attorney and former president and CEO of International U.S. Association of Pipelines

Family: Widower; three sons; one daughter; six grandchildren

Residence: Club Longboat

Hometown: Norwich, Conn.

Hobbies: Tennis and sailing

Interesting Fact: Daly and his family still own a beach cottage in Mystic, Conn., that his father built with his own hands. The community of 75 beach cottages worked to create zoning restrictions that preserve the character of the community and protect water views. Says Daly: “It will always stay in the family.”