Our View: Destined to mediocrity?

Currently 2 Responses

1.
Fair is fair, the proposal to return the departments that were taken away from the city manager and changing the auditor to a strong auditor by putting the clerk under the manager is not a change of government form. It cannot be compared to the extensive change to government form in the Caragiulo proposal. Let's compare apples to apples please.

The Caragiulo proposal is a drastic change in government form that would reduce the number of commissioners voters could elect (3 currently) to a single representative instead of a majority on the commission. Not only that, the commissioners would be so diminished in effectiveness as to become mere advisers, whose wishes could be overridden by political appointees and a political mayor. The voters would vote for the mayor, but the money supporting the campaign would have the greatest influence. Expectations of what that would do to city political campaigns is daunting. For example, many supporting Caragiulo's campaign were not even residents of the city -- should they determine what the city taxpayers have to support? In all likelihood the financial support of mayoral campaigns would come from non-residents. How can that be representative government?
commenton observer
Thu 23rd Aug 2012
at 10:28pm

2.
A strong, elected mayor equals direction--a focus lacking in the committee/commission structure that now exists where everyone passes the buck around and around. An election of a strong mayor from several candidates will be a vote for a platform and a direction toward some concrete goals. Under the current form of government you're going nowhere. Wake up Sarasota.
Milan Adrian
Thu 23rd Aug 2012
at 10:26pm