Ahearn-Koch, Brody, Hyde advance to Sarasota commission runoff

The field of candidates for two open Sarasota City Commission seats is down to three, but the future direction of the legislative body remains unclear.

The top three vote-getters in Tuesday’s municipal election are advancing to a May 9 runoff election after none of the eight candidates earned a vote on more than 50% of the ballots cast. Voters were allowed to select up to two candidates on each ballot.

Jen Ahearn-Koch, a neighborhood leader and former Planning Board member, placed first, earning a vote on 37.8% of the ballots cast. Attorney Hagen Brody got a vote on 34.9% of ballots.

Businessman Martin Hyde, a political newcomer who attacked the current commission and administration, narrowly beat out incumbent Commissioner Susan Chapman for the third spot in the runoff. Hyde got votes on 26.1% of ballots, while Chapman earned 25.3% — a margin of 54 votes among the 7,186 cast.

Former Mayor Fredd “Glossie” Atkins came in fifth, appearing on 24.5% of the ballots cast. Planning Board member Patrick Gannon got votes from 20.7% of voters, marketing professional Mikael Sandstrom got 5% and retired investment banker Matt Sperling got 4.2%, according to unofficial results provided by the city of Sarasota.    

Tuesday’s election sets the stage for a showdown between three distinct candidates. Ahearn-Koch is on the steering committee of the resident activist group STOP!, which has criticized the process the city uses to evaluate new development. She’s touted her business background as evidence she can draw on multiple perspectives in her decision-making, but Ahearn-Koch has also positioned herself as a strong defender of neighborhood values.

Ahearn-Koch was visibly nervous as the votes came in, even as campaign volunteer Kathy Kelley Ohlrich repeatedly reported she was in first place throughout the night. When the results were final, Ahearn-Koch said she didn’t feel a sense of relief, but a sense of pride — for the work of her campaign team, and for successfully tapping into the issues voters cared about. 

“It’s touching a nerve,” Ahearn-Koch said. “People do feel concerned about the community, and about the traffic, and about the development, and about the homeless, and about jobs and about affordable housing.”

Ahearn-Koch credited that connection to her leadership roles with organizations such as the Tahiti Park Neighborhood Association and Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations.

“It’s not out of the blue,” she said “I didn’t just go, ‘Oh, that sounds like a good idea to focus on that.’ I’ve been involved.”

Brody said he felt reassured that voters recognized his passion for improving the city. Brody has advocated for a government focused on core issues, particularly utilities, infrastructure and public safety. At times, he has criticized Ahearn-Koch’s views on development policy, but he has also said the city needs to establish clearer guidelines for responsible development. 

Brody has highlighted his roots in the community as a reason why he ran for a spot on the City Commission. Tuesday night, he again drew on his connection to the city as a driving force.

“I grew up here,” Brody said. “I feel like that gives me a unique perspective on all these issues, and it also gives me a historical perspective of where we’ve come from.”

Hyde, who bounced between third and fourth while results were coming in, admitted feeling a sense of relief once all the votes had been counted.

“Most of my adult life, I have had some understanding of what was going to happen next,” Hyde said. “Tonight, I had no clue.”

Hyde has been an outspoken critic of the status quo at City Hall. He’s advocated for increased investment in the police department but a slimmer government elsewhere, repeatedly pointing barbs at Chapman throughout the course of the campaign. He said he thinks he prevailed Tuesday because voters embraced a direct approach to local issues.

“I think people like the way that if you ask me the time, I don’t tell you the weather,” Hyde said.

Although she narrowly missed out on the runoff, Chapman continued to defend her record as a commissioner during the past four years. She said a crowded field complicated matters, as did entering an eight-person race as the lone incumbent.

“If I’m going to lose, I’m going to lose in March instead of May,” she said, laughing. “It’s a lot of work; it’s a lot of effort.”

Voter turnout for the at-large  race was 19.12%, with 7,186 of 37,579 voters casting ballots. That figure was a slight uptick over the 17.34% turnout for the last citywide race in 2013.

Now, the top three vote-getters look to May. It won't be long before Ahearn-Koch, Brody and Hyde are once again putting all of their energy into campaigning. 

“You’ve got thousands of votes up for grabs,” Hyde said. “This is not even halftime. We start again, and we give everybody the opportunity to make a choice."