Election results bring change to City Commission

Liz Alpert was shocked when she got the call.

Despite the fact that she had earned more votes than any other candidate in March’s election, and that she jumped out to an early lead on Tuesday, Alpert was noticeably shaken Tuesday evening after receiving word that the results were final.

It was partially because of the speed with which the news came, less than 20 minutes after the polls closed. But it was also because of the inherent uncertainty a candidate for office has to reckon with after devoting months to the pursuit of a singular goal.

“I just didn’t know,” Alpert said. “There just isn’t a way to be sure what’s going to happen until you see which voters show up on election day.”

By 7:20 p.m., she knew: Alpert had won the District 2 seat on the Sarasota City Commission. Alpert earned 53% of the vote in the runoff against incumbent Eileen Normile, who was appointed to join the board in November.

“(Residents) don’t like the partisan aspect of it at all. They hate it, in fact.”

When she’s sworn in Friday, Alpert will be joined by another new face: Shelli Freeland Eddie, who overcame a 10% deficit in March to unseat another appointee and incumbent, Stan Zimmerman. Eddie received 53.6% of the vote Tuesday after earning 35.8% of the vote in March.

Even though Eddie’s victory may have come as a surprise to some, it didn’t catch her off guard.

“We knew we made sure we took our message to every voter we could find,” Eddie said. “I’m just grateful we were able to connect to voters, that they were able to see I was true about wanting to do better, about wanting to be their voice.”

Feeling blue

In addition to unseating incumbents, Alpert and Eddie have something else in common: They’re both registered Democrats. In a nominally nonpartisan race, the Sarasota County Democratic Party donated money and sent out mailers to help ensure its favored candidates won.

“There just isn't a way to be sure what's going to happen until you see which voters show up on Election Day.”

Normile and Zimmerman, both registered Republicans, have attributed some of their opponents’ success to the support of the Democratic Party. Although the Republicans were more accepting of backing from the local party following the March election, they both said the intrusion of political parties was an unfortunate turn of events in the commission race.

“(Residents) don’t like the partisan aspect of it at all,” Normile said Tuesday. “They hate it, in fact — which is very unfortunate, and I agree with them.”

Alpert and Eddie both downplayed the significance of any one group’s support, pointing to endorsements from a variety of interests such as Realtors and retired firefighters. Still, at both Alpert and Eddie’s watch parties, the Sarasota County Democratic Party was well represented.

Christine Jennings, chairwoman of the local Democratic Party, made an appearance at both events Tuesday night. Although the party worked hard to get the victorious candidates elected, she redirected attention to the work of Alpert and Eddie.

“This was a united effort,” Jennings said. “We had model candidates who so badly wanted to serve the people of Sarasota.”

Strange bedfellows

Even in an election characterized as increasingly partisan, there were also significant cross-party alliances that arose during the race.

A pair of notable local Republicans — County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and former County Commissioner Joe Barbetta — also made appearances at Alpert and Eddie’s watch parties.

Caragiulo, who vacated the District 2 City Commission seat to join the County Commission in November, frequently clashed with current Vice Mayor Susan Chapman during his time on the board. He characterized the interim commission as a fiefdom — beholden to the whims of a specific vocal minority.

Barbetta agreed, suggesting that Normile and Zimmerman — appointed by the three remaining commissioners in November — were too closely tied to the same interests he believes are typically favored at City Hall. On Tuesday, he said, voters signaled their disapproval with that status quo.

“There’s been a shadow government for all too long in the city of Sarasota,” Barbetta said.

Indeed, the results can be seen as a blow for those who have traditionally held power in the city. Normile and Zimmerman both earned endorsements from 10 former Sarasota mayors last month, a group that fought back against negative characterizations of previous elected officials.

“We don’t feel like the ‘old guard’ stood in the way of progress,” former Mayor Mollie Cardamone said. “We actually created progress for the city.”

Even as they rally against the status quo on the commission and promise change, Alpert and Eddie are hopeful they can maintain a high level of collegiality with their colleagues.

“We can disagree and still be respectful,” Eddie said. “I’m not saying there will be disagreement, but sometimes we may have different opinions, and that’s what democracy is all about.”