New members join City Commission

The City Commission got two new members Wednesday afternoon, but the commissioners joining the board are familiar faces around City Hall.

Eileen Normile, chairwoman of the city’s Independent Police Advisory Panel, and Stan Zimmerman, writer and former president of the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations, will step in to fill two vacated seats on the City Commission.

The two will serve the remainder of the District 2 and District 3 terms, which became open following the resignations of Paul Caragiulo and Shannon Snyder, both of whom ran for a seat on the Sarasota County Commission. Those terms expire in May following the spring municipal election.

The remaining commissioners — Mayor Willie Shaw, Vice Mayor Susan Chapman and Commissioner Suzanne Atwell — were tasked with selecting two new colleagues to join the board for less than half a year. The city accepted applications for the vacancies in September, receiving a response from 14 interested citizens.

The majority of those applicants — 10 in total — were vying for the District 2 seat once held by Caragiulo, who began his term on the County Commission Tuesday. Despite the crowded pool, Normile was the first choice of both Chapman and Atwell.

In her remarks following the appointment, Normile stressed the importance of collegiality — a sentiment echoed by the entirety of the board, including Zimmerman. Normile said that working cooperatively — with each other, with city staff and with constituents — was essential for the commission to function properly.

“It’s paramount,” Normile said. “I don’t think you can accomplish anything if you can’t work collegially.”

Zimmerman, who has covered the city government’s inner workings as a reporter most recently for the Sarasota News-Leader, was also Chapman and Atwell’s first choice for the District 3 vacancy. Zimmerman, who has announced his intent to run for the District 3 in next year’s election, acknowledged that his protracted term didn’t necessarily offer the opportunity for lasting change.

Still, as he and Normile both learn the job on the fly, he committed to immersing himself in the issues currently facing the commission.

“What I can promise is my diligence and my concern for the future of a city I've written about for 40 years,” Zimmerman said. “I promise to be fair and accurate in my work for you, and to treat my fellow commissioners and citizens with the respect they deserve.”

Contact David Conway at [email protected].