Elected mayor backers continue their push against time

Supporters of a proposed new city charter that would create a “strong mayor” face a challenge, but they’re continuing to push for a ballot referendum this fall.

It’s Time Sarasota, the group behind the proposal, began its campaign for the new city charter earlier this year. A leading feature of the proposed charter is an elected mayor who would serve as the chief executive of city government, replacing the current commission-manager system. To get the charter on the fall general election ballot for voters’ consideration, the group had to collect about 3,500 signatures from Sarasota residents.

Earlier this week, the group submitted its 2,000th signature for consideration, though nearly 300 of those were not valid, according to the Supervisor of Elections. Less than halfway to its goal, It’s Time Sarasota is running out of time by any measure. According to City Attorney Robert Fournier, it may have already done so.

In February, Fournier suggested the latest the group could reasonably present its petition for City Commission consideration was June 16. Diana Hamilton, one of the leaders of It’s Time Sarasota, said she believed the true deadline wasn’t until July 2, with the commission potentially considering the proposal and ordinance at meetings in late July and early August. In the meantime, she said, she intends to continue to rally support for the cause.

“We can get it in there,” Hamilton said. “It’s a shoehorn, but it can be done. We want it on this November ballot.”

For the charter proposal to make the November election, the City Commission must ratify an ordinance placing the item on the ballot by Aug. 7 — at least 90 days before the date of the election. The City Commission has 30 days from the presentation of the petition to ratify that ordinance.

Fournier said that, in theory, the petitions could be presented and the ordinance could be noticed, written, considered and approved in fewer than 30 days. That would only happen if the City Commission was interested in expediting the process, he said, and he believed commissioners would want to carefully examine the proposal and ballot language.

“I would need some time to prepare the ordinance, and I think they would need some discussion about it, and public interest would probably be high,” Fournier said. “I would think we would need the full 30 days.”

Opponents of the proposed charter — most notably, the political group The Citizens Voice — have been attempting to dissuade voters from signing It’s Time Sarasota’s petition. Eileen Normile, chairwoman of The Citizens Voice, said the lack of traction the proposal has seen speaks to the caliber of the charter and the process by which it was written.

“The first thing I would say is: ‘Time’s up, Sarasota,’” Normile said. “I think it indicates that people are not as interested in replacing the charter as they had hoped.”

The Citizens Voice has argued the proposed charter grants more power to the elected mayor position than previous efforts, three of which have failed since 1996. Normile also said that the charter, drafted with input from a small group of individuals, needed to have more public participation in the writing process.

Hamilton said she still believes Sarasota citizens are interested in a change in government. She attributed the slow response to a lack of awareness regarding the deadline for gathering signatures. Now that the group is nearing that deadline, she is hopeful It’s Time Sarasota will see mailers returned and obtain the requisite number of signatures.

Even if the group doesn’t get the initiative on the November ballot, Hamilton isn’t willing to let the cause die. If possible, she said she would be interested in continuing to gather signatures so the measure could be considered during the next general election in March.

No matter what, Hamilton believes the new charter is what Sarasota needs.

“That’s a big part of what keeps me in this,” Hamilton said. “At the end of the day — this charter, it’s perfect.”

BY THE NUMBERS
3,548 - total number of signatures It’s Time Sarasota must collect to place its proposed charter on the ballot for consideration

2,034 - total number of signatures processed as of Wednesday, according to the Supervisor of Elections’ office

1,743 - total number of valid signatures

180 - days a group has to gather the requisite signatures to place a charter amendment on the ballot

90 - days before the Nov. 4 election the City Commission must approve any charter referendum on the ballot

Contact David Conway at [email protected]

30 - days the City Commission has to finalize the ballot language after all signatures have been presented

June 16 - date City Attorney Robert Fournier outlined as a deadline for gathering signatures

July 2 - date on which It’s Time Sarasota hopes to have collected the requisite number of signatures