ULI Committee issues linger as members question their role

Questions about the Urban Land Institute Implementation Advisory Committee’s effectiveness continue, while commissioners start to question the group’s existence and members start to resign.

Commissioner Terry Gans asked if it makes sense to continue the committee at Monday night’s commission meeting when an agenda item was proposed to allow the committee to continue its work.

“The committee is in disarray,” Gans said. “Is it even working?”

Commissioners Irwin Pastor and Phill Younger expressed similar concerns.

“They seem to question themselves and the necessity of having the committee,” Pastor said.

Younger said the group is “not functioning” and suggested town staff and the commission could “flesh out” and review future ULI recommendations.

Further complicating matters was the announcement Monday of one committee member’s resignation.

Committee member Tom Freiwald, who was once the group’s chairman before the committee grew bigger and decided not to have a chair, resigned in an email Monday to Mayor Jim Brown.

Freiwald cited scheduling conflicts, but also offered some insight on some issues with the committee’s size and the members selected.

“Due to the Sunshine Law, for a period of about eight months, I found myself in the awkward position of being unable to speak directly about issues of importance to the town and my community with my District 5 Commissioner Pat Zunz, Vice Mayor Jack Duncan and P&Z board members Walter Hackett and George Symanski Jr.,” Freiwald wrote. “This dilemma is the untended consequence of having elected officials, appointed officials, and citizens serving on the same committee. A lesson learned we should consider when forming committees in the future.”

Zunz and Duncan, though, urged the commission to allow the committee to continue its work, noting it was given a task at its last meeting to review past and present plans for Bayfront Park and come up with a list of recommended amenities for the park.

Staff is working with Sarasota County staff to formulate a plan for the park.

“We have three meetings in June to focus on Bayfront Park so staff can work with the county and draw something up,” Zunz said. “We’re focused on something specific now.”

Duncan said he believes a new facilitator brought in to work with the committee has also helped provide some direction.

“It’s premature to walk away from this committee,” Duncan said.

Committee member Larry Grossman, though, has expressed concerns the facilitator is guiding the committee down a path it necessarily doesn’t want to go as a group.

Grossman also has issues with the makeup of the committee and would prefer a group of all citizens and no elected officials.

Committee members have struggled with a purpose, debating what issues they should discuss since last year. There’s also been several discussions about the purpose of the board at recent meetings.

The commission, though, agreed to let the board continue its work Monday.

“We spent a lot of time figuring out what the committee is supposed to do,” Duncan said. “But we’re focused on something we can work on now.”

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected]