Commissioners prepare to make appointments

With two new members slated for appointment to the City Commission in November, the three remaining commissioners have six weeks to choose their favored candidates from a pool of applicants.

Two vacancies will open in November following the scheduled resignations of commissioners Paul Caragiulo and Shannon Snyder. Caragiulo and Snyder both entered the race for the District 2 seat on the Sarasota County Commission, and resigned effective Nov. 18 to comply with state law. The remaining city commissioners will select Caragiulo and Snyder’s replacements.

In September, the city accepted applications for candidates interesting in serving the final months of the District 2 and District 3 commission seats. Fourteen candidates applied — 10 in District 2 and four in District 3. The District 2 and District 3 terms both expire in May 2015.

On Monday, the commissioners tasked with filling the replacements — Mayor Willie Shaw, Vice Mayor Susan Chapman and Commissioner Suzanne Atwell — discussed the process by which they will select the new board members.

Both Chapman and Atwell proposed a process in which each commissioner would submit their top two candidates in each district. Atwell suggested commissioners cast secret ballots listing their choices. She also inquired about the possibility of using instant runoff voting, which would allow the commissioners to rank the candidates in order of preference.

Chapman recommended that all three commissioners openly submit their top two candidates to see if any agreement could be reached. If the initial vote did not produce an agreed-upon selection, she said, the commissioners could continue to deliberate, ultimately deciding the appointees by a majority vote if necessary.

After a period of discussion, the commission indicated its interest in following through with Chapman’s proposal. The remaining three commissioners are scheduled to select the two new board members at a Nov. 19 meeting.

Both Chapman and Atwell suggested that neighborhood and community groups could hold candidate forums between now and November to learn more about the pool of applicants for the two vacancies. The Alta Vista Neighborhood Association plans to host a forum for District 3 candidates at its next meeting.

Chapman also submitted a list of potential criteria by which the commission could evaluate the candidates. In an interview, she said that civility and experience were two of the qualities she most valued in potential appointees.

“I will look at temperament, experience in city issues,” Chapman said. “I’ll look at whether they’ve served on advisory boards and their knowledge of the city.”