Commission candidates discuss party politics

In both District 2 and District 3, two City Commission candidates have advanced to the May runoff election.

In both districts, one of those candidates is a registered Democrat who received a formal party endorsement before the March general election. In both districts, the other is a registered Republican who welcomed party support to level the playing field.

And so, the runoff election for the two vacant City Commission seats — a nonpartisan race — has taken on a partisan tone.

At a candidate forum Monday night, hosted by the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations and the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations, the four candidates spoke about the party involvement.

“Whether you like it or not, it has become a partisan race.”

Those candidates — incumbent Republican Eileen Normile and Democratic challenger Liz Alpert in District 2, and incumbent Republican Stan Zimmerman and Democratic challenger Shelli Freeland Eddie in District 3 — almost universally decried the partisan politics despite the current state of the campaign.

“I support this nonpartisan endeavor, this legacy of nonpartisanship, but the reality is, the parties are in up to their necks right now,” Zimmerman said. “The Democrats started it, the Republicans have responded, and now, whether you like it or not, it has become a partisan race.”

Eddie raised a common refrain, stating that the challenges the city government faces — such as improving streets or maintaining parks — don't lend themselves to the state and national Republican-Democrat divide.

“Those things don't have a party affiliation,” Eddie said. “Those things are who we are as individuals, who we are as neighbors and who we are as elected representatives.”

Normile went a step further, stating that the charter should be revised to further prevent party involvement and pointing to the Tampa city charter as a model that could be followed. Normile said the current commission has managed to function smoothly despite being nominally divided 3-2 along party lines, and that more overt partisan affiliation could derail that harmony.

“Really, there is no room for that in city governance,” Normile said. “Once you’re divided amongst party lines, there are barriers there.”

Alpert, whose success Normile has attributed to support from the local Democratic Party, agreed with the other candidates that the race should remain nonpartisan. Still, she fought back against the notion that the Democratic Party involvement in this race was unique — or that it served no purpose, arguing that some voters are interested in knowing candidates’ affiliation.

“I think it's somewhat disingenuous for the other party to claim the Democrats were the first one to get into this election,” Alpert said. “Every election has had partisan party involvement; this is not the first time. It’s just now, everyone is making it an issue — but it is the party's place to get your voters out.”

“Every election has had partisan party involvement. This is not the first time.”

The candidates largely agreed when identifying the major issues facing the city over the next four years, including traffic congestion, homelessness problems, balancing growth with the preservation of neighborhoods and the development of the bayfront.

The runoff election will be held Tuesday, May 12, and the victorious candidates will be sworn in on May 15.

For more information on Monday’s candidate forum, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Sarasota Observer.