Your candidates: District three

Shelli Freeland Eddie
Eddie is drawing on her legal experience to position herself as a potential unifying force for the city.

Shelli Freeland Eddie believes she’s identified one of the most glaring weaknesses in city governance: the ability to work cooperatively and effectively.

When two new commissioners were appointed to the board in November — an opening that Eddie vied for but was not selected to fill — the newest board members agreed that collegiality between board members has been lacking. Since then, the commission has held an informal meeting to discuss a variety of topics without having to take action, and plans to continue the practice going forward.

Eddie believes that sort of cooperation should be extended to a regional level. She points to a list of issues where the city and the county may have to work together: homelessness, extension of the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area, funding of parks and recreation, transportation. To deal with all of these pressing issues, Eddie wants the City Commission to work with Sarasota County much more frequently.

“It hasn’t been done on a broad basis unless we’re in crisis or panic mode,” Eddie said. “I don’t think that’s the way we should govern.”

Mediation is one of her strengths, she believes. She points to her practice as an attorney — a job that often forces her to work with adversarial groups to reach a mutually beneficial solution. Eddie, originally from Louisville, Ky., earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Kentucky. She moved to Sarasota in 2003, following her parents down to Florida.

By 2006, she had taken a spot on the city’s Human Relations Board, examining complaints of housing or employment discrimination. She followed up her service on that board by serving as the chairwoman of the Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board. For Eddie, a run for City Commission seemed like the next logical step.

“It was a natural progression in terms of serving the city,” Eddie said.

Although she is running as a candidate in District 3, she says her ability to connect with all corners of the city is an asset. With an office in District 1, Eddie believes her experience across district lines will help her cultivate relationships with a diverse mix of Sarasota residents, if elected to the commission.

Lest District 3 residents fear her attention isn’t being devoted to their needs, Eddie is quick to point out her plans to meet regularly with her potential constituents over the next month. Beginning Wednesday, Eddie will hold a series of lunch meetings to hear feedback from citizens. Giving a voice to her entire district — not just those who have the time to attend every commission meeting — is a priority for Eddie, and she’s vowing to continue to make herself accessible if she triumphs in March.

“You don’t lose me after the election,” Eddie said. “I’m always available.”

Matt Wooddall
Wooddall is focusing on learning the issues that matter to his district.

For Matt Wooddall, running for City Commission is an opportunity to realize a lifelong dream.

Currently a property manager, Wooddall moved to Sarasota in the early 2000s after studying political science and serving as a state legislature intern in Georgia. If elected to the City Commission, he says he’s interested in preserving many of the attributes that drew him to Sarasota originally.

“I loved the beautiful area — the natural beauty,” Wooddall said. “I saw opportunities for growth and employment opportunities.”

Many of Wooddall’s main talking points are likely to be universally popular — safer neighborhoods, more jobs, smarter finances, improved parks. To facilitate that fiscal improvement within the city, Wooddall is an advocate for increased growth, a position that can sometimes raise red flags for those who favor the status quo.

Wooddall is aware of the often-competing interests between residents and developers, and thinks a focus on increased infill development can benefit both sides. He points to the Cabana Inn, a property that neighbors District 3, as an example of how redevelopment can help improve a neighborhood and benefit a property owner. He believes that, through Sarasota’s forthcoming form-based code, more mutually beneficial projects can come forward to help grow the tax base.

“I think these great projects that are coming out of the Urban Design Studio are really collaborative,” Wooddall said. “I think they can be win-win opportunities.”

He hopes to see redevelopment in key vacant properties, such as the Ringling Shopping Center once targeted for a Walmart. Where appropriate, Wooddall said he’s also interested in selling city-owned properties to return them to the tax rolls. He knows that spurring acceptable growth in Sarasota may pose a challenge, but it’s a challenge he’d relish the opportunity to face.

“I enjoy finding a successful outcome to complicated problems,” Wooddall said. “As a City Commissioner, you have a chance to really be involved and engaged with the community and to be a force for good.”

Prior to running for the City Commission, Wooddall has worked with the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association, the Sarasota Civic League, the city’s Nuisance Abatement Board and Citizen Tax Oversight Committee, an advisory board on which he currently sits. He says this experience has taught him a lesson about the collaborative nature of civic service — a lesson from which he believes the city government could benefit.

“Let’s try to leave the personalities out of it and try to work for the citizens,” Wooddall said. “I really think we get sidetracked a lot with personality differences, and we can do better.”

Stan Zimmerman
The incumbent has had a three-month trial run to make his case for re-election to the City Commission.

No commission candidate has been more transparent for longer about his desire to serve on the board than Stan Zimmerman.

The incumbent District 3 candidate didn’t earn that title until last November, when he was appointed to finish the term Shannon Snyder vacated. During the appointment process, Zimmerman was a rare applicant that did not shy away from his intention to run if selected — a microcosm of Zimmerman’s straightforward style.

“I’m not trying to adapt or modify or change my act to be more palatable to the voters,” Zimmerman said. “I’m not going to be something I’m not.”

Zimmerman has called this interim period an opportunity for the voters to test-drive him as a commissioner. A former reporter, Zimmerman hasn’t hesitated to raise questions about topics that would have otherwise sailed under the radar — even if his fellow commissioners aren’t quite as moved by a given subject.

During his brief incumbency, Zimmerman has staked himself to a number of positions. He’s a strong advocate for neighborhood interests, having served as president of the Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations. Still, he views the frequently cited divide between neighborhoods and developers as a false dichotomy. Problems arise when developers push for changes to land use regulations, he said, but growth in general is widely embraced.

“I don’t know a single neighborhood that resists economic development,” Zimmerman said. “They’ve got jobs, they want more jobs.”

He’s also positioned himself as a fiscal realist. Leading up to his appointment, Zimmerman called the city budget process broken. In discussions about the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area and funding city parks, he has repeatedly reminded the rest of the board about the impact their moves could have on the bottom line. Above all, Zimmerman is pursuing a balanced budget.

“I got in here because I saw that the city was in trouble,” Zimmerman said. “The budgetary stuff was a trainwreck — it was like a continuing, slow motion trainwreck.”

Although he’s still learning on the job, Zimmerman hasn’t allowed himself to get wrapped up in his new position. Indeed, he said campaigning has its own allure — particularly in the smaller individual district races where he can reach almost every voter.

“They are energized when I knock on their door,” Zimmerman said. “It’s like, ‘Whoa — nobody’s ever done that before.’”