CONA forms committee to examine county issues

To help its members stay educated about countywide topics, the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations is forming a committee to gather information to bring back to neighborhood leaders.

The Zoning Committee will consist of a committee chair and four other CONA members. Committee members will examine comprehensive plan amendments, rezones, special requests and other issues that appear before the Sarasota County Commission.

Lourdes Ramirez, who was president of CONA for three years, will be chairing the committee. Other members have not been selected yet.

The committee’s goal, besides educating its members and presenting to the board, is to prioritize issues that CONA will invest time in and make recommendations for — especially things that could affect county neighborhoods.

The board asked members for input on a 2015 wish list of issues to address. The top three requests were the continued improvement and addition of sidewalks in neighborhoods, roadway improvements and animal control for coyotes and alligators. The committee will meet once a month, but its members will be in frequent communication while new items appear on county agendas.

CONA is also forming a kind of brain trust: a group of community leaders who can advise the organization informally about county issues. Ramirez said the board hopes to get five to six people with a diverse knowledge base to provide input on information involving government, business and interest in county issues. Nora Patterson, former county commissioner, agreed to be on the trust and spoke at the board’s meeting Monday.

Ramirez, who has been board president since 2011, stepped down to take the role of first vice president. Kafi Benz, a longtime CONA board member, was voted in as president.

“It’s good to have new blood as president,” Ramirez said.

The other elected officers are Bill Zoller, second vice president; Gerry Swormstedt, treasurer; and Ann Kaplan, secretary.