Headed to runoff, commission race takes partisan turn

No candidate earned a majority in Tuesday’s District 2 and District 3 Sarasota City Commission races, sending the race into a runoff that appears destined to take an increasingly partisan tone.

In District 2, challenger Liz Alpert came out of Tuesday’s election with a lead, earning 43.7% of the vote. The attorney will head to a runoff against incumbent Eileen Normile, the race’s top fundraiser, who came in second with 38.6% of the vote.

In District 3, incumbent Stan Zimmerman led with 46% of the vote. The former reporter will face attorney Shelli Freeland Eddie in May’s runoff. Eddie earned 35.8% of the vote en route to a second-place finish.

Alpert, who came away with the most votes of any candidate Tuesday, said the election signaled a desire for new faces on the City Commission.

“Obviously, a majority of voters have decided that they want to see a change at City Hall.”

“I feel very gratified that I got so much support from the voters in the district,” Alpert said. “Obviously, a majority of them have decided that they want to see a change at City Hall.”

In both races, incumbents Normile and Zimmerman criticized their runoff opponents for their party-based support. Both Alpert and Eddie, registered Democrats, came under fire for having the backing of the Sarasota County Democratic Party in a nonpartisan race.

“I’m pleased that there will be a runoff,” Normile said. “We were up against a political party machine, and ours was a completely grassroots campaign.”

Zimmerman, who held a slim majority after absentee and early ballots were counted, attributed Eddie’s success on election day to a late push from the Democratic Party. Although two Democrats were running in District 3, the party threw the entirety of its support behind Eddie shortly before the election.

“That shows the strength that a party can bring when they want to intervene in a nonpartisan election,” Zimmerman said. “I think it’s kind of deplorable, personally, but that’s the reality.”

Both Normile and Zimmerman, registered Republicans, indicated they wouldn’t hesitate to accept party support in the runoff. 

“I came prepared for a knife fight,” Zimmerman said. “The other guy decided to bring a gun. Well, now we’re in the next round — how stupid it would be for me to bring a knife, knowing they’re going to use the gun?”

“I came prepared for a knife fight. The other guy decided to bring a gun."

“It was a David and Goliath fight,” Normile said as she addressed a crowd of supporters Tuesday evening at Word of Mouth. “We were fighting with a slingshot. … We’re not going to be fighting with a slingshot in the next phase of the election.”

Sarasota County Democratic Party Chairwoman Christine Jennings didn’t shy away from taking credit for the success of Alpert and Eddie on election night. Jennings has been clear that she believes an important distinction exists between the two parties, even on a local level — and that members of the local Democratic Party expected information on the race from party leaders.

“I think we played a substantial role in getting the vote out,” Jennings said. “I think we drew awareness and let our Democrats know their vote was important and it needed to be counted.”

Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, had been more hesitant to wade into the nonpartisan fray. As election day drew closer, he sought an agreement with Jennings that would prevent local parties from getting involved in Sarasota County nonpartisan races — an agreement that, after Tuesday, is off the table.

“I really feel bad for the voters of Sarasota who would like to see these races stay nonpartisan, but obviously when the Democrats are clubbing our opponents without any kind of defense from us, the only thing we can do is jump in and help them out,” Gruters said.

As they turned their eyes to the runoff, Alpert and Eddie both downplayed the importance of the Democratic Party support to their success.

“I have a tremendous campaign team,” Alpert said. “We’ll just continue to go out there and talk to the voters, knock on doors, get our message out and talk about the issues that are important to the residents of Sarasota.”

“It’s been all grassroots,” Eddie said. “We have all been committed — we have had high school students, young, old, families, individuals. Everyone has come together to pull together for the campaign.”

Challengers Dave Morgan, the chairman of the Sarasota Housing Authority who ran in District 2, and Matt Wooddall, who was vying for the District 3 seat, were both defeated. Both candidates earned about 18.2% of the vote.

Wooddall was embroiled in turmoil late last week, as a campaign consultant terminated its relationship with the candidate after discovering he repeatedly misrepresented his employment history. As a result, the local Democratic Party withdrew the support it had provided to Wooddall.

Morgan, who emphasized the need to bring a more youthful vision to the commission, hoped his candidacy left its mark on civic discourse in Sarasota even in the face of defeat.

“Win, lose or draw, I was here to make a positive impact,” Morgan said.

At 21.55%, voter turnout was relatively strong for a Sarasota spring municipal election. Voter turnout was 17.34% in 2013, and 17.78% in 2011.

Although two incumbents remain, all four candidates are running in their first city race. Normile and Zimmerman were appointed to the board in November following the resignations of Paul Caragiulo and Shannon Snyder, two oft-dissenting voices on the commission.

Election day for the runoff races is set for Tuesday, May 12. The victorious candidates will be sworn in May 15.