WHAT'S HAPPENING: Thunder by the Bay and city elections

“You never know who’s going to come up and play a piano.” — Vice Mayor Suzanne Atwell

BY THE NUMBERS

$600,000+ — The city's annual parking fund deficit 

25 mph — The maximum speed of The Polaris GEM that Downtown Improvement District Operations Manager John Moran believes could be used for a downtown circulator.

2,500 — Runners and walkers traversed the John Ringling Bridge during Saturday's Ringling Bridge Run.

What’s the buzz?

Our story on businesses and city officials lobbing complaints at Thunder by the Bay caught your attention. Although commenters mostly defended the downtown festival, both supporters and critics of the event were eager to weigh in.

“To steal someone else's comment "too many business owners and residents define downtown in their ideal image, forgetting that they inhabit an actual city and not the controlled town center of some resort community". Not every event is for everyone!” — Patricia Cirillo Schultz

“Thunder by the Bay is one of if not the coolest thing that Sarasota has. Embrace it. It is a good thing. (Ask the people and businesses of Sturgis, South Dakota how they feel about Bike Week. And that's a whole week!)” — Mark Troy

“This event does not benefit most businesses downtown.” — Pandora Seibert
“There are only a handful of complainers and they complain about everything. If a business owner doesn't like people around his/her shop, the owner might want to rethink the business plan. There are many restaurants and shops that benefit from the traffic.” — Anthony Paull

City Commission approves Election Day referendum

This fall, voters in the city of Sarasota will likely have the opportunity to weigh in on whether municipal elections should move from the spring of odd-numbered years to the fall of even-number years.

In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the City Commission approved ballot language for the November election for a referendum on moving Election Day. If approved, the charter amendment would reschedule city elections to coincide with state and national races.

The change would also eliminate the current run-off system, creating a single winner-takes-all election for City Commission races no matter how many candidates are vying for the seat. Final approval of the referendum will likely be scheduled for April.

MEETINGS

Sarasota County Commission meeting – 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice

Sarasota County Commission meeting – 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, Commission Chamber, Sarasota County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota