Sarasota County Charter Review Board District 2: Vic Rohe

Name: Vic Rohe

Age: 71

Family: My wife, Mary, is a retired medical records statistician and medical records auditor. I have two adult children in the financial services industry, one of whom is a financial consultant with Fidelity Investments. The other is a VP client adviser at JPMorgan Asset Management. 

Bio:

Vic Rohe is a political and fiscal conservative who is committed to preserving the rights of the people as expressed in the original intent of the U.S. Constitution. He will keep the CRB independent and elected by the voters. Rohe has a track record of service to the Sarasota County community and is well experienced in legal and regulatory systems. The benefit of having Rohe on the CRB is that he will use his dedication and experience to help shape legislation for voter approval, only when prudent, and discourage ill-advised or unnecessary changes to the charter.

Professional Experience: Stocker broker/financial consultant with the investment firm of Smith Barney, broker/owner Century 21 At Your Service Realty, mortgage broker with Island Mortgage Network, NYCPD police administrative lieutenant. Rohe is also a licensed multi-engine commercial pilot and Microsoft certified systems engineer. Please note: All of the above prior employment and experience required extensive testing and understanding as to law, rules and regulations, just the type of experience valuable in carrying out the duties of the Charter Review Board.

Community Involvement/Service: President of the East County Republican Club. Membership chairman of the Republican Executive Committee from 2010-2016 and member since 2008. Former vice president of the Woodland Park Homeowners Association. Former president of the Manasota 10-13 Club and board member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 and long-time NRA member.

Why do you want to serve on the Charter Review Board?

To preserve and protect it from those who wish to do away with it. Also to provide a means for people to have input to the structure of their local government without having to resort to the initiative process.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities during your term?

1. Protect and preserve the board;
2. Publicize the existence and functions of the board to the public; and
3. Actively solicit ideas from the public as to possible improvements to county government. 

Where do you stand: Should the Charter Review Board be proactive initiating changes to charter, or should the board make recommendations based on voter desires and ideas brought to the board?

I don't believe this is an either or situation. The best ideas need to be vetted regardless of the source. Any proposed change to the charter needs the most careful scrutiny, not only as to advisability but as to any unintended affects it might have. 

What is your position on turning the Charter Review Board into an appointed position rather than an elected office?

I absolutely oppose that. The County Commission already has the ability to put charter amendments on the ballot. An appointed board would not only be redundant but also could be a way for the commissioners to hide behind a Charter Review Board proposal so as to distance themselves from a possible negative reaction of the voters to an unpopular measure. 

What, if anything, in your view, needs to be updated/changed in the county charter?

Currently, Charter Review members are elected countywide while county commissioners, whose districts are the same, are elected in single member districts. I think the CRB should review the possibility of addressing this imbalance in some way. Perhaps looking at something like we have on the hospital board where there are single member districts combined with at large members. 

The CRB has been discussing changes to the charter amendment process. What's your position on that?

Generally, I oppose changing the process. It is a question of striking the right balance between grass roots input and long term stability. Most changes seem to give the public less input and fewer rights. 

What are your comments about reforming the CRB, so it mirrors the State Constitutional Revision Commission — appointed members every 10 or 20 years to review the charter, rather than the existing system of elected members who serve four-year terms?

I absolutely oppose that. For that matter, I also oppose the current workings of the State Constitutional Revision Commission. The voters need time to carefully reflect on changes to the state Constitution as well as they do to the Sarasota County Charter. Lumping a bunch of changes together at the same time insures a less reflective approach to any individual change.