- April 25, 2024
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Less than a day after Hagen Brody filed to run for the District 2 seat on the County Commission, Siesta Key resident Mike Cosentino filed to run against him as a Democrat on Thursday, in hopes of adding a new face to the commission.
Brody, also running as a Democrat, will meet Cosentino in the August primary election. Cosentino is already looking ahead to facing Republican incumbent Christian Ziegler in November, who has not filed for reelection yet.
“I see running against Brody as a warmup for running against Ziegler,” said Cosentino, who lost a 2018 primary for the District 4 seat. “Neither of them have any values, they’re just puppets. I hope to reinvent democracy in Sarasota and have a government by and for the people.”
Cosentino said he hopes to prioritize the needs of the community. He also said he desires a bipartisan, functioning system to reflect those needs.
Cosentino has been proactive in voicing his stance on Siesta Key incorporation. He has published multiple articles in local publications explaining his view and his distrust towards current county commissioners.
“The problem is that there are no Republicans on the County Commission; they just have an 'R' next to their name,” Cosentino said. “We shouldn’t be voting by people’s names. We should be voting on what they advocate for.”
Meanwhile, Brody also mentioned the importance of Siesta Key in a recent statement. He also vowed to put citizens first in governmental decisions.
Brody holds an at-large seat on the Sarasota City Commission. Upon filing for the County Commission seat, he received endorsements from school board members Tom Edwards, Jane Goodwin and Shirley Brown.
“We need to return power back to our residents and move us towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous Sarasota,” Brody said in the statement. “Leadership on local issues most important to the residents of the city of Sarasota, its surrounding neighborhoods, and Siesta Key is needed now more than ever on the County Commission.”
