Sarasota Democrats are scrambling to find a replacement.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: August 2, 2024
Host: The Sarasota public hospital board is hotly contested electoral terrain, as so-called Medical Freedom activists are trying to gain control of Sarasota Memorial Hospital in these upcoming elections. In the middle of all this, one of four Democratic candidates passed away last week. Ramon Lopez looked at the ripple effects.
Ramon Lopez: The Sarasota County Democratic Party has launched an urgent, last-minute search to find a viable replacement for the November 3rd Sarasota County Public Hospital Board election. This, after 64 year old John Lutz died July 24th following a three-month battle with leukemia. The Englewood resident and career healthcare professional had filed this past January as a Democrat seeking the At-Large Seat 2 on the hospital board. Sarasota County Democratic Party Chairman Daniel Kuether said the healthcare professional was a good friend who “had a commitment to community health and a vision for Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s future, and left an indelible mark.”
Lutz had been one of four candidates for the At-Large Seat 2 on the hospital board. He had faced write-in candidate Donna Hurlock and the winner of the Aug. 20th Republican primary battle between Kevin Cooper and Doctor Stephen Guffanti. Kuether told WSLR News that he spoke with Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner about the Democratic Party’s options for the 2024 election. Kuether said this past Tuesday “We are working to find a replacement candidate for John Lutz, since we are being permitted by Ron Turner to submit a replacement. We expect to do so within the next five days.”
John Lutz
The local Democratic Party said Lutz was a dedicated and passionate advocate for health care with more than 40 years of chief executive and management experience in hospitals, health systems and health care consulting. And for years, Lutz served as a volunteer firefighter. Lutz was a native of Roxbury, New York. He graduated from the State University of New York/Oneonta with a degree in chemistry. He then earned a master’s degree in hospital administration from Yale. As retirement neared, Lutz saw a need to continue his pursuit of the betterment of healthcare delivery in Florida. He signed on as a candidate for the Sarasota County Hospital Board, for which he was
actively campaigning at the time of his illness. His platform was: support the Board’s efforts to develop state-of-the-art technology and facilities, recruit and retain the best health care staff at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, and ensure fiscal responsibility there.
Lutz was one of four Democratic candidates for the Hospital Board. The others are: Dr. George Davis of Venice for At Large Seat 3, Vicki Nighswander for Central District, Seat 1 and public hospital veteran Alan Spritz for At Large, Seat 1. The local chapter of the Democratic Party hopes to prevent “health freedom Republican extremists” from discrediting and privatizing Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
This is Ramon Lopez, WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.