Forum allows compare-and-contrast of Charter Review Board candidates.
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: October 23, 2024
Host: Sarasota County has the only elected Charter Review Board in the state. We give you a look at the issues and candidates.
Johannes Werner: Sarasota is the only county in Florida with an elected board that oversees the county charter — something that functions like a local constitution. The Sarasota League of Women Voters yesterday hosted a forum on Zoom that featured seven of the eight candidates running for the four seats on the Sarasota County Charter Review Board that are up in these elections. They were Republican Jay Riley and Democrat Julie Forestier, who are running for Seat 1; Democrat Brad Hardin and Republican Tom DeSane, running for Seat 3; Republican Greg Bukowski and Democrat Robin Williams, running for Seat 4; and Democrat Nancy Ceci and Republican José Jimenez, running for Seat 5. Republican Tom DeSane was the only candidate missing in the event. Voters can elect all Charter Review Board candidates, regardless of district.
The county charter is a tool that shapes the way planning, and new construction and development is happening. Critics have accused the Charter Review Board of being a rubber stamp for a developer-friendly Sarasota County Commission. But that seems to be changing lately – at least when you take for granted what candidates say. Expressing concern for overdevelopment is part of the basic credo both Republican and Democratic candidates shared during the League of Women Voters forum.
Greg “Tex” Bukowski
Republican Greg Bukowski during the forum yesterday:
Greg “Tex” Bukowski: Most people are probably concerned with developers and all the big development that’s happening. There’s some of that in the charter and I’d like to … personally, I’m very much in favor of controlling development. I don’t like out of control development without a good plan, without the infrastructure. And that’s something I’ve seen be a problem. I felt it just down the road from me. They bulldozed a nice little patch of forest. And I think they’re putting up a public storage thing that’s going to be really ugly. So, things like that.
I myself, as a constituent, I’m concerned about that. So anything we can do on the charter to keep this place from overdevelopment and protect it to be the beautiful place that it is, are important issues in my book.
JW: But differences emerge over a recent change to Article 7.1, which was inserted into the charter at the request of the county commission in 2022, after a referendum. It raised the bar for any referendums for charter amendments. The minimum of signatures required used to be 5 percent of registered voters; now it is 10 percent. Also, the new wording essentially says the charter cannot be amended with items that contradict the existing charter. Which could be interpreted as – blocking any amendment.
Robin Williams
Democrat Robin Williams said the changes should be reversed.
Robin Williams: I’ve learned that the existing charter is more restrictive than initially intended. Our 1971 Charter started with the intent of empowering the voters of Sarasota to make changes in their own government and to dispense with the involvement of the state legislature in local matters. We need to re-empower our citizens and make it easier once again to make changes in our local government.
JW: Republican Bukowski seemed to imply he was happy with the status quo when he said that changing the charter should not be easy.
GB: I do believe that it can be changed, and it should be changed as needed. I just think that the changes should not be easy, and they should be supported by many, many people.
JW: He later said he would be open to listening to constituents who want to reverse Article 7.1.
One Republican, José Jimenez, who is a lawyer, took a clear position. He said the article’s wording that seems to block any changes should be reversed.
Julie Forestier
Jose Jimenez: One of the things that Robin pointed out, which is really good, is that we’ve ceded a lot of our power in the last 20 years to the county and to the state, there’s a lot of gaps that are there in the current charter that we’re not exploring. And a lot of people tell a lot of the people that are on the board, “Oh, no, that’s been preempted by state law. Oh, no, that’s the area of the county commission.” No, there is an opportunity for us to do something there. And like Tex said, we shouldn’t do it too quickly, but we should also not not do it at all. One area of 7.1 that should never have been changed. That’s actually made it harder for the charter review board to do its work. And I think that that has to be basically pulled back out, and I think we have the power to do that. So, let’s take the power, because once the government gets the power, they will not give it back.
Jose Jimenez campaign ad
JW: Democrat Julie Forestier brought up home rule, which she said was increasingly challenged by state government. She contrasted herself with her Republican opponent, who was appointed by the governor. Jay Riley did not respond directly to Forestier’s challenge.
To watch the forum, go to the Sarasota League of Women Voters’ YouTube channel.
Reporting for WSLR News, this is Johannes Werner.
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.