This Wednesday our guest, live via phone, will be Tom Barwin, Sarasota’s City Manager. Since this will be a live event, you can TEXT your questions from 9-10am Wednesday to (941) 954-8636. Be sure to include your name since you’re not in our phone directory. Remember you can listen not only on the radio at 96.5 FM but also at our main web page (click “Listen Live”) or via our new WSLR app! Click this link to it in Google Play or in the Apple App Store.
Tom has been City Manager since September 2012. Subscribe to his COVID-19 UPDATES and WEEKLY BRIEFS to keep us informed. Click HERE for the latest issue of the Weekly Briefs. You can also check the city’s COVID-19 web page for the latest news.
Tom Barwin is Sarasota’s seventh City Manager since 1945. To see the many duties of the City Manager, click HERE.
Prior to Sarasota, Tom served six years as Village Manager in Oak Park, Illinois, and eight years as City Manager in Ferndale, Michigan. Oak Park is located on Chicago’s western border, and Ferndale is located on Detroit’s northern border.
Like Sarasota, Oak Park is home to over 50,000 full-time residents, with a traditional downtown that serves as a regional employment center and tourist center. Oak Park was home to Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway.
During Tom’s administration, Oak Park was powered by 95% renewable energy, which won national acclaim and EPA environmental sustainability awards.
As City Manager in Ferndale, Michigan, Tom was credited with advancing urban bike lanes and multi-model transit in Metropolitan Detroit, while leading an economic turnaround that transformed the community to one of Michigan’s most vibrant, creative, and diverse communities.
Tom received his Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, Master’s Degree from Central Michigan, and attended Harvard University’s program tailored for Senior Executive in State and Local Government.
Tom is married to Margaret Bailey. Together they have raised four sons, Sean, Joe, Sullivan, and Connor. Their family has now grown to include daughters-in-law, and 2 grandsons.
1565 1st Street Room 101
Sarasota, Florida 34236
Telephone: (941) 954-4102
Email: Thomas.Barwin@SarasotaFL.gov
