Seating for “Talk of the Town” is fully reserved. We encourage you to tune in Saturday at 11 a.m. on WSLR 96. 5 FM or at wslr.org. It will also be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.
Talk of the Town with Carrie Seidman | Saturday, May 24, 11 a.m.-noon | Doors open at 10 a.m. No arrivals after 10:45 a.m.
Tickets: Free
Talk of the Town Tickets Here!
Live from Fogartyville! Be part of the audience for the inaugural “Talk of the Town,” a WSLR News roundtable hosted by journalist and author Carrie Seidman.
The panel-style weekly program features politicians, activists, academics, policy analysts and investigative journalists, who join Seidman for a deep dive into the local issues of the day.
It’s an hour of analysis and debate with a dash of humor broadcast on WSLR and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.
For the May 24 program, Seidman will be joined by Shelton Weeks (Lucas Professor of Real Estate and Director of the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development & Finance at Florida Gulf Coast University), Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith (R-District 2) and City of Sarasota Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch.
They’ll discuss the real estate downturn, flooding mitigation, and the search for a new City of Sarasota manager. Panelists will also weigh in on related issues that are being discussed around town in the week leading up to the show and other topics gaining buzz.
“Talk of the Town” is supported by a grant from the
About the host
Carrie Seidman is an award winning newspaper reporter, critic and columnist who has served on the staffs of the New York Times, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Tribune and Sarasota Herald Tribune. She is also the creator, writer and host of the FACEing Mental Illness project, newsletter and podcast, which features stories from and performances by people with lived mental health experience. Her books include “A Place at the Table: Memories of a Life Well-Fed” and “FACEing Mental Illness: The Art of Acceptance.”
About the May 24 panel:
Dr. H. Shelton Weeks was a member of the inaugural faculty of Florida Gulf Coast University where he serves as the Lucas Professor of Real Estate and Director of the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development & Finance. He earned his BS, MS and PhD in finance from the University of Alabama. He teaches in the areas of corporate finance, investments and real estate. His research focuses on pedagogical issues, valuation of real property, and real estate investment trusts. Dr. Weeks has extensive industry experience in valuation of real property with an emphasis on senior living projects. He is a member of the American Real Estate Society and the Real Estate Investment Society. 
Mark Smith was elected to the Sarasota County Commission in November 2022. Smith is a long-time Sarasota resident. Born in Detroit, his family moved to Sarasota in 1963 and he graduated from Riverview High School in 1973. Smith earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology before returning to Sarasota with his family in 1990. In 1994, he started his own architectural firm, Smith Architects, P.A., which is located on Siesta Key.
Smith has been active both in his profession and in the Siesta Key community, serving on the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Siesta Key Presidents Council, and the Sheriff’s Advisory Board. He is a past board member of the Siesta Key Association, Siesta Key Village Association, All Faiths Food Bank, and the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida.
Smith served as President of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2007. He received the 2009 AIA Florida Silver Medal in recognition of his years of community leadership and service, and was awarded the 2024 AIA Florida Charles W. Clary, FAIA Government Service Award for advancing the cause of good design and planning and contributing to the dignity and value of the
architectural profession as an elected official.
Traffic, water and air quality, and affordable housing are some of the issues Smith focuses on as a Sarasota County Commissioner.
Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch was elected as an At-Large Sarasota City Commissioner in May 2017 and again in November 2022.
She earned a master’s degree in international political economy from Columbia University in NYC and a BA in International Affairs from the American University in Paris, France.
Ahearn-Koch’s family moved to Florida when she was two years old, and she graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1982. She also lived in Paris, France for 12 years and is fluent in French and German.
Moving back to Sarasota in 1996 with her husband and son she went on to work in marketing in Sarasota, eventually creating her own consulting business. Her community involvement, neighborhood leadership, and background in business helped her gain community trust. She is the very proud mother of two amazing young men, a second-degree black belt in karate, and aspires every day to be a better gardener.
City Of Sarasota