In our area right now, we are fortunate to have several candidates who are knowledgeable and articulate on a broad range of environmental issues.
Unfortunately, the current state of local media is such that it's likely very little broad public attention will be given to our area's local candidates or issues in the 2020 General Election. More on this below.
Here's a brief intro to five of these challengers, all of whom have made the environment a key plank in their respective platforms:
Andy Mele has a long and strong history of advocacy in both New York and Florida, where he's led Suncoast Waterkeeper as well as taking a lead role in opposing the huge gypsum mining firm Mosaic. Andy is running for Florida House District 71.
Mark Pienkos is running against incumbent Mike Moran in District 1, where large-scale developments are getting approved and moving eastward at an accelerated rate. Pienkos sees serious custodianship of the environment as integral to maintaining Sarasota's highly regarded quality of life.
Cory Hutchinson is running for the County Commission against Nancy Detert in District 3 - the Venice area. One key element of his platform is renewable energy. Hutchinson also wants to prioritize infrastructure repairs, to stop sewage spills into our water.
"Our environment is everything," says
Alice White, "it's why we chose to live here." White, who's running for the District 5 County Commission seat, has been a longtime North Port voice for good planning and good planting -- In fact she's known as "The Tree Lady."
Brian Kelly is a candidate for Venice City Council and a lifelong resident of Sarasota. A co-founder of
Hands Along the Water, his focus is to
preserve our lands from over-development, to protect our water quality and the environment as a whole, and to extend the reach of public health. "We must protect our natural resources," he says, adding, "our state's fragile environment is at risk from powerful interests. I am frustrated by developers' destruction for short-term gains. Our kids will pay the ultimate price if we don't act now."
There's a lot more about the County Commission districts, candidates and issues at Citizens for District Power.
From the sudden spate of super hotels planned for Siesta Key to the efforts of the Old Miakka Community in the most rural eastern portion of Northeast Sarasota, some of the most significant local issues have to do with the impacts of planning and intense development upon the environment.
Each candidate is following his or her individual conscience and commitment, but behind their concerns looms a larger common question, lurking in Red Tide, in storm surges, in ever-stronger hurricanes, in polluted aquifers, in the disappearance of rural life: Is our way of living reaching a breaking point?
Where are the public debates?
None of these challengers is accepting developer handouts. All deserve to be better known. Voters deserve sustained, illuminating, in-depth discussion at this critical time.
No public debates were organized by the corporate media in Sarasota during the August Primaries. The Herald Tribune is not staging any forums or debates for the General Election. And here's no word as of yet from WWSB-Ch 7, or the Observer, or any or our corporate media as to how they will cover the election.
Two local groups are holding online forums: - click the links to obtain their schedules:
Are our media trying to socially distance themselves from these issues? Some residents think so. If you feel that candidates running without large funding from developers deserve more media attention, please sign this Petition:
