Politics & Government

Charter Amendment Vote Moved to 2012

A special election was planned for this November, but commissioners voted to move the election to 2012 to save the city $65,000.

Earlier this year the Charter Review Committee wrapped up its review of the city charter, which only happens every 10 years. It made to the City Commission that commissioners would then vote "yes" or "no" on each.

Before charter amendments can become city law they have to be approved by a majority in a public vote. 

A charter special election had been , but due to an already strapped budget, city commissioners voted 4-1 Thursday to move the charter vote to the November 2012 presidential election.

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“I still believe [a special election] is the best outcome from an election point of view,” Vice Mayor Terry Turner said. “However, the budget is so ugly and so brutal that even though I would like to have it in November, I would be comfortable moving it to the presidential election in 2012.”

City manager Robert Bartolotta said that a special election this November would cost the city $65,000, which is something that is not currently listed in .

Find out what's happening in Sarasotawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We are together and it is important,” said Mayor Suzanne Atwell.

Commissioner Willie Shaw, the lone "no" vote, said the charter amendments will get lost and become unimportant during the 2012 election. “I’m not as comfortable with this as some other people are,” he said. The election, Shaw said, would become very partisan, very political. 


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