Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/100825
LOOKING BACK YEAR IN REVIEW: JULY The Sarasota City Commission, meeting in early July, failed to reach a consensus on the finalists for city manager and agreed to continue its search. Photo by Norman Schimmel JULY 2 Failing to reach a consensus on the three remaining applicants for Sarasota city manager, the City Commission votes to continue its search for a person to replace Robert Bartolotta, who resigned as city manager in January. Commissioners agreed it would be unfair to hire one of the candidates without a unanimous vote. Interim City Manager Terry Lewis reported this morning that Rich Chaffin of McKinney, TX, had dropped out of contention. The three remaining candidates are Ed Mitchell, city manager of West Palm Beach; James Chisholm, city manager of Daytona Beach; and Thomas Barwin of Oak Park, Ill., who was village manager of that Chicago suburb until March. The city is about to begin an amnesty program for parking ticket scofflaws. But after Oct. 1, unpaid tickets will mean profound implications for drivers. Mark Lyons, Sarasota���s parking manager, says the city is owed more than $700,000 in unpaid parking fines and is about to embark on a statewide search for those funds, backed with the power to stop the renewal of license tags and driver���s licenses by those who have not paid up. Between now and the fall, Lyons will drop the late fees under a Parking Citation Amnesty Program. But after Oct. 1, watch out. ���We���re going to alert the [Florida] Department of Motor Vehicles to halt the renewal of tags and licenses,��� he tells the City Commission. ���And we���re going to full use of the vehicle immobilization policy.���