Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/130753
Sarasota News Leader May 17, 2013 Page 43 return it or simply refuse to mail it back. To Rappaport believes the district's pro-renewal vote "Yes," an owner had to mark the ballot campaign information was mailed improperly in March, and he even admits he was the and return it. one who handled it wrongly without thinking Oddity No. 2: The more property you own, the it through: "[The material] was mailed to the more powerful your vote. Two acres counts storefront and not the owner," he said. "I put twice as much as one acre. the labels on myself." On April 3, the city auditor and clerk, city attorney and BID Chairman Marty Rappaport sat down to count the ballots. Of the 65 mailed, only 33 were returned. Only 35 percent (weighted by property values) supported another 10-year tax hitch. The nearly two-thirds majority either voted "No" or did not return their ballots. Of the 33 valid returns, only five voted against the proposal, but all five were in the million-dollar-plus property value range. TIGHT TIMETABLE On the advice of the city attorney, Rappaport will appear before the City Commission Monday to seek permission to hold another poll. He will be equipped with a sufficient number of petitions signed by property owners, he says, to make his case. Having been through a canvassing board on Thursday, May 16, to verify the City Commission runoff of May 14, the commissioners will be fully aware of the rights and duties of electors. Sarasota City Auditor and Clerk Pam Nadalini counts the St. Armands Business District ballots in April. Photo by Stan Zimmerman