Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/273295
would be delighted to have Alan Maio and Paul Caragiulo serving on the commission would be as thrilled with her. But there are almost 400,000 people in Sarasota County, and they really deserve more of a choice when it comes to electing two out of five county commissioners for four-year terms. It really does not seem fair that half of the announced candidates already are so closely identified with the lim- ited concerns of the development community, and a third is a vir- tual enigma. In the 15 weeks remaining before filing ends for these two commission seats, we can only hope that other public-spirited citizens real- ize the great need for qualified, thoughtful candidates and decide to offer themselves to the voters by qualifying to run. Currently, only Republicans have stated their intentions to enter the race. Yet, Republicans are a minority in Sarasota County, making up only 43 percent of registered voters. Why is it that Democrats and Independents rarely, if ever, run for these offices? Perhaps it is the cost, since the deep-pocketed special interests that want friendly com- missioners can afford to finance high-dollar campaigns if there is significant opposition. Perhaps it also is due to the alarming national trend of Koch brothers-backed organizations attempting to do at the local level what they have done at the state and national levels, using extensive third-party media advertising to bludgeon and besmirch opposing candi- dates, convincing voters that those candidates are somehow villains and not the public-spir- i t e d c i t i z e n s t h e y likely are. Perhaps, then, the bat- tle already is lost. If no one of good character and noble intentions has the courage to run for these offices because of the slings and arrows of a toxic campaign, then those who represent a few rather than the many will succeed in making our government a virtual oligarchy. The taxpayers will suffer, as they shoulder a more and more disproportionate share of the cost of public services, as developers get waivers and exemptions to avoid paying their fair share of the expenses of creating their new communities. The environment will suffer as "greenspace" becomes another term for "golf course," and wildlife habitat essentially disappears. Tourism will suffer, as visitors to our state decline to put up with the traffic and other problems brought about by unchecked urban sprawl. It does not have to be that way. Only a hand- ful of the more than 386,000 residents in the county are needed to change this situa- tion from farce to fair — only a few men and women of goodwill and selfless concern for the welfare of all Sarasotans. In the 15 weeks remaining before filing ends for these two commission seats, we can only hope that other public- spirited citizens realize the great need for qualified, thoughtful candidates, and decide to offer themselves to the voters by qualifying to run. OPINION Sarasota News Leader March 7, 2014 Page 104