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SNL: But is the county doing enough to make sure other businesses are following that? AM: I just don't know that much about it. SNL: I need to ask you about your relation- ship with Bob Waechter, who pled guilty to illegally impersonating the woman you're running against. At the sentencing, the prose- cutor specifically said Waechter did what he did to help your campaign, which I know your attorney, Morgan Bentley, has disputed. What was your relationship with Waechter like? AM: I only met Bob two-and-a-half years ago. He did that for his own reasons [the legal case involving Ramirez], but not to help me. That's just the case, but, unfortunately, the incorrect version makes for a great story. SNL: How would you describe your rela- tionship with Waechter before his arrest? Advisor? Consultant? AM: Not at all. Acquaintance. SNL: Has the campaign been civil so far? Do you expect it to stay that way? AM: I don't know. Politics is a rough game. I'll say only this: My opponent has been extremely civil to me, and I guess at the end of the day, that's all that matters. SNL: You were sued in 2010 for $9.8 million. Can you tell me about that case? AM: Nobody showed up in court. It got dis- missed and we're done with it. SNL: Was it a frivolous lawsuit? AM: You'd have to ask Morgan [Bentley]. I don't know the legal definition of "frivolous," but they never showed up in court. SNL: On most of the things we've talked about, it sounds like you're pretty satisfied with how the commissioners have tackled things in recent years. Is there anything you think they did wrong? Anything you would have done differently? AM: I would not categorize anything as being mistakes. I look back on an all-Republican commission — all of them my friends — and I might have done some things a little differ- ently from an intensity perspective. I've got a big group of friends that are all over me about doing more for people with bikes. I'm a big proponent of expanding the Legacy Trail. The county doesn't have money to do everything, but I probably would have given them all the money for the due diligence. There's times that [the commissioners] pull their hair out, and I'm sure I'll pull my hair out, but everyone's got the right to have their say, and you do your best to accommodate a lot of opinions but stay true to your own per- sonal, moral and ethical compass. % Enjoy The Sarasota News Leader Anytime - Day Or Night SarasotaNewsLeader.com Sarasota News Leader April 18, 2014 Page 39