Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/313059
Last year was another time of surprise, when then-Vice Mayor Willie Shaw was skipped over for the top post. Some saw that as a snub, for often the vice mayor moves up. The vote foretold the next 12 months of subsequent votes, with Shaw and Commissioner Susan Chapman always in the minority on 3-2 deci- sions. Chapman was the only one to support Shaw for mayor last year. Caragiulo announced his candidacy months ago. Both he and Snyder must step aside later this year under Florida's resign-to-run rule. But does that disqualify them as candidates to be the next city mayor? Apparently not. A quick check with Sarasota County Elections Supervisor Kathy Dent shows state law requires them to give notice of their resignations by June 6, but the res- ignations do not take effect until Nov. 18. Before that date, both candidates will retain their full rights, responsibilities and powers as sitting city commissioners, which presum- ably means they can be candidates for mayor and vote on the position. Should Snyder or Caragiulo be picked as the next mayor, he could run for the higher office by touting himself as the mayor of Sarasota, which could influence a few votes along the campaign trail. Some county voters will have a less than perfect understanding of what a Sarasota mayor really does. The evening before the vote, Caragiulo is holding a political fundraiser at his family's seafood restaurant in Burns Square. As of May 6, he had raised $29,215 for his County Commission candidacy. Having two city commissioners resign in the same year to run against each other for an open county commission seat is unprece- dented. And having both of them eligible to be mayor in the interim is also a rarity. Will one or the other seek to hold the title and gavel? Or will one or both back off, cit- ing the inability to fulfill the one-year term? If both decline to be considered for mayor, that would leave three contenders. One is Suzanne Atwell, who clearly loves being mayor. The ribbon-cutting and ceremo- nial aspects of the job delight her. If she gets the gavel again, she would serve as mayor for an unprecedented third time in four years. Susan Chapman is locked in a lawsuit defend- ing the city's and her personal integrity in a Sunshine lawsuit. She has been left to handle her own financing of the legal defense, after a 3-2 vote to deny her further city support. If the 3-2 vote pattern holds true, she is not a contender for mayor. It could be Shaw, if Atwell changes her vote. This will be live political theater, starting at noon in Sarasota City Hall. No abstentions are allowed. And a footnote: Anybody who has been to City Hall knows there is a wall of photographs of all the city's mayors. Snyder's face has been absent for months; it finally appeared last week, 50 weeks after he was elected. I'll use the same word again, even though you will be used to it by now: unprecedented. % Sarasota News Leader May 16, 2014 Page 20