renourishment project? Six of the seven
said, "No" to groins, but Snyder said, "Yes."
• Should the downtown bus transfer station
be moved? Theisen said, "Yes," but the
remainder said, "No."
Keep in mind that yes-or-no questions can
be tricky and hard to understand (or even
hear properly). But in a year, two of the nine
will be voting on these issues, and it might
be useful to keep track of their subsequent
actions.
TAILORED QUESTIONS
Normally, all candidates at a forum get to
answer the same set of questions. CONA used
that technique with its yes-or-no queries. But
the other questions posed, which allowed
the candidates time for longer answers, were
"one-offs." Some pertained to an individual's
background or past votes.
Others were softballs. For example, Porter,
a former reporter for the Venice Gondolier,
was asked if he supports the Florida Sunshine
Laws. You can guess his answer. ("Yes.")
Another softball went to Ramirez, a direct lead
into the bedrock of her campaign. If the 2050
Plan is changed, how will the community pay
for infrastructure? "We need to sustain fiscal
neutrality," she said. "Developers should pay
for all the new infrastructure. With impact
Five of the seven candidates who participated in the June 23 forum said they would support the
dredging of Big Pass to renourish South Lido Key. File photo
Sarasota News Leader June 27, 2014 Page 30
