Voting in the Dark

Early voting in Sarasota County begins August 8, and Vote By Mail ballots are already out in the community. Yet with important public offices to be decided on August 18, where are our local media?

Mike Moran l, Alan Maio, r.

District 1 incumbent Mike Moran is running against Mike Hutchinson in the Republican Primary.





Constituents might recall a few things:

Mr. Moran  

• Voted for the gerrymander ("redistricting") that moved black voters out of District 1 -- and white voters in;
• Voted to approve Benderson's super-sized Siesta Promenade;
• Voted to to allow hotels like the one Gary Kompothecras plans on Siesta Key;
• Voted in 2017 for James Gabbert's dump at the Celery Fields.

Moran also

• Claimed he didn't know about the rotting pipes that spilled a billion gallons of wastewater at the Bee Ridge Plant in District 1;
• Instigated and voted for the amendment that makes it virtually impossible for residents to amend the County Charter;
• Enjoys the backing of Carlos Beruff, Randy Benderson, Jim Gabbert, Pat Neal and other major developers.

If Moran prefers to avoid journalists who'd ask hard questions about his record, that's politics.

But wait - none of our media are asking those questions: No debates, forums, or Q & A's have been held or scheduled for the District 1 race. Is a sitting County Commissioner being excused from the public spotlight?

These are important races. We've seen Mike Moran in action. Not an endorsement, but where's the media on his primary opponent Mike Hutchinson?

In the absence of real journalism from the Herald Tribune, WWSB-Ch. 7, SRQ and the Observer Group, it's on us. Either we do our own research, or we're voting in the developer-sanctioned dark.

See the County Commission Candidates page on CDPSarasota.org