Sarasota Livin'

Seems Gainesville Florida (home of the mighty Gators) changed its City Charter in 1998 to have an elected mayor. Pegeen Hanrahan the current mayor just finished her first year in office with mixed reviews. Not surprising that those that like what she did are happy with the mayor and those that oppose her think she is power hungry.... Read the Gainesville Sun story

"Before deciding to give a "State of the City" speech earlier this year, Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan hesitated.

She wasn't sure this was what Gainesville mayors did.

Sometimes it's difficult to determine just how far the powers of the most visible member of Gainesville's City Commission extend.

"It's a challenge in some ways to determine how much is too much in terms of the office," said Hanrahan, who finished her first year as mayor this month.

Politically prominent but no more powerful than any other member of the commission, the mayor's position and the extent of power it holds have been a topic of debate since a change in the city charter turned it into a directly elected position in 1998.

Both Hanrahan's supporters and detractors on the commission have described her as taking a stronger role in the office than her predecessors. But they said it is difficult to pinpoint decisions or issues that have been specifically impacted by Hanrahan.

Hanrahan herself does not deny the increased prominence of the mayor's office or its potential use as a "bully pulpit," but said much of the past year's work has been determined by the makeup of the commission. Throughout much of the last year, the City Commission was made up of a slim majority of Hanrahan's allies, a majority that expanded when Commissioner Jack Donovan was sworn in May 19.

"We need to have a strong personality in the office of the mayor who can stand up and speak to our hopes and dreams," said City Commissioner Warren Nielsen, a long-time friend and ally of Hanrahan.

But Commissioner Ed Braddy, Hanrahan's only consistent opponent on the commission, worried that under Hanrahan's influence, the mayor's office was becoming too powerful and could be seen to be impacting the debate on issues before the commission."

Seems Tom Lyons was thinking about this also ...

Choose the visionary mayor system and you can get stuck with the vision

Those who want to dump Sarasota's government for an elected mayor with executive powers always make fun of the current system.

They say indecision reigns, the buck never stops anywhere.

Their argument has it that with five commissioners -- perhaps especially the five Sarasota has -- no one is responsible. Visionary thinking is useless because no one is in a position to provide real leadership.

Real leadership, I like to ask, like that in Bradenton, for instance, which has long had an elected mayor system? There are no obvious signs of superior governmental brilliance that I've noticed.