Over the past year the city of Sarasota has wasted thousands of dollars on economic feasibility studies for baseball. In the end what does the city have to show for the investment? After all was said and done Sarasota is no better off than before and the city commissioners wasted the money. Now the city commissioners are opposing the idea of having an elected mayor. I know it’s a controversial issue, a city having a mayor. Why would anyone be opposed to having an elected mayor, especially in a town as large as Sarasota?

Commissioner Kelly Kirschner believes it would be bad for African-Americans. According to his flawed thinking black voters would be disenfranchised or have their votes diluted because right now the black district represents 1 out of 5 districts. The plan to have an elected mayor would add two more districts. I guess this thinking assumes the two new districts would be “white only.” I never knew that all these towns all over the United States were racist. I wonder what Mayor Willie Wonka in New Orleans thinks about all of this?

Disenfranchised voters are not Kirschner’s only concern. Creating an office of mayor would require around $350,000 in funds, and let’s face it, the city could use that money to finance more pointless studies. Robin Roy at the Sarasota Observer has more:

The city of Sarasota has spent $283,600 on a connectivity study, which concluded Mound Street’s three lanes should be reduced to two in between Paul and Osprey avenues. The consultant who created that study informed city commissioners of that recommendation Jan. 27.

Two days later, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) informed commissioners that it was going to be widening Mound Street from two lands to three from Osprey Avenue through U.S. 41/U.S. 301 split.

Wow! Well, the cost of that pointless study would have helped pay for a mayor. Just think, if the five commissioners of this town are this bad with money just imagine how bad it is at the Federal Government level. But wait… it gets even better. Here’s what commissioner Kirschner had to say about the study:

“Maybe what I’m really reading between the lines is that our connectivity study we just paid for is useless.”

That’s an understatement. A more appropriate conclusions is that our city commissioners are useless. The only reason they’re opposed to having an elected mayor is because it takes power away from the commissioners. Having a mayor won’t solve the problem of commissioner incompetence, but it’s a step in the right direction. Unfortunately it won’t matter who’s in charge. City planners will continue to waste tax dollars because citizens are too busy to pay attention.