Longboat Observer 11.3.22

No election changes for now

WELCOME

PIPE DOWN, HUH?

Two divers, cuttin’ it up

The cleaning can wait when it’s Halloween. Brooke Welch and Rene Raaymakers are volunteer scuba divers at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. When the pair showed up to clean a tank on Monday, they were given carving tools instead of their usual tools.

Two hollowed-out pumpkins were dropped into the water for the women to carve. In honor of the tank’s inhabitants, Raaymakers chose a hammerhead shark design and Welch carved out three species of stingrays. Both are longtime Mote volunteers. Raaymakers started in 2015, and Welch started in 2013 as a high school intern. Surprisingly enough, this wasn’t Welch’s first time carving a pumpkin underwater. She carved one off Turtle Beach with her local dive shop.

Not just for kids

Trick-or-treating isn’t just for kids. About 25 members stopped by the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce on Monday to share updates and have some Halloween fun.

While there were plenty of sugary sweets on hand, grownups who are willing to walk around in costumes to promote their businesses deserve more upscale goodies. The Lazy Lobster provided sandwiches and shrimp cocktails.

“I have a lot of to-dos after this event,” Christine Rothberg said. “It was a terrific opportunity for members to spend dedicated time with the chamber, giving their updates, sharing more about their plans and goals and even meeting upcoming new members.”

IN A PICKLE OVER NOISE It’s back to the drawing board for sport-court proposal.

‘OUR CONDO IS WORTH WHAT?’ Property values hit highest levels ever on Longboat.

signs aim to quiet noisy weekends.

A GREEN-CARPET AFFAIR

dogs have a new surface on which to frolic.

LONG, TOM Town manager retires after five years on the job.

Lesley Dwyer

Owner of Just/Because Barbara Pugliese and employee Roberta Straff go all out for Halloween.

absenteeism.

Lesley Dwyer

Courtesy photo

Town Commission decides against role in canal complaint

The commission opted to ask town staff to investigate the effect of townwide change to the rules of boat size.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

Frustration with a boat docked in a neighborhood canal navi gated its way to Town Hall for the second time this year, but commissioners decided the issue wasn’t broad enough to warrant action that would affect the entire town, instead urging homeowners associations to handle individual issues within their own boundaries.

On Oct. 17, Kathy Callahan, presi dent of the homeowners association of Country Club Shores I and II, along with her husband, Todd, followed up on their June appearance before the commission to again discuss naviga bility and the town’s potential role in maintaining it.

In particular, the Callahans brought to the attention of the town a vessel docked since November 2021, she said.

The town has rules in place that govern permanent structures such as docks. As a means of regulat ing building practices, docks may not project into a canal more than 30 feet or 30% of the total width of the waterway. The town’s ordi nance, hammered out in early 2020, does not mention boats as obstacles, though.

The Callahans argue that their evidence shows the vessel impeding into the canal by more than 50% of the width.

“We do have a 30% rule in the town as far as dockage and canals are con cerned,” Todd Callahan said. “I think

all that we are trying to articulate is putting a boat that is permanently moored on something that you have already approved at a limit doesn’t make sense.”

The 2020 change sought to elimi nate the possibility of new docks being built directly opposite of an existing dock, though at the time, town leaders said their main concern were narrower docks largely in the north end of town, not wider ones in planned communities such as Bay Isles or Country Club Shores.

The Callahans’ presentation to the Commission in June included a peti tion signed by 11 residents and fea tured pictures of the channel and a timeline of the issue’s development.

When initial complaints were received, the town sent a police department boat to assess the situ ation and found navigation was not impeded.

However, the marine patrol boat is much smaller than those owned by homeowners in the neighborhood.

Town Attorney Maggie Mooney said that the lack of presence of a larger vessel that was unable to navigate the canal at the time the police department investigated the issue likely had an effect on the depart ment’s findings.

If a larger boat was present at the time or the owner had made the call about a lack of navigability, then the rule prohibiting limiting canal access could come into play.

“I would suggest you find some friends with wide-beam boats and start that process,” Commissioner Mike Haycock said.

On the barrier island, the major ity of neighborhoods on the bay side that have canals are governed by a homeowners association. Some have stronger rules for boats than others, including what size boat is allowed in its waterways.

RULES OF THE ROAD

“This one residence is the only residence that I have heard we have a potential problem with. Are there other instances of this that say ‘for the health, welfare and safety of all of Longboat Key’ we need to write a new ordinance?”

— BJ Bishop

Commissioner BJ Bishop asked Town Manager Tom Harmer if any other complaints had been sent to him or the town regarding the navigability issue, stating that the responsibility of the commission is to write code for a community, not just to fix the issue of one individual.

“This one residence is the only residence that I have heard we have a potential problem with,” she said. “Are there other instances of this

that say ‘for the health, welfare and safety of all of Longboat Key’ we need to write a new ordinance?”

Ultimately, Harmer’s answer was that he was unaware of any other complaints of similar issues on the island.

Callahan said her homeowners group “really can’t enforce anything on the water.”

Haycock urged the Callahans to seek legal counsel, even with the expense, to help them “put teeth” in the bylaws, so they are able to enforce rules on their residents.

The lack of other complaints led the commission to decide not to draft an ordinance, but rather asked staff to investigate how a change to the rules might affect existing bylaws of HOAs on the barrier island. They also urged the couple to gather addi tional information from the neigh borhood’s residents that the boat issue is affecting.

prohibits

MAUREEN MERRIGAN Seat: District 5 Term runs through: March 2023

MIKE HAYCOCK

THROUGH THE YEARS

MARCH 2011 n No contested races

MARCH 2012 n Incumbent David Brenner defeated challenger Ray Rajewski in District 3

JULY 2012

n Commissioners appointed Terry Gans to an at-large seat to fill the seat vacated by Hal Lenobel. Several people ran: Gans, Randy Clair, Jack Daly, Len Garner, Gene Jaleski, Ray Rajewski, Mark Wickersham and Woody Wolverton.

MARCH 2013 n Jack Duncan ran unopposed in District 2 n Jim Brown retained his seat against Larry Grossman in District 4 n Terry Gans retained his at-large seat against Irwin Pastor n Phill Younger retained his at-large seat against Gene Jaleski

MARCH 2014 n No contested races

STANDING FIRM

Longboat Key leaders discussed potential changes to pay, time off requirements but ended up recommending the status quo.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

Longboat Key Town Commis sion elections have a history of being one-candidate races over the last decade. So, with an eye toward enticing newcomers, commissioners recently discussed the potential for compensation and attendance-rule changes but ulti mately stuck with the rules in place.

The town charter does not allow for compensation of commissioners or for missing four or more consecu tive regular meetings.

Residents would have to approve any charter changes, anyway, but commissioners, on Oct. 17, said it probably wasn’t in the town’s inter ests to change things.

“We do this because it’s public ser vice,” Commissioner Debra Williams said. “I don’t think that $10,000 is going to do much to entice someone to say they’ve got to get their name on the ballot.”

Mayor Ken Schneier presented the idea of compensating commission ers no more than $10,000 a year and relaxing rules on attending meetings through Zoom.

Commissioners said they worried about enticing people to run for the seats for the wrong reasons. Com missioner BJ Bishop said the Town Commission calendar is written a year in advance, and with two-anda-half months off in the summer, there should be no reason to make changes.

“The ones who served for a pay check were always the ones that never read the packet and never came prepared for the meeting,” she said.

As it stands, if a commissioner is absent from all meetings and work shops for two consecutive months, the commissioner must vacate their seat.

“In looking at it again, I don’t see any reason why we need to change anything about the commission,” Schneier said.

Although the commission opt ed not to change its own rules, it decided to ask Town Attorney Mag gie Mooney to draft something that would allow for the same extenu ating circumstance absence excuse to be extended to the Planning and Zoning Board.

Discussion around changes to the town charter, specifically around the opportunity for compensation, is not a new concept.

Compensation was discussed by commissioners in 1998, 2002 and 2008.

The question was brought before the voters in both 1998 and 2002.

In 1998, voters were asked to approve compensating commis sioners $2,000 annually. In 2002, the question of whether to pay commis sioners $4,800 annually was brought to voters. Both referendums failed.

In 2008, town Ccommissioners discussed the option again but opted to not move forward with placing it as a question on the ballot.

LONGBOAT ELECTION HISTORY

Elections have been decided without the need for a ballot in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 elections.

The 2023 elections, which will add at least two new faces to the com mission, may lead to a contested election for the first time in the past four years.

As of Nov. 1, no one has completed

ELSEWHERE . . .

Town clerks of neighboring jurisdictions were reached for information regarding their compensation and attendance rules. Compensation information was gathered from the Florida Legislature, Office of Economic and Demographic Research and was included in the commission’s agenda packet.

n At Bradenton Beach, commissioners are paid $400 a month. The mayor is paid $800 a month. After three consecutive unexcused absences, the office is forfeited. Zoom attendance is allowed depending on the situation.

qualification for any of the seats up for election. The deadline is noon on Nov. 21.

Four individuals have picked up qualifying paperwork, signaling at least an interest in running for office.

For District 1, Gary Coffin and Jef frey Lenobel have picked up packets.

For District 5, Deborah Murphy has also started the process.

Mayor Schneier, who represents District 3, said he will run for reelec tion. He said he will be submitting his paperwork this week.

“I have really enjoyed my time on the commission and time as mayor,” he said. “I have enjoyed every bit of it.”

He said as Town Manager Tom Harmer exits his office and Howard Tipton takes over, he feels it is his duty to stay involved and offer up his experience with the town.

District 1 Commission Sherry Dominick and District 5 Commis sioner and Vice Mayor Maureen Merrigan have both announced they will not be seeking reelection after only a single term in their respective seats.

In the March 2022 elections, incumbents Mike Haycock, BJ Bishop and Maureen Merrigan were declared commissioners-elect when no one else opted to file before the Nov. 15, 2021 deadline.

The last time an election was con tested was in 2018. Since that March

more than four years ago, when Ed Zunz, Ken Schneier and Irwin Pastor won contested Town Commission races, no one else has had to exert the effort or money needed to run a campaign.

If there is an election, whether contested or only a referendum question, the costs run between $10,000 to $20,000 to the town.

CHANGE UNLIKELY Merrigan and Dominick both stated that even if changes were sought out for the pay and attendance require ments, their decisions to not seek the seat again would not have changed.

“A lack of compensation had nothing to do with my decision,” Dominick said. “It had to do with competing personal obligations.”

Much like she did when she announced she would be vacating the seat, she cited family obligations, time spent volunteering at Sara sota Memorial Hospital and her real estate career with Michael Saunders as a few of her reasons.

“Serving on the commission is a serious commitment,” she said. “To serve on the commission you have to be willing to spend a large part of the year here, and many people don’t do that. It is a big commitment, espe cially if you take it seriously.”

Merrigan had similar obligations as her family and current job often takes her out of state, causing the cost of traveling to and from the barrier island to attend commission meetings to add up quickly.

“Compensation wouldn’t have changed my personal decisions,” she said.

The commission/council does not receive summers off.

n At Anna Maria, the mayor is paid $19,600 annually. A commissioner/councilperson is paid $4,800 annually.

n At Holmes Beach, the mayor is paid $24,000 each year. A commissioner/councilperson is paid $6,000 annually.

n In Venice, a commissioner/ councilperson is paid $10,200 annually. The mayor is paid $12,000 each year.

n At St. Pete Beach, the mayor is paid $8,100 annually. A commissioner/councilperson is paid $5,400 annually.

When making her decision to end her time on the commission at the close of her term, she spoke with individuals that she believed would be good candidates to replace her.

“The ideal people are usually already busy people,” she said.

The majority of people she talked to cited the time commitment need ed to serve on the commission as the primary factor in them turning down her suggestion.

Only one person said compen sation would make a difference in whether they sought office, she said.

MARCH 2015 n Jack Daly defeated Larry Grossman in District 4 n Incumbent Phill Younger retained his at-large seat against Gene Jaleski

MARCH 2016 n No contested races

MARCH: 2017 n George Spoll ran unopposed in District 2 n Incumbent Jack Daly defeated Larry Grossman in District 4 n Jim Brown defeated Gene Jaleski for an open at-large seat

MARCH 2018 n Randy Clair ran unopposed in District 1 n Ken Schneier defeated John Weber for the open District 3 seat n Ed Zunz retained his District 5 seat against Randy Langley n Irwin Pastor defeated Jack Wilson for the open at-large seat

MARCH 2019 n George Spoll ran unopposed in District 2 n Jack Daly ran unopposed in District 4 n Mike Haycock ran unopposed for at-large seat after Randy Langley dropped out of the race against Haycock in January 2019.

MARCH 2020 n Sherry Dominick ran unopposed for District 1 n Ken Schneier ran unopposed for District 3 n Ed Zunz ran unopposed for District 5 n BJ Bishop ran unopposed for an at-large seat

MARCH 2021 n Penny Gold ran unopposed for District 2 n Debra Williams ran unopposed for District 4 n Mike Haycock ran unopposed for an at-large seat

APRIL 2021 n Commissioners appointed Maureen Merrigan over Gene Jaleski and Christopher Carman to fill the vacancy left by Ed Zunz.

MARCH 2022 n Mike Haycock ran unopposed.

n BJ Bishop ran unopposed. n Maureen Merrigan ran unopposed.

File photo

Two members of the Town Commission, Maureen Merrigan (bottom left) and Sherry Dominick, (top, second from left) are planning to step down.

Seat: At-large Term runs through: March 2025

SHERRY DOMINICK Seat: District 1 Term runs through: March 2023

Status: Not seeking reelection after first term

PENNY GOLD Seat: District 2 Term runs through: March 2024

DEBRA WILLIAMS Seat: District 4 Term runs through: March 2024

Status: Not seeking reelection after first term

KEN SCHNEIER Seat: District 3 Term runs through: March 2023

Status: Has picked up paperwork and says he’s planning on officially filing documents this week.

BJ BISHOP Seat: At-large Term runs through: March 2025

12:18 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic hazard: Police drove to a town park to investigate a report of vegetation debris piled high enough to block the view of motorists trying to leave. The officer found a pile on the park’s northern driveway that completely obscured drivers’ ability to see southbound traffic and hampered their ability to make a safe left turn. The officer informed the town’s Public Works Department of the danger and was told the issue would be forwarded immediately to parks personnel.

LASER-FOCUSED 5:07 p.m., police headquarters Suspicious incident: An officer returned to the police department to speak with a person who came to the lobby concerned that foreign agents working on a laser project were following him. Police reported he likely was under the influence. He said he would return home for the evening and call police if needed.

SATURDAY, OCT. 22

DINING, SAILING, TRESPASSING? 6:40 p.m., 6900 block of Bayside Drive Citizen assist: A neighbor called the police to report a truck parked in the driveway of a nearby construction site, though it did not belong to a property owner or a construction worker. The neighbor said the vehicle belonged to either someone who left to go sailing or to visit a nearby restaurant. Because the vehicle was parked on private property, the officer was unable to issue a parking ticket, but he did list the options available to the property’s owner. Among them, towing the vehicle and pursuing a trespassing warning. The neighbor said he would relay that information to the property owner.

SUNDAY, OCT. 23

TOWEL, SIR? 12:32 p.m., 700 block of Longboat Club Road

Animal complaint: A raccoon, possibly injured and definitely in the pool area of a residential condominium complex, prompted a call to police. When an officer arrived

and met with the caller, the masked mammal had disappeared and couldn’t be found.

TUESDAY, OCT. 25 DRIVEN TO INFORM 9:37 p.m., 2000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: A resident concerned about a car-hauling truck parked with its emergency flashers activated on a nearby side street called police to report what he saw. An officer checked out the report and explained to the caller that the divided side street was an appropriate place for truckers to park while delivering clients’ vehicles, rather than parking illegally in the center lane of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Also, the truck was not blocking traffic.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26

FINDING ITS WAY HOME

3:12 p.m., police headquarters Found item: A cell phone left behind accidentally in a town park bathroom eventually made it back to its owner through a series of events, discoveries and connections. The day before, a police department employee had fielded a call from someone who said a friend had left a phone in a park bathroom. The employee promised to call back if such a phone was found, though at the time there were no such reports.

On Oct. 26, a phone was brought to the police department by a person who found it while cleaning a park rest room. Coincidence? The employee checked the phone and found numerous lines on the call history page indicating the phone had connected with the person who called police the day earlier. From there, the employee contacted the original caller with the good news. The owner came to the police department to identify and accept the phone, signing a receipt and happy to find his property in good order.

MA, YOU OK?

8:34 p.m., 700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: While wrapping up a traffic stop alongside the highway, a second car pulled off the pavement and parked in front of the police officer’s vehicle. Thinking the second car had become disabled, the officer

issued a warning to the first driver, notified dispatches of the development and spoke to the second driver. The driver of the second car said his elderly mother had been the subject of the original traffic stop, and he just pulled over to make sure she was OK. He left without incident.

I WAS HERE

9:50 p.m., 6800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Unsecure premises: Performing a routine check of commercial-building security in a shopping plaza, an officer found the door to a business unlocked. He entered and looked around, finding no one inside and nothing disturbed. Before locking the door and pulling it shut, the officers left a business card on the front counter with a case number written on it. He also placed a call to the owner of the business, indicating on voicemail what he found and what he did to secure the premises.

THURSDAY, OCT. 27 MORNING NOISE

7:45 a.m., 600 block of Longview Drive

Noise complaints from land: An officer issued a warning to those responsible at a job site for making work-related noise before the town’s allowable hour of 8 a.m. A nearby resident placed a call to police complaining of the violation.

FRIDAY, OCT. 21 WORKS EVERY TIME

9:19 a.m., 700 block of Dream Island Road Citizen assist: By the time an officer got to a neighborhood following up on a call about a work truck blocking the traffic, the situation had resolved itself, an officer reported. He also reported that a neighbor used their car horn “for an extended period of time’’ before the work truck moved out of the way.

TOP O’ THE AFTERNOON TO YA!

4:39 p.m., Greer Island beach

Indecent exposure: A woman who was reported to be topless on the beach along the island’s north end told police that, no, she wasn’t actually topless but rather had simply adjusted the upper half of her two-piece swimsuit because of sand infiltration. An officer arrived to find the woman appropriately covered, though advised her to return to her car out of sight if future such adjustments were needed.

FRIDAY, OCT. 28

PRE-DAWN POWER TOOLIN’

1:30 a.m., 1900 block of Harbour Links Circle

Noise complaints from land: A caller to police complained about approximately an hour’s worth of power drill noise coming from an adjacent unit in a condominium complex. Upon the officer’s arrival, he reported being able to hear the drill noise from outside. The officer told the resident the reason for his visit and that neighbors had called to complain. The officer was told work was in progress to fix a leaking pipe and that he was also removing wooden floor boards to avoid the possibility of mold connected to the leak. The officer explained the town’s regulations on such noise and told the resident to stop the work and resume in the morning.

Town to hold groundbreaking event for stage Nov. 7

and the Shoppes of Bay Isles. Dur ing the summer, Longboat Key lead ers decided to allocate $50,000 of town funding to complete design and construction plans for a stage at the Town Center site.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

The town plans to celebrate the generosity of its citizens Nov. 7 at a groundbreaking ceremony of the privately funded Town Center stage.

The soon-to-be Karon Family Pavilion is part of the latest phase of improvements to the Town Center Green, a formerly undeveloped plot of land, a corner of which was once home to Amore restaurant.

“Through the generous support of the Karon family and other donors, the Karon Family Pavilion will pro vide the opportunity to stage per formances, productions and more, adding the focal point to the alreadyplanned outdoor venue that is cur rently under construction,” a press release from the town said.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. at 600 Bay Isles Road with refresh ments to follow the ceremony.

For the stage, originally, the town had anticipated the project would cost about $500,000. One couple, Paul and Sarah Karon, opted to donate the entirety of that amount.

Town Manager Tom Harmer announced at the Nov. 15, 2021 com mission meeting the couple’s plans to donate in exchange for naming rights.

However, after going out to bids, the final total came back to the town at about $860,000. The remaining money was raised with the help of about 12 other individuals, largely through the efforts of the Longboat Key Foundation.

The foundation helped coordinate private fundraising for the 50-foot wide permanent stage between the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center

The individuals are protected with anonymity by the foundation, which collected the donations. A plaque is planned that will reveal the names of donors who do not wish to remain anonymous at a later date, founda tion Chair Jim Brown wrote previ ously.

Once the town acquired the dona tions, Harmer signed the contract with Jon F. Swift Construction of Sarasota in late July for the contrac tor to begin purchasing materials and completing the final design. Site work on the land is underway now.

Without the donations, the town still had plans to move forward with the remainder of the project and simply took the stage out of its plans.

The stage is part of a larger project to improve the Town Center Green. Site work for the town center is town-funded with about $530,000, which included $445,000 from the town’s land-acquisition fund. Work includes raising and re-grading the site with fill. Additional stormwa ter infrastructure will be installed to accommodate site work and with accommodations for future build ings, which might someday include a library that is part of the Sarasota County system and a community center. The town’s portion is funding walkways, streetlights, landscaping and space for food trucks.

County officials have funded in the current budget about $1 million toward initial studies of what sort of facility might be best suited for Longboat Key. Town officials have also had talks with officials of Sara sota County Schools.

The entire site covers about 4.81 acres. The town purchased the three parcels that complete the total site for about $3.7 million in 2017.

SEAFOOD EATERY IN SOUTHSIDE VILLAGE

Donors will be thanked for contributing to privately funded project at ceremony.

The stage is planned as a focal point for the renovated Town Center Green.

Courtesy rendering

“Our family and our entire organization are committed to the recovery efforts to rebuild our community. We have partnered with The United Way to serve as drop-off points to collect donations. We will also provide furniture and mattresses to the United Way in partnership with our valued vendors. We are ready when you are.”

Public pensions: No to ESG

ESG RISK SCORE VS. MARKET CAPITALIZATION

ADRIAN MOORE AND RICHARD HILLER

Arguments about activist investing are currently generating a lot of headlines, notably with President Biden’s administration, including support for activist investing in his climate change policies.

This move was cheered by many who want governments to commit to investing in securities and funds that meet certain environmental, social and governance ideals or standards and to refuse to give government contracts to companies that violate those ideals or standards.

At the same time, several governors and legislatures have pushed back with policies or laws banning state investments or contracts with businesses that pursue ESG approaches.

For example, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has forbidden state agencies from using ESG criteria when making investment decisions, saying he is protecting Florida from “woke capital.”

So, we have some governments refusing to invest pension funds in banks or investment pools that do business with oil companies or gun manufacturers, while other governments refuse to invest pension funds in banks or investment pools that WON’T invest in oil companies or gun manufacturers. It’s a triumph of populist politics over sound financial decision making.

ESG investing is also becoming more prevalent with individuals making their own investments and in the policies implemented by institutional investors and public pension systems.

Because ESG debates and activist investing look to be a significant subject of contention for the foreseeable future, it is essential to draw clear lines of when it is and is not appropriate to implement investment strategies that overstep the usual purpose of meeting specific financial objectives, especially in the case of retirement savings.

It is entirely appropriate for individuals to make whatever investment decisions they like with their assets. Giving individuals a choice in where to place their assets is healthy and consistent with longstanding American investment tradition. Look to the long history of specialized or sector funds for

examples.

Of paramount importance with these investments is that their objectives and methods are made clear to potential investors through the prospectus and other communications materials. Individuals having the ability to invest with their conscience in a way consistent with their beliefs and objectives is laudable and is consistent with a free society.

Investors also need to understand that widespread use of ESG criteria has broader implications for the market. The accompanying figures show that large companies (those with higher capitalization shown in blue) have substantially less ESG risk than do smaller companies (in orange). This means ESG investing actually discourages investing in smaller firms and could reduce competition and increase market concentration, not because of serving their customers better, but because of politicized investment decisions.

This is even more dangerous when those decisions are being made by government investors.

There are serious concerns when activism is involved with pooled retirement investments, such as public pension systems. Public pension plans should not engage in political activism.

Unfortunately, lawmakers and officials on all extremes of the political landscape are increasingly attempting to dictate how investment funds maintained for various governmental functions must be invested. The trends, both promoting ESG and anti-ESG, are being directed at state and local government-run pension funds for public employees.

Pension fund investment managers have a fiduciary

responsibility to manage their funds exclusively to best meet the financial needs of plan participants. In the case of public retirement plans, those needs are to support the plan sponsor’s financial obligation to plan members within closely managed risk guardrails.

It is also clear that activistinvestment mandates are inconsistent with these fiduciary responsibilities and retirement plan objectives.

The demand for investments that match certain political or policy beliefs and the increasing pressure on state and local governmentrun pension systems to ignore their fiduciary responsibilities in favor of politically motivated investing, present more reasons for governments to examine alternative retirement plan designs immediately.

It has become more widely understood that the traditional public sector defined benefit pension plan no longer meets the needs of the majority of today’s public employees and other impacted groups. Employees are increasingly mobile in their careers, and traditional defined benefit pension plans cannot effectively meet workers’ portability needs.

Traditional defined benefit plans also fail to meet many employers’ needs, impacting their ability to recruit and retain qualified employees. Additionally, in many cases, traditional defined benefit plans’ funding status continues to deteriorate, putting increasing pressure on taxpayers and on government budgets.

From public pension debt to failing to serve today’s workers to misguided politically motivated investment pressures, it is clear that the public retirement space is due

ESG Risk Ratings come from Morningstar’s Sustainanalytics (pulled April 22-24, 2022) and Market Capitalization data come from Yahoo Finance (pulled May 4, 2022).

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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for some recalibration.

Retirement plan designs that are built on a defined contribution foundation and have objectives focused on lifetime income and risk management can be the leading-edge answer to many of today’s public pension dilemmas. Sophisticated design structures incorporating defined benefit-like features into a defined contribution construct are available and in use today.

With these plans, sponsors can make available many employeeselected investment options that do not force the employee into heavy-handed, politically motivated investments or ones they oppose morally. With the help of an independent financial adviser, if desired, individual employees can build a portfolio that best meets their personal goals and objectives.

It should seem obvious that retirement plans must focus on meeting the objectives of several interested parties, most notably the public employee participants. Attempting to impose politically motivated investment controls on public pension plans violates core fiduciary standards and is a gross over-reach by governments.

Instead, lawmakers and workers should seek to modernize public retirement plans in ways that give individuals the flexibility to vote with their feet, have plan portability when they change jobs and invest as they see fit.

Adrian Moore is vice president of the Reason Foundation and a regular contributor to the Observer. He lives in Sarasota. Richard Hiller is a senior fellow with the Reason Foundation and veteran designer of retirement plans.

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— Tommy Gregory State Representative, District 73 — Fiona McFarland

Florida Supreme Court — Vote yes to retain Justices Charles Canady, John D. Couriel, Jamie Grosshans, Jorge Labarga and Ricky Polston Florida Second District Court of Appeal — Vote yes to retain

Judges Patricia Joan Kelly, Nelly N. Khouzam, Suzanne Y. Labrit, Matt Lucas, Robert Morris, Stevan Travis Northcutt, John K. Stargel, Craig C. Villanti

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Amendment 1 / Limit on Assessment of Real Property — Yes

Amendment 2 / Abolish Constitution Revision Commission — No Amendment 3 / Additional Homestead Property Tax Exemption — No MANATEE COUNTY County Commission, District 2 — Amanda Ballard County Commission, District 4 — Michael Rahn County Commission, District 6 (At-large) — Jason Beardon School Board, District 2 — Cindy

Spray Economic Development Tax Referendum — No SARASOTA COUNTY County Commission, District 2 — Mark Smith County Commission, District 4 — Joe Neunder Charter Review Board, District 1 — Alexandra Coe Charter Review Board, District 2 — G. Matthew Brockway Charter Review Board, District 4 — No recommendation Hospital Board, Northern District, Seat 2 — Victor J. Rohe County Referendum to Continue One-Cent Sales Infrastructure Surtax — Yes County Bond Referendum to Accelerate Community Infrastructure Projects with OneCent Sales Tax Bonds — Yes Charter Amendment Question One: To Amend Section 7.1

Charter Petition Procedures — No Charter Amendment Question Two: To Avoid Conflicts with the Constitution, General Law or the charter — Yes

CITY OF SARASOTA Commissioner At-Large — Debbie Trice Charter Amendment: Increase City Commissioners’ Annual Salary — No Charter Amendment: Allow Option to Purchase Insurance Coverage or Surety Bonds — Yes Charter Amendment: Charter Review Committee’s General Recommendations — No Charter Amendment: To Require Referenda on City Charter Amendments to Be Held Only on the Dates of General Elections in Even Years and Prohibit Special Charter Elections — Yes

Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, Palm Coast Observer, Ormond Beach Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living Magazine and Season Magazine

CEO / Matt Walsh Vice President / Lisa Walsh Chairman Emeritus / David Beliles 1970 Main St. Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3468

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

engaging

governments.

OUR ANNUAL RECAP OF WHAT YOU MISSED

Get through the hurricane OK?

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

We gather this time of

How are the kids? Like that

Boat noise zoned out

Speaking of noise, town officials got creative over the summer in dealing with a perennially sticky issue: bothersome boaters on the north end of the island.

By declaring a strip of sand along the east-facing portion of Greer Island as a bathing beach, marked with signs and buoys, the town craftily accomplished something with which it struggled for years. Powerboaters, some of them rowdy and others surely not, now are forbidden to beach on the sand closest to Longboat’s Land’s End neighborhood.

Motorized vessels will still be allowed to beach and anchor in unrestricted areas of the spit just past the buoys and under the bridge. But now, unless you’re paddling, sailing or swimming, you’ll have to watch where you’re navigating and beaching.

in

irons?

Winter residents expect it on their return to Longboat Key. Friends and neighbors have missed you during the hot, humid months. We want to catch up and get back to our par adise-like weather, planning for the holidays and complaining about traffic.

In the interests of bringing up to speed the folks who summer in places such as Grosse Point, Tonawanda, Westport or Naperville, we bring you our annual look back at some of the big news you might have missed and a few of our favorite happy happenings that crossed our paths while you were away. Welcome back.

SWIMMING AROUND THE ISLAND

When 34-year-old Julie Madison started hearing cowbells as she swam a circle around Longboat Key this past spring, she wasn’t suffering from hallucinations from hypothermia. She was actually hearing supporters urging her on during her 11-hour ordeal.

The Anna Maria Island woman planned the feat for four months and looked for just the right day to do it. She previously circum-swam her home island in December and Lido Key in 2017.

“I just kept pursuing it,” Madi son said. “The Hogfish from Anna Maria Island were super excited about my Anna Maria Island swim, so they asked me what they could do and what was my next big thing, and I said I wanted to do Longboat Key, and they were like, ‘Well, we would love to help you.’ They were fantastic. They did most of my support for that swim.

… The kayak really helps with navigation, because, especially the day I did it, the back end of the island was very choppy. There was a good section of the swim that there were one-, two-, three-foot waves, so I couldn’t see very well.”

In a pickle over courts

You’d think someone was proposing a 1950s’ themed drive-in burger joint called Vroom, Vroom, aimed at car nuts who enjoy onion rings and straight-piped exhaust systems.

Nope, nothing like that.

Just the Longboat Key Club seeking to accommodate the pickleball craze by proposing four courts alongside its Harbourside Tennis Gardens. Nothing’s been approved yet, even though you might have caught wind of the idea back in April, before you headed north.

Noise has been the biggest complaint of nearby residents, who say the sound of the sport being played, particularly by accomplished athletes who don’t have to chase the ball after a two- or-three shot exchange, will ruin open-window season. Not something they signed up for, they say.

Pickleball, you see, makes a noise all its own. But it’s far more complicated than that.

The town’s Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the original idea in April, then learned that hardly anyone received mailed notices of the public meeting, which explained the nearly empty public-meeting room. At the time, board member Jay Plager, the front-runner for 2022’s Most Prescient Moment, said of Bird Key Yacht Club’s attempt to build pickleball courts years earlier: “The neighbors raised such a fuss that they gave it up because pickleball courts do have a very distinct sound, as you know.”

So, the matter was again noticed and heard in June.

This time, there were few empty seats and plenty of filled ones with people registering objections. Before a vote could be recorded, though it looked like the proposal was not gaining much favor on the dais, representatives of the Key Club requested a delay, one that continues to this day.

We hear alternate locations are under consideration, and a new batch of nearby residents are taking note.

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Welcome

9A

Staging a big project

By now, you might notice some work happening on the Town Center Green, Longboat’s new central point for a variety of outdoor activities.

While getting some early use in 2022, the site will soon be the domain of workers building a long-awaited stage. A ceremony is planned Nov. 7 to honor those who donated for the privately funded enterprise.

At their last meeting before two-and-a-half months of summer break from meetings, town commissioners not only approved a five-year capital budget shift to proceed with on-site work at the Town Center Green property, but they also learned that private donations reached a level sufficient to pay for the construction of a stage as a centerpiece for the site.

On July 1, town commissioners agreed to push forward with construction of a covered stage on the northeastern boundary of the Town Center, based on news delivered by Jim Brown, the chair of the Longboat Key Foundation, that private fundraising had gone well enough to see the finish line.

Construction contracts were signed in August.

FREEDOM FEST WAS A RED, WHITE AND BLUE SPECTACULAR

It was as hot as a firecracker July Fourth morning, but that didn’t cool the fun for Longboat Key’s annual Freedom Fest, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Grand Marshal Lisa Walsh led the parade in a red Corvette convertible.

Flags and people lined Bay Isles Road for the “Shortest Parade in America.”

The Hot Diggity Dog costume contest drew on the patriotic theme of the day, along with a large helping of creativity.

Replacing Chevy police SUVs with Fords was Job 1

With his Florida connections deeply rooted, Police Chief George Turner in June quickly solved a problem that could have crippled the town police force.

After sending their Chevrolet SUVs to the repair shop time and again, then finding out the town’s extended warranty didn’t apply to police vehicles even though it was sold to the police department for police vehicles, something had to be done.

Turner relied on contacts he’s made over the years to informally set aside four 2022 police-model Ford Explorers with a Polk County dealership, while town commissioners did the money thing.

“There are only five in the entire state of Florida,” Turner said on July 1, acknowledging that police-package vehicles are often hard to find. “We have a hold on four of them.”

Commissioners OK’d moving about $185,000 from the to-come budget into the in-use budget to facilitate the purchase. Oh, and the town got its money back for the police vehicle warranty that didn’t apply to police vehicles.

SEE WELCOME, PAGE 12A

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Republican Club of Longboat Key, Inc. P.O. Box 8181 Longboat Key, FL 34228-8181

DINNER MEETING!

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Reception: 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Dinner / Speaker: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Longboat Key Club and Resort Harbourside Ballroom 3200 Harbourside Drive (North Gate by Publix) Longboat Key, FL 34228

OUR GUEST SPEAKER WILL BE:

Town Manager for the Town of Longboat Key

Tom Harmer has more than 33 years of experience in local government, including nearly eight years as City Manager of Titusville, FL.

He also served as Titusville’s Fire Chief, Emergency Manager and the Executive Director of the Community Development Agency. He previously served as Deputy Fire Chief and Emergency Manager in Tallahassee, Florida.

In July of 2017 he accepted the appointment as Town Manager for the Town of Longboat Key. He officially started with the Town on December 11, 2017 replacing outgoing Town Manager Dave Bullock.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS

MEMBERS: $70

GUESTS: $75

Make your reservation online and pay securely with your credit card through PayPal: rclbk.org

Reserve By Phone: Judy Williams at 941-312-4574

or email Judy: dickandjudyw@verizon.net … and bring your check to the meeting (Please make check payable to RCLBK). Sorry – we do not accept credit cards at the door.

For more information, please contact our President: Scott Gray | lbkrepublicans@gmail.com

Welcome

Change at the top

No, we haven’t given over the Welcome Back-issue writing duties to Pete Townshend, but it does seem appropriate to paraphrase

The Who when discussing Town Hall’s top nonelected official.

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss ... almost.’’

Town Manager Tom Harmer is retiring this year, but he plans to stay on a few weeks until Howard Tipton can arrive in January.

Tipton, like Harmer in 2017, will come to town as a former county administrator, though Tipton will have about 180 miles on his odometer before crossing the bridge into Longboat Key on his first day from St. Lucie County. Harmer simply commuted from Sarasota until moving to town.

There really weren’t other candidates.

Sort of like when the town set about hiring Harmer, they focused on Tipton and convinced him to head over the Best Coast.

“What’s not to like?” said Tipton, who starts Jan. 30 and will make about $211,000.

The tax man cometh

For a few days in May, there was some question about more than a half-million dollars in property taxes owed on former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort properties. All 244 of them, in fact.

The taxes and addresses — by then nearly delinquent — were published by the Sarasota County Tax Collector just a few days from the drop-dead deadline. The bill was paid with a day or two to spare.

A majority of the 244 levies ranged from around $1,300 to $3,300, though one parcel listed a tax responsibility of $50,215. According to the Sarasota County Property Appraiser’s Office, the 2021 taxable value, as determined on Jan. 1, 2022, for the 244 parcels was $36.3 million. The total amount of taxes owed on the parcels, when added together, totaled $551,827.32.

As of 2022, though, those addresses at 1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive no longer existed, replaced by the St. Regis property’s five new buildings with their own addresses.

Aside from the romantic drama of the island’s beloved swans, there was tragedy. The one egg that held a chance for a baby swan to be born in 2022 failed. Swan keeper David Novak and swan expert and breeder Bob Knox had been keeping eyes on the only nest that was made this year, which belonged to swans Chuck and Lydia. Novak had been keeping food and water bowls near Lydia, who nested in foliage across from the CVS on

Bay Isles Parkway, to keep her alive as she sat on her one egg, which was infertile. It’s unusual for a swan to lay just one egg; usually, a clutch has about six. Novak removed the egg and began destroying the nest so Lydia would realize quickly that she has nothing to go back to. She lost weight while in the nest, so he wants to keep her away from a failed nest to get her healthy again.

2022-2023

Most Programs Available on Zoom.

THE EDUCATION CENTER AT TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, FL 34228

VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.TBIeducationcenter.org

For a brochure or inquiries call: (941) 383-8222 or email edcenter@longboatkeytemple.org

Tom Harmer

NO CYGNETS

YEAR

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MOTE DEAL CLOSES IN BENDERSON PARK

In mid-July, the Sarasota County Commission unanimously voted to convey the site near Interstate 75 to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium for $100. There, the nonprofit marine research organization plans to build a new 110,000-square-foot aquarium, a project years in the making. Days later, Mote closed on the property.

Construction is underway on the 11.76-acre site, once owned by Sarasota County.

Branded Mote Science Education Aquarium, Mote reached a $90 million fundraising milestone in October 2021.

Michael Moore, special advisor to the office of the president who has led the fundraising campaign for the Mote SEA, said donations have picked up pace since the land was conveyed, adding an announcement about the next milestone will come this fall.

“The community’s response to the project is accelerating with prospective donors as they see the project is starting to materialize,” Moore said. “Definitely when it comes out of the ground in a few months, we know that’s going to help us toward the goal.”

Book still open on library ideas

In literary terms, the town’s push for a public library is in the early chapters. We’re beginning to become familiar with the setting, see where the story is going, meet some of the main characters and make some assumptions about what’s to come.

But the denouement (if you think we spelled that word right on the first try, you’re kidding yourself) is still a ways off.

What we know is this: Sarasota County leaders included about $1 million in the current budget to begin the process of studying what would work, what people want and what kind of building might be useful as a county library. There’s a spot set aside in the Town Center Green.

The town has laid out its desired timeline for further discussions and potential county funding, while also talking with Sarasota County Schools and even officials in Manatee County. The town has heard about interim steps, such as a new county-run bookmobile that could soon begin making stops here.

Property values hit a record

Longboat Key leaders headed into their budget discussions this past summer understanding that the value of residential and commercial property on which taxes will be based has never been higher.

Estimates from the property appraisers’ offices in Manatee and Sarasota counties showed a combined taxable valuation for property in the town of $7.34 billion, an increase of about 13.5% from last year. The total is about $700 million higher than the previous high of $6.6 billion at the height of the 2008 housing-value run up.

Broken down by county, Sarasota values were up 13.31% to $5.04 billion and Manatee values are up 13.92% to $2.3 billion.

Town rolls out the green carpet

Please be kind and try to understand if you dog starts acting like Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott at Bayfront Park these days.

It could be the autumn air, that new girl dog in the corner . . . or . . . it might be the yards of artificial turf installed in August and September. Either way, Fido is seems happier and speedier and very unlikely to win in the playoffs. (Sorry, Cowboys fans.)

Thanks to a $123,000 donation from Longboat Key resident Irene Hess, the dog park is now a much cleaner place to visit. Muddy paws after a rain or sandy coats during a dry spell are now a thing of the past.

And in case you were wondering about the ... uh ... well ... you know ... the turf is certified for dog uses (all of them, if you get what we’re sayin’), and a sprinkler system will keep things washed down and tidy.

State sets condo rules

Legislators in special session picked up the ball where they left it at the end of their 2022 regular session, passing statewide rules on condominium inspections and the means to finance needed repairs.

Longboat Key town leaders had crafted rules of their own but held off on considering them in May when they heard the special session, billed largely as a session to deal with property insurance reform, would also include condo safety. At the time, commissioners agreed waiting until the Legislature acted made sense and could help inform them on what direction to follow if no new regulations were approved.

Among the provisions:

n Inspections every 10 years for building three stories or taller, beginning 25 years after occupancy documents are issued. Buildings more than three miles from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean cross the inspection threshold at 30 years.

n Elimination of the possibility of condo associations waiving requirements to keep adequate financial reserves to pay for repairs. That begins in 2025.

n A requirement that condo associations conduct 10-year studies of their finances to determine if needed repairs can be paid for. The provision also opens the door for condo board members to be sued if the recommendations following an inspection are not followed.

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Robert

Katstra

We are sad to announce the death of Robert John Katstra. Bob passed away peacefully on October 20, 2022 at the age of 89. After serving in the Air Force and the Korean War, he was an airline pilot for over 38 years with Eastern Airlines. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Trudy Katstra, and three children: Lisa Kollock, Kathy Flores, and Jon Katstra. Bob also leaves behind nine grand children and five great grandchildren. To send condolences please visit www.toalebrothers.com.

Luncheon highlights local charity and giving

Sarasota is one of several organiza tions the church supports. Caldwell opened a “hybrid beauty salon” in August 2021 in Sarasota’s Rosemary District.

SOON AT ST. MARY

n Helicopter Ball Drop to benefit victims of Hurricane Ian: 4 p.m. Nov. 4

n Christmas Bazaar: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 5

n Interfaith Service and Dinner: 5 p.m. Nov. 22, reception to follow the service.

n Christmas concert: 4 p.m. Dec. 2 n Christmas lighting: After 4 p.m. Mass Dec. 3

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

The snowbirds of St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church have landed back on the island for winter. The Ladies Guild provid ed a warm welcome at their annual Welcome Back Luncheon on Oct. 26 in Pick Hall.

The Thanksgiving buffet of turkey and fixings was a fitting meal for this guild of givers. Charitable efforts were recapped, along with upcoming events. The guest speakers, motherand-daughter duo Dede Caldwell and Saasha Plefka, were on hand to thank the group for their support and donation.

Beauty Bridge Foundation of

Paying clients contribute to the cost of haircuts for those who can’t afford the luxury and are referred through a nonprofit community partner. There is no difference in service between the two.

Caldwell told the story of a 19-year-old woman, who was four months pregnant. She’d been living on the streets with her boyfriend for three years when she got pregnant and was willing to change her life to keep the baby.

She went to Manasota Solve for help, another organization the church financially supports. Solve houses women struggling with the cycles of poverty, abuse and addic tion during and after pregnancy.

The young woman was shy walk ing through the glass doors of the small but upscale, four-chair salon.

“I don’t think I’m in the right

place,” she said. “It’s too beautiful.”

Caldwell choked up for a moment recounting her response to the young woman, “I said I built this for you.”

This woman hadn’t had her hair cut or colored since before those three homeless years. She wept in the salon chair.

Plefka is opening another hybrid salon in February 2023 in Hartford, Connecticut. That salon will include skin-care services too.

The details haven’t been fine tuned, but the guild already has their sights set on another group of sis ters in need — Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat and Spirituality Center, Diocese of Venice.

“I don’t know if you all know that they’re pretty much underwater,” Treasurer Marilyn Davol said. “We have decided to wait until the dust settles, and we’re going to make a sizable donation.”

The women cheered when hearing $54,935.10 was accumulated in their treasury. Hard work goes into raising that money. The ladies guild holds an annual rummage sale, fashion show and Christmas bazaar, which all take months to prepare.

The guest speakers were a mother and daughter from the Beauty Bridge Foundation of Sarasota.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Bonnie Schneider rolls a cart of donations to load up for Beauty Bridge.

Saasha Plefka and DeDe Caldwell of the Beauty Bridge Foundation of Sarasota.

W. Howard

SARASOTA - W. Howard

Rooks, 88 of Sarasota died peacefully at his home on October 20, 2022, surrounded by his loving daughter and grandchildren.

Howard was born on February 8, 1934, in Turkey, North Carolina, the sec ond of two children born to William and Orpha Rooks. The son of a North Carolina tobacco farmer, Howard was the first from his town to attend college. He continued to work the fields with his family and hitchhiked rides to East Carolina University where he became class pres ident. He received his BA in 1956 and, years later, became a Trustee of the University.

Howard served two years in the U.S. Army before be coming a high school teacher in Alexandria, Virginia where he met his wife of 25 years, Sue Gilliam Rooks.

One evening, after closing on their new home in Alexandria, Howard noticed the real estate agent earned more on one transaction than he made teaching school for an entire year.

Howard decided to get his real estate license and try to sell houses on the weekends to supplement his salary. He quickly fell in love with the business, gave up teaching, and in 1968, founded Mount Vernon Realty in Alexandria. Over the next 25 years, he grew the company to over 3,000 agents and 62 offices.

Before he sold the company to Weichert Realtors in 1991, Mount Vernon Realty became the 10th largest privately owned real estate company in the United States. He was an inspiring and charismatic leader, driven by helping his agents create their own dreams and meet their goals.

Following the sale of his business, Howard began to spend more time in Sarasota where he had purchased a small home on Lido Key in 1970. He was passionate about Sarasota and knew one day he would retire there. He spent the last 30 years of his life in Sarasota, but never really retired.

An admitted “deal junkie,” Howard was soon creating, developing, partnering, and investing full-time in Sarasota. He was quickly joined by his daughter Lisa and her husband Bob Morris in many of these real estate investments. He was also involved in several related business pursuits including The Plaza restaurant on Longboat Key, Cork and the Bottle Shop on St. Armands Circle, and Amore restaurant in downtown’s Burns Court neighborhood. His initial passion was the real estate itself, but he came to love the process of creating a community, spending time with the staff, and enjoying meals, drinks, and great music with his friends and regulars at the piano bar.

Howard was also passionate about the modern architecture of Sarasota and his Lido Shores neighborhood. At a time when Mediterranean style homes

were in favor, he sought to bring more classic modern architecture to Sarasota. Having no experience in building, construction, or design, Howard sought out the best people in each field; he partnered with Guy Peterson, Pat Ball and Rick Carlisle to help bring his vision to life. He restored and improved several of the most important Sarasota School of Architecture houses and built several high-end waterfront spec homes.

He measured his success by his relationships with others, what he was able to create, and how he made others feel.

While Howard always hoped to make a profit, sometimes he didn’t, especially during times of recession. What was most important to Howard was creating projects that were fun, beautiful, and interesting; projects that would create delight and benefit others. He had big ideas and knew how to connect with people who could do what he could not. Howard was the ultimate optimist and a fearless risk-taker, always motivated by the creative process. He measured his success by his relationships with others, what he was able to create, and how he made others feel. Over the years, money came and went, and came again, but never seemed to influence who he was and how he

treated other people. He had a deep inner faith that all would be well. He was extraordinarily grateful for his life and for those in it.

Howard was an active Rotarian for decades. He was a member of St. Armands Lutheran Church and served as a Stephen minister there. He served on the Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels, Sarasota. He was a two term Trustee of East Carolina University and served on many other charitable and business boards during his professional careers in both Alexandria and Sarasota.

Howard was predeceased by his beloved son, Gregory Kent Rooks.

He is survived by his daughter Lisa Rooks Morris of Sarasota, his grandchildren Kathryn “Kate” Morris and Robert “Tripp” Morris, his big sister, Janice Tolar, and his niece, Jacki Cavenaugh both of Newport, NC.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 7 at 10:00am, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 North Adams Drive, Sarasota, FL 34236. He will be buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria, VA.

Condolences can be sent at Toalebrothers.com.

SERVICE: Monday, November 7, 10AM St. Armand’s Key Lutheran Church

DONATIONS: In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his name to St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 North Adams Drive, Sarasota, FL 34236 (SAKLC. com) or Meals on Wheels of Sarasota, 421 North Lime Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34237 (mealsonwheelsofsarasota. org).

place

YOUR NEIGHBORS

POWERED

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

At least one house Longboat Key didn’t go dark because of Hurricane Ian’s power outages, and luck had noth ing to do with it.

Rusty Chinnis and Chris Killeen have 21 solar panels installed on their Longbeach Village home’s roof and two Tesla Powerwall battery packs to back them up. While the rest of the neighborhood remained dark, quiet and humid, Chinnis and Killeen were running their 2,500-square-foot house and two Tesla sedans on those batteries.

The Powerwalls were a more recent purchase and cost as much as the panels at $16,000 after tax credits, but Chinnis said they’re well worth the added expense.

Without them, the couple would’ve been powerless like every one else on the island, including Kevin Pass, who also has gone solar, but not to the extent as his neighbors to the north.

Pass has solar panels on his house in Sleepy Lagoon but, for safety, lost power along with the rest of Florida Power & Light customers when Ian

caused a widespread outage. With his installation, solar power cells could have electrified otherwise dead power lines, potentially injur ing utility workers.

His system is designed to cut off in an outage.

Pass and Chinnis say they are happy with their purchases. Chinnis acknowledged it’s a costly endeavor, but said they could afford it and it’s the right thing to do.

Pass had his own humorous take on the cost.

“We’re all old out on Longboat Key, so five to seven years before it pays for itself doesn’t mean as much to us,” he said laughing.

Pass is referring to the tax credit, which was upped from 26% to 30% in August. The credit is good on both

equipment and installation.

A larger house requires more panels. Pass’s 52-panel set up cost about $40,000 out-of-pocket. A battery would cost another $20,000 before the tax credit. Spreading out the two installations can be advantageous from a deduction standpoint.

Pass noticed the panels didn’t pro duce as much power in September as in some of the sunnier months, but he’s pleased with the overall offset on his electric bill.

The panels were installed in May, but it took until July to see the sav ings. Only one week on that state ment shows his family consuming more power than the panels were producing. His FPL bill plummet ed from $356.75 a month in June to $43.38 in July and $27.16 in August.

Chinnis’ battery system detects and takes over automatically during power outages. Transitioning on and off the grid is seamless.

UPChinnis needed two, but up to 10 Powerwalls can be combined for a bigger backup system, which is akin to using a high-tech genera tor. A homeowner can decide to run everything until the battery runs out or decide to only use essentials.

Instead of having to pull the refrig erator out from the wall to get to the plug, the homeowner tells an app to keep it running and maybe chooses to turn off the stove or television outlets. Managing the essentials manually only takes a walk to the cir cuit breaker box to flip the switches on what isn’t essential.

Both men bought from Bryan Hammond at Solar Source. He’s in sales now, but had been a technician in the solar industry for 10 years. Hammond also happens to live in Punta Gorda and was in the thick of 140 mph sustained winds and 170 mph gusts.

“My solar panels were intact. I did have two of them that let loose after about four hours of wind,” Hammond said. “They landed on my front lawn. The next day, I put them back up, and they worked perfectly fine.”

Most panels can survive a Catego ry 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds if properly installed, and some are designed to withstand even more. Still, Hammond got lucky with the two that went flying. They landed in the grass. Some of his clients weren’t as lucky when their panels hit con crete.

Hammond sheltered in place dur ing Ian and felt safest on the side of his house that has panels. Solar Source advises some homeowners to wait on a new roof before install ing panels as to not have the opposite effect, but combining a strong roof with solar panels can make the house more structurally sound to with stand a hurricane, they say.

“It doesn’t necessarily improve the integrity of the shingles or tiles, but it’ll improve the integrity of the structure of the roof,” Hammond said.

Battery power kept at least one Longboat household lit up during Hurricane Ian.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Rusty Chinnis is solar powered. Both his house and car run on batteries and the sun.

The Powerwall backup system installed on the side of Rusty Chinnis and Chris Killeen’s house. They have two Tesla Powerwalls to use as backup during power outages.

Solar panels on the roof of the home of Rusty Chinnis and Chris Killeen.

“We’re all old out on Longboat Key, so five to seven years before it pays for itself doesn’t mean as much to us.”

— Kevin Pass

IN MEMORIAM

Longboat Key lost many of its beloved residents and visitors during the summer. Below, we’ve compiled a list in their honor.

B Ann Berberian died on Aug. 22 at age 74. She enjoyed bowling with friends and traveling to different parts of the world with her husband. In her later years, she was most happy when spending time with her family and watching classic films.

Tarrytown, New York, and then Mahwah, New Jersey. After retirement, he became an active member of the Temple Beth Israel. As TBI president, he led with the same passion he had for educa tion and enjoyed connecting with the congregation. Blueglass also served as the president of the Long boat Key Democratic Club.

Robert Lester Blumberg died on July 18 at age 94. Bob was a lifelong golfer with seven holes-in-one. He began shooting his age on his 68th birthday. He was extremely handy, and could fix almost anything. His favorite saying was “Count your blessings.”

C Edward K. Christian, 78, of Grosse

Pointe Farms, Michigan and Long boat Key died Aug. 19.

Ed’s calling was to a career in radio, which began in 1958 as a young teen running the control board at several FM radio stations in Detroit. From there, his career in radio extended to that of a reporter, account execu tive, station owner and operator of a radio-station group.

In 2009, Ed was honored with the National Association of Broad casters’ National Radio Award for his service as a national leader for the radio industry and passion for public service. Ed was also honored with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

William Stewart Cloud died May 12 at the age of 83.

William was an entrepreneur and established his own business. He designed and manufactured indus trial braking systems. He was an avid runner and completed the Chi cago Marathon. As a licensed pilot, he earned an instrument rating. He loved auto racing and particularly enjoyed watching his brother, John, compete. He served as president of Country Club Shores Unit V and lived in the neighborhood for 26 years. He was a member of Christ Church Presbyterian.

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Murray Blueglass, a lifelong edu cator and the former president of Temple Beth Israel, died at the age of 85 on July 15.

Blueglass was a loving family man who led by example. He called edu cation the “family business.” His wife, two children and three of his grandchildren all followed suit as teachers and principals.

Blueglass was born in the Bronx, New York, where he began his career as a fourth-grade teacher. His work ing life was spent in New York and New Jersey. He eventually became superintendent of schools, first in

Gabriel Robert Buky Sr. died on July 28 at age 70. Born in Budapest, his family left Hungary in 1956 and relocated to Chicago with sisters, Judy Kepecz-Hays and Susan Buky. There, Gabe’s brother, John Buky, was born, while the oth ers gained citizenship through naturalization.

Gabe graduated from Uni versity of Illinois with a degree in architecture. How ever, once introduced to Anna Maria Island, he and his wife, Patricia C. Buky, along with their children, left Chicago to become full-time residents of the island. He switched careers to own and operate a popular wine and cheese bistro, before becoming a Realtor, a career that allowed him to work close ly with his family.

E

John R. Eagleton died June 23. Jack was a fixture at Longboat Arms Condo association meetings and the

SEE MEMORIAM, PAGE 4B

RUG TIME: Hattie and her family are so happy to be enjoying life on Longboat Key!

Cedars Tennis Club for more than 30 years. Jack enjoyed his retire ment from management duties with Campbell Soup and the Illinois State Lottery in Northbrook, Illinois. Jack was a WWII Navy Veteran and a par ticipant in D-Day at Normandy.

H Stanley Horwich, 99, died May 14.

Stan is survived by his loving com panion, Budee Jacobs, two children and six grand and great-grandchil dren. He will be remembered by his keen wit, generous heart and his love of golf.

The Honorable Robert Marshall Hurst, 89, died April 22. He was chief judge of Fairfax County Court Judicial System until he retired in 1991.

After retirement, his first wife, Jane Hutton Hurst, died. He traveled extensively with his second wife, Judith Price-Hurst. They moved to Longboat Key, where he enjoyed golf at the Meadows Country Club in Sarasota. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

L

Robert (Bob) Lachmann, 86, died July 1 at his summer home in Mon tauk, New York.

He was retired and lived in Emer ald Harbor. He was a member of Longboat Key Club for over 35 years and loved playing golf with his wife and his friends, especially the group known as the Friars.

P

Jean Ann Pontius died May 21 at the age of 80.

W. Howard Rooks, 88, died at his Sarasota home on Oct. 20.

for decades. He was a member of St. Armands Lutheran Church and served as a Stephen minister there. He served on the board of directors for Meals on Wheels, Sarasota. He was a two term trustee of East Caro lina University and served on many other charitable and business boards during his professional careers in both Alexandria and Sarasota.

S

Louis Gene Sanandres died July 11. After retiring at 55 years old, Lou and Barbara settled on Longboat Key. He enjoyed golfing with The Mulligans, fishing on “The Barb” and being the 43rd commodore of Bird Key Yacht Club. More recently, he loved spend ing time with his grandkids, teaching them to fish and entertained them with all sorts of stories they had never experienced.

W

Carolyn Ann Connors Etten, 78, died April 1, 2022.

She enjoyed working at her children’s schools, caring for the elderly, and participating in several investment clubs. Car olyn was exceedingly enthusi astic about fitness and loved to run, bike, hike and play tennis.

F Vera H. Freeman, 91, died Aug. 11, 2022. A graduate of Sarasota High School 1948, she traveled extensive ly, but Sarasota was always home. In retirement, she served as school “nurse.” She is buried in that uniform as it exemplifies her dedication. The uniform also bears USAF Senior Air crew wings she earned supporting the missions of her husband.

Jeanie and her late husband Al wed in 1973 and they spent 33 years together in marriage. Since his death in 2006, Jeanie has spent the last 16 years reminiscing on precious mem ories with him and spoke about how much she was looking forward to seeing him in heaven. Jeanie was a past member of the La Porte Service League in Indiana, Longboat Island Chapel, Bird Key Yacht Club and Longboat Key Club.

He spent the last 30 years of his life in Sarasota, but never really retired. An admitted “deal junkie,” How ard was soon creating, developing, partnering and investing full time in Sarasota. He was quickly joined by his daughter, Lisa, and her hus band, Bob Morris, in many of these real estate investments. He was also involved in several related business pursuits including The Plaza restau rant on Longboat Key, Cork and the Bottle Shop on St. Armands Circle, and Amore restaurant first on Long boat Key and then in downtown’s Burns Court neighborhood.

Howard was also passionate about the modern architecture of Sarasota and his Lido Shores neighborhood. At a time when Mediterranean style homes were in favor, he sought to bring more classic modern architec ture to Sarasota. Having no experi ence in building, construction, or design, Howard sought out the best people in each field. He partnered with Guy Peterson, Pat Ball and Rick Carlisle to help bring his vision to life. He restored and improved sev eral of the most important Sarasota School of Architecture houses and built several high-end waterfront spec homes.

Howard was an active Rotarian

Audrey Strode Wolcott died July 17, at 93. She was predeceased by her hus band of 72 years, Arthur S. Wolcott.

Audrey was an active member at both the First Presbyterian Church in Penn Yan, New York, and Christ Church in Longboat Key. She enjoyed travel, bridge, sailing, golf, gardening and snow skied into her 80s. She was a member of Lakeside Country Club, the Longboat Key Club, the Sarasota Yacht Club and the Hunt Hollow Ski Club.

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Board of Directors

SARASOTA

Main Street

PAUL TARANTINO SVP, Wealth Advisor

SUZANNE ELLIN, JD, CGMA, CTFA, CFP® SVP, Trust Administration Officer

George W. Hamlin, IV, Chairman

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obligations of,

guaranteed by

possible

Bank

Trust, Canandaigua National Trust Company of Florida, or any of their affiliates. Investments are subject to investment risks,

The freedom to focus on what’s important. The cornerstone of our commitment to you.

Garth Harding, Vice Chairman

• Sam Guerrieri, President

Mary Braxton-Joseph • David Gorin Frank H. Hamlin, III

Larry Heilbronner-Kolthoff

Christine Jennings

Nelle Miller

Bernice Skirboll

Janice A. Zarro

YOUR CALENDAR

SATURDAY, NOV. 5 FERRARIS ON THE CIRCLE 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle. Sponsored by Ferrari Drivers SRQ, luxury vehicles will be pulled into the park for display. This is a free event. Call 388-1554

RECURRING EVENTS MONDAYS

GENTLE CHAIR YOGA

From 9-10 a.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Improve flexibility, strength and overall physical functioning while seated in a chair. Begins Nov. 7 and ends Dec. 19; students can join at any time on a prorated basis. Fee is $70 for members and $80 for nonmembers. Call 383-8222.

STRETCH & STRENGTHEN

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance. Suzy Brenner leads the class. Fee is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

THINKING OUT LOUD: TIMELY TOPICS WITH MIKE KARP

From 1-2:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Topics will include U.S. and world current affairs, popular culture and topics relevant to seniors. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

MIXED BEGINNERS BRIDGE

From 1-2 p.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Professional bridge player Larry Auerbach will cover the mechanics and fundamentals of the game. Begins Nov. 7 and ends on Dec. 19. Fee is $85 for members and $95 for nonmembers. Call 3838222.

MIXED AND ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE BRIDGE

From 3-4:30 p.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. This course is for all intermediate-level players who are ready for more complex bridge concepts. Begins Nov. 7 and ends Dec. 19. Fee is $85 for members and $95 for nonmembers. Call 383-8222.

SATURDAY, NOV. 5

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Homemade crafts and collectibles will be for sale inside Pick Hall, and the Maine Line food truck will be in the parking lot. Call 383-1255.

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS

LORD’S WAREHOUSE THRIFT STORE

The thrift store will be open 9 a.m. to noon at 6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Donations are accepted during business hours. Call 383-4738.

TUESDAYS

QI GONG FOR HEALTH & VITALITY

From 9-10 a.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Improve balance and flexibility, plus loosen joints and relax. Begins Nov. 8 and ends Dec. 20; students can join at any time on a prorated basis. Fee is $70 for members and $80 for nonmembers. Call 383-8222.

QI GONG From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Qi gong is a mind-body-spirit practice designed to improve mental and physical health. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

Lesley Dwyer

St. Armands Circle gets Halloween makeover

The shop owners agree. No matter how much candy they buy, they always run out.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

St. Armands Circle trans formed from suave to spooky on Monday to pre pare for its annual Fright Night. The classic statues that call the circle home were noticeably out of costume. But some merchants were dressed up and decorating their storefronts, all while trying not to eat too much candy.

“I’ve bought a couple bags, but I’ve only eaten two pieces so far,” Just/ Because owner Barbara Pugliese said. “No matter how much I buy, I always run out.”

Pugliese decked her gift shop to the fright-night nines. Eyeballs

accented the display window and a skull wreath hung on the door. With spider lights hanging overhead, it was perfectly creepy.

Pugliese’s “couple bags” of candy equated to about 400 pieces, but she doesn’t own a candy shop. Kil wins had 10 boxes set aside, each filled with 500 miniature candy bars in a variety of milk, white and dark chocolate.

The confection shop has also run out of candy on Fright Night, but they just grab it off the shelves. They’re certainly not turning anyone away on Halloween.

“We just grab random things. How are we a candy shop and we don’t have candy on Halloween?” laughed Vanessa Hunter as she dipped a pret zel stick into melted white chocolate.

Kilwins wasn’t sweating the demand, but owner of Le Macaron Veronique Moussier spent $300 and said it still won’t be enough.

“It’s a circle,” she said. “The kids come around many times.”

One thing Moussier didn’t have to

buy this year was another costume. Each year, she took great care to dec orate one of the statues. A tradition formed through the St. Armands Circle Association; the merchants were responsible for those classic statues wearing capes.

But after vandals were stealing fin gers and a reckless climber knocked over the Music statue in January, the association decided to leave them all bare this year.

“Basically, there was some con cern about setting a bad example,” Executive Director Rachel Burns said. “We want to show the statues the proper respect.”

Especially after an anonymous donor gave $25,000 to a fund set up through the Community Founda tion of Sarasota County to repair the one that was left lying on the ground headless with two broken arms.

Because it is such a fond, long standing tradition, one lone statue at the entrance to the circle donned a black cape and bird mask, but the costumer remains anonymous.

and

Cancer and Microvas

Group network. Peter Vosler,

Tommy Finnan, Sarah Higson and Quinn Brown serve up a circus theme at Shore.

Karen Garrison, Tabitha Jongebloed and Anthony Carneglia in front of their pumpkin creations. Garrison carved the crab.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

A sugar skull inflatable in front of Just/ Because on St. Armands Circle.

The sole statue decorated for Halloween in St. Armands Circle this year.

Operations manager of Crab & Fin Robert Parelhoff dresses up as a sick patient.

Beachfront home sells for more than $11 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome gulf front tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Ben and Barbara Price of Longboat Key sold their home at 3501 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Willis and Elizabeth Hartman of Wichita, Kansas, for $11.5 million. Built in 2004, the home has five bedrooms, six full baths and one halfbath, a swimming pool and 10,097 square feet of living area.

HIBISCUS WAY

Craig and Georgia Walters, of Stam ford, Connecticut, sold their home at 690 Hibiscus Way to Katharine Gunsalus, trustee, of Longboat Key, for $4.25 million. Built in 1964, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,661 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,215,000 in 2008.

LONGBOAT SHORES

Francis Patrick White and Deborah Sue Kassilke, of Sarasota, sold their home at 650 Longview Drive to Jennifer Faye Erickson and Christopher and Conrad Erickson, of Wakefield, Rhode Island, for $1.65 million. Built in 1965, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 1,799 square feet of living area. It sold for $805,000 in 2018.

THE PLAYERS CLUB

Jascott Enterprises LLC sold the Unit 103 condominium at 1485 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gregg Meyers and Susan Knox-Meyers, of Tampa, for $1,475,000. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,774 square feet of living area. It sold for $980,000 in July.

BAILEY DOBSON

James and Lisa Reed, of Bradenton, sold their home at 701 Gulf Bay Road to Elizabeth Ann Guancial and

Davender Singh Khera, of Sarasota, for $1,175,000. Built in 1968, it has four bedrooms, two-and-two-half baths, a pool and 1,800 square feet.

WHITE SANDS OF LIDO Gary and Rolayne Fickes sold their Unit 7 condominium at 160 Harrison Drive to Ronald and Julie Fadel, of Goshen, Kentucky, for $1.1 million. Built in 1933, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,094 square feet of living area. It sold for $701,000 in 2005.

ISLANDER CLUB OF LONGBOAT Louie and Barbara Nix, trustees, of Louisville, Kentucky, sold the Unit 46-N condominium at 2301 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Ritchie Hall, of Crescent Springs, Kentucky, for $935,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,235 square feet of living area. It sold for $390,000 in 2000.

TIFFANY PLAZA Karen Jutzi, of Orland Park, Illinois, sold her Unit 307 condominium at 4325 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Kelly and John Schultz, of Longboat Key, for $930,000. Built in 1975, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,336 square feet of living area. It sold for $325,000 in 1999.

BUILDING PERMITS

Joseph Austin Burke and Susan Sorrels, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 201 condominium at 4401 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gus and Megan Bell, of Wetumpka, Alabama, for $900,000. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,524 square feet of living area. It sold for $560,000 in 2014.

SAND CAY Karl Lapinski, of Fort Myers, sold his Unit 308 condominium at 4725 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Conley Family Holdings Sarasota for $699,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,104 square feet of living area. It sold for $111,000 in 1980.

LIDO HARBOR TOWERS

Diane Stanton, trustee, of Orlando,

sold the Unit 604 condominium at 1770 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Franklin Samson and Audrey O’Connell, trustees, of Sarasota, for $580,000. Built in 1970, it has one bedroom, one bath and 900 square feet of living area. They sold for $175,000 in 1999.

LONGBOAT HARBOUR Theresa Desena and Arlene Desena, of Maspeth, New York, sold their Unit 203 condominium at 4390 Exeter Drive to Robert Bradley Simer and Stefanie Erin Simer, of Middletown, Ohio, for $525,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,152 square feet of living area. It sold for $115,000 in 1998.

In with the new

LONGBOAT HARBOUR TOWERS

Courtesy photo

The home offers just over 10,000 square feet of living space.

St. Armands Oktoberfest draws a crowd

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church celebrated Oktoberfest on Saturday with beer, bratwursts and a band.

Renovations to the dining hall were finished just in time to hang blue and white checkered flags and invite the community for a traditional German feast.

“The goal was to have it done for today,” Congregational Council President Steve Gunderson said.

A divider was removed, new flooring was installed and the walls got a fresh coat of paint. Oktoberfest was a great incentive to get the job done on time, or more than 150 people would have been disappointed.

Eight extra tables were set up in the dining hall to accommodate walk-ins. There was a bar serving German beer and wine and a buffet of German meats from Geier’s Sausage Kitchen, a Sarasota German meat market and deli.

Dressed in lederhosen, a five-piece band played in the courtyard. Guests danced and swayed their

A GERMAN TOAST AND OKTOBERFEST SONG

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit.

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit.

Eins! Zwei! Drei! G’suffa!

A toast, a toast to cheer and good times.

A toast, a toast to cheer and good times. One! Two! Three! Drink up!

beer bottles back and forth to the music. Minister of Music Michael Bodnyk encouraged a singalong by printing German to English translations of Oktoberfest classics such as, “The Hofbrauhaus Song.”

This was only the church’s second Oktoberfest, but it’s likely to become an annual event.

“It’s obviously something people love,” Gunderson said. “We’re about twice as big as last year.”

—LESLEY DWYER

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

The newly renovated dining hall was decorated and ready for Oktoberfest.

The band leads the crowd in a toast.

Chris and Bob Stobaugh take a break from buffet service to dance as Dorothy and the Scarecrow.

Art and Mary Borman and Michael Bodnyk wear their best traditional German clothes.

FORECAST

FRIDAY, NOV. 4 High: 84 Low: 69

Chance of rain: 6%

SATURDAY, NOV. 5 High: 85 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 14%

SUNDAY, NOV. 6 High: 85 Low: 71 Chance of rain: 36%

TIDES

SUNRISE

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, Nov. 3 7:41a 6:44p

MOON PHASES

Nov.

Friday, Nov. 4 7:42a 6:43p Saturday, Nov. 5 7:43a 6:43p Sunday, Nov. 6 6:43a 5:42p Monday, Nov. 7 6:44a 5:41p Tuesday, Nov. 8 6:45a 5:41p Wednesday, Nov. 9 6:46a 5:40p Nov. 8 Full Nov. 23

Highs Lows

Thursday, Nov. 3 8:42a 10:29p 3:25a 4:21p

Friday, Nov. 4 10:04a 10:42p 4:35a 4:58p

Saturday, Nov. 5 11:11a 10:57p 5:29a 5:29p

Sunday, Nov. 6 11:09a 10:13p 5:14a 4:53p

Monday, Nov. 7 12:02p 10:30p 5:55a 5:12p

Tuesday, Nov. 8 12:53p 10:50p 6:33a 5:28p

Wednesday, Nov. 9 1:42p 11:13p 7:09a 5:43p

OH, GOODIE! by Guilherme Gilioli. Edited by Ross Trudeau

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

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