SARASOTA OBSERVER
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KENNEDY / FROM PAGE 1A occurred with Kennedy working alongside Bowman. “Basically, we tried a couple of other avenues (to transition), and it didn’t work on those avenues,” Jones said. “This is the culmination of about six months of trial and error.” SMA Board Chairman Howard Crowell said the process of transitioning from one leader to another was an intrinsically difficult situation, particularly when both parties remained active. Crowell said there was a tendency for both leaders to think they knew better than the
BAYFRONT / FROM PAGE 1A consulting group had worked. In particular, she focused on the history of Brooklyn Bridge Park. When the city planned to allow for a residential development along the waterfront near the bridge, a diverse mix of residents and community organizations banded together to oppose the project. As the group gained political sway and eventually actual authority as the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Organization, it developed a set of 13 principles to guide the future development of the waterfront. Even though the principles were noncontroversial — representing the overlapping desires of different parties — they became an essential guiding tool as the park began to move from theory to reality. Damon said it was essential for Sarasota Bayfront 20:20 to define its mission and develop a similar set of vision-guiding principles. Without the principles, Damon said, the Brooklyn Bridge Park would have never come to fruition. “You always go back to the 13 principles,” Damon said. “Love it or like it, you can always say, ‘This is consistent with the principles,’ or ‘this isn’t.’”
Taking action
Damon said the group needed to form a
THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014
other, and that it was important to clearly define who was guiding the school. “Two leaders is an impossible situation — you have to have one,” Crowell said. “You have to transition from one to another, and that’s what this is really all about.” Kennedy co-founded Sarasota Military Academy alongside Burt Bershon in 2002. Before leaving to start the charter school, Kennedy also served as principal of Sarasota High School. SMA board members said they appreciated the considerable work Kennedy put into making the school a success, and that his transition to an inactive employee was important for preserving the school’s — and Kennedy’s — legacy.
“This is not a punitive situation,” board member Carter Donavan said. “The roles are changing; life is changing. Dan created a wonderful school. Sometimes you need to protect that — that’s what this is doing.” As part of the agreement, Kennedy will use the rest of June to prepare for his leave. Beginning July 1, Kennedy will receive 18 weeks of paid vacation and take 26 weeks of leave as an inactive employee. On Nov. 30, Kennedy will meet with the board, at which time the two parties will discuss his future role at Sarasota Military Academy. Jones said that Kennedy indicated he might opt for full-time retirement, instead. Jones said he was hopeful that Kennedy
would be revitalized after taking time to relax and reflect away from the school. “I think the future of what he’ll be able to do when he comes back, I think that looks pretty bright,” Jones said. Woody Wolverton was the only board member who did not vote in favor of the agreement with Kennedy, choosing instead to abstain. Wolverton stressed the importance of Kennedy in the school’s history. “I think we all feel the same way about Dan and appreciate what he’s done,” Wolverton said. “I hope that this satisfies him, and on the other hand I hope he can be a part of this organization.”
a much-needed distinct image and identity. “This could be a project that could take us clearly into my grandchildren’s day and beyond,” Shirley said. Joe McKenna, president and CEO of the Sarasota Orchestra, raised the stakes: If the city didn’t properly capitalize on the opportunity afforded by the bayfront land, its future was in question. “If we don’t have a core set of values around this piece of Photo courtesy Julienne Schaer land, what happens to Sarasota HR&A Advisors has guided diverse groups through the in five or 10 years?” McKenna creation of public-private projects such as Brooklyn said. “Either you’re alive and viBridge Park. brant, or you’re atrophying.” County Commissioner Joe Barbetta said the land was one wider base of support and get more repreof the city’s greatest assets and sentatives from the community involved that it was being squandered. in the discussion before it can move on to “It’s basic asset-based economic and the principles. Klauber said the group has community development,” Barbetta said. held roughly 25 meetings with community “We’ve got a great asset on the bayfront, and neighborhood organizations since and it’s underutilized.” March. Going forward, the group will continue to try to broaden its efforts. Still, those present at the meeting largely Commission concerns agreed on one thing: The city needed to Although he was encouraged by the seize the moment. Jim Shirley, president presence at the table at last week’s meetof the Sarasota County Arts and Cultural ing, Barbetta called attention to one group Alliance, said the land could give the city that was notably lacking representation:
the Sarasota City Commission. “I’m just concerned — this is a great group of really intelligent people, but the decision-makers are not in the room,” Barbetta said. “Those are the people you’ve got to convince.” The group repeatedly mentioned that winning commission buy-in — and, in the future, the commitment of public funds to develop infrastructure on the land — would be one of its toughest battles. Damon said the group should spend the next six months working on clearly defining its goals and gaining more support from citizens. After it has done that, she suggested the group find a way to publicizes its achievements throughout the community. “You can have some sort of programming, sponsored by this new organization, that shows it’s capable of bringing all of the districts along,” Damon said. Klauber is scheduled to update the City Commission next month on Sarasota Bayfront 20:20’s work. Right now, he’s just hoping to receive acknowledgement that the group is still on the right path and perhaps a more whole-hearted commitment from the City Commission. From there, he’ll try to create a project that is satisfying to all involved parties. “Not everybody is going to get everything they want in something like this, but if everyone is willing to work together, we can all win,” Klauber said.
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