Sarasota Election: Battie, Shaw Vie For District 1 Seat

SARASOTA, FL — In the 2020 election, Sarasota voters will choose the winner of the Sarasota City Commission’s District 1 race. Kyle Scott Battie and incumbent Willie Charles Shaw are vying for the role.

How to vote

As the Nov. 3 election approaches, Sarasota County voters can submit their ballots at early voting locations, at drop-off boxes and by mail. They can also vote at their local voting precinct on Election Day.

If voting in person, either early or on Nov. 3, voters must bring a current and valid ID with their name, photo and signature. Find a full list of acceptable IDs here.

Vote-by-mail ballots may be returned using the U.S. Postal Service. The return postage for a vote-by-mail ballot is two Forever stamps or $.70. They must be received by 7 p.m. Election Day. Additionally, they can be dropped off at any early voting location. Find a list of early voting locations here. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot has passed.

If you choose to vote in person on Nov. 3, you can look up your voting precinct online here. For your vote to count, you must vote in the precinct in which you reside. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Meet the candidates

Sarasota Patch recently sent out questionnaires to learn more about who these candidates are and where they stand on local issues. Below are the responses submitted.

Willie Charles Shaw is a Sarasota resident with deep roots in the city. His family has lived here for 110 years.

A retired United States Postal Service employee, he studied at St. Petersburg Junior College and Berean Bible College. He’s currently associate minister at Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church.

He’s previously served as a city commissioner, serving District 1, and as mayor. He’s worked with SCOPE (Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence) and serves on the Sarasota Housing Authority. He also previously served on the Ad Hoc Police Advisory Committee.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Shaw: Affordable Housing. Keeping people in housing that was affordable when they bought it and assisting them in maintaining its habitability, establishing realistic standards for affordability based upon the actual population in need, and upholding affordable housing requirements for development without exception. Much of meeting the affordable housing need requires creating employment and a living wage.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Shaw: Experience. I have served as a city commissioner for nine years. Before that, I served on the Ad Hoc Police Advisory Panel advocating for police reform. I have met the basic requirements of citizenship by voting and engaging in civic organizations. I have actively worked for community inclusiveness, minority hiring, and law enforcement reform over the years.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Shaw: To continue to stand up for economic development in all of District 1. To continue to pursue meaningful affordable and workforce housing programs. To continue to work for local programs to assure that District 1 residents have affordable and accessible health care services. To continue to promote police reform, including leadership in promoting Community Policing/ Guardian Culture, Drug Market Intervention/Diversion, and assuring that Police Management has the proper ability to hold individual officers accountable to high standards of policing. To continue to stand up for neighborhood protection and enhancement and to support neighborhood protections provided by the City’s Comprehensive Plan. To support inclusion of diverse community voices on all of the City’s Advisory Boards and Committees.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Shaw: Championed the Housing First program for addressing homelessness, which is an evidence based and humane approach, resulting in substantial reductions in homelessness; initiated the adoption of the High Point Strategy for community policing and the Drug Market Intervention Strategy which has resulted in a 25 percent reduction in crime. I worked for a unified for the Booker High School Rebuild and the establishment of the health clinic/SMH Internal Medicine Program; supported incentives for the redevelopment of the Rosemary District, supported park improvements for Gillespie Park dog park in Gilles

Why should voters trust you?

Shaw: My record should speak for itself. I have dedicated myself to the service of my constituents and the representation of the needs of the community for over nine years.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

Shaw: Completion of important infrastructure programs, including water/sewer system upgrades and the city-wide transportation plan, accountability for law enforcement officer misconduct, and successful affordable housing programs that actually create affordable and workforce housing.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

Shaw: Good government requires fiscal responsibility. We need to assure that the City receives actual benefit for the dollars invested. COVID-19 has and will create substantial fiscal restraints, which will require substantial belt tightening and hiring freezes. During this challenging time, we will need to place our focus on core governmental services.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Shaw: I support Black Lives Matter protests and am pleased that police reforms already initiated in Sarasota resulted in peaceful protests. It was not a great change for our police department to adopt the 8 Can't Wait reforms proposed by the BLM movement. I have worked to address over-policing of minority areas and police accountability. These improvements must be expanded. Black Lives also Matter in the COVID-19 pandemic in which black communities have faced higher mortality due to systematic racism. Black Lives also Matter in terms of employment, a living wage, and housing.

What are your thoughts on the campaign to "defund" the police?

Shaw: The phrase "Defund the Police" has meant many different things. I believe that the police perform vital law enforcement and peacekeeping functions. I, also, believe that there is a history of over-policing minority areas. Police departments are often asked to perform social services that best performed by people who are not police officers. The city does not use police officers for its Homeless Outreach Teams. This has been very effective.

What are your thoughts on the state and national response to the coronavirus pandemic? Do you favor such measures as limiting operation of non-essential businesses or restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a nationwide mask mandate?

Shaw: Our City did limit indoor dining while allowing our streets to be used for outdoor dining. Our city did have a mask requirement but did not engage in enforcing that requirement. Businesses complied voluntarily. Leadership by example is critical for masking and distancing needed to stop COVID-19. A national and state model based upon our local model is appropriate.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

Shaw: No.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Shaw: Listen to the citizens and treat them with respect. There is strength in diversity.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Shaw: I have served in the military of this country. I pledged to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States. When I took the office of City Commissioner, I took a similar oath. I take those pledges seriously.

Learn more about Shaw on his campaign website.

Kyle Scott Battie did not submit responses to our questionnaire, but we compiled some information about him. According to the Herald-Tribune, Battie, 52, grew up in District 1 and graduated from Sarasota High School.

He worked as a model in Miami and New York before returning to Sarasota. He now hosts a men’s lifestyle show, “Fly with Kyle Scott,” on ABC 7.

According to his campaign website, he wants to revitalize the District 1 neighborhood.

“No Neighborhood left behind. Over the last decade we’ve seen investment pour into every other district in the city though upgraded roads, sidewalks, streetlights, and power lines. But in District 1 too many of our neighborhoods remain unimproved,” he wrote on his website. “We need an aggressive District 1 commissioner that will bring more money back to the neighborhoods of District 1 to finally make the necessary improvements that have been on the back burner for far too long.”

Battie said he also has concerns about the cost of living and the effect it has on those in his district and wants to bring more economic opportunities to the district.

“District 1 is home to some of the most economically underserved residents in the city and we must do a better job ensuring locals have the opportunity to raise their standard of living,” he wrote on his website. “In a community that has some of the best paying jobs in hospitality and construction we still have too many people that are not participating. Our residents should benefit from our prosperity and facilitate opportunities that allow our residents to take part in the city’s opportunities.”

He also expressed support of arts and culture in the city, as well as the environment and waterways. He also would like to reduce homelessness.

Learn more about Battie at his campaign website.