After the City Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection Board asked the City Commission to consider creating tobacco-free zones in children’s areas of city parks, DSCA asked the question why limit it to just the children’s areas. Residents and merchants downtown have been complaining for sometime about the litter being created downtown by people who inappropriately dispose of their cigarette butts and tobacco products when they are done. Additionally, many people have had to move away from benches, sidewalk tables and their pedestrian routes to avoid the hazards of second-hand smoke.

What do you think about creating a tobacco-free zone for all of downtown or within 100 feet of any park or bench? The DSCA will be commenting at public meetings concerning this discussion, and we’d like to know how you our Association members and your residents feel about smoke free zones.

Contact Peter Fanning, President of the DSCA, to let him know what you think about expanding the push for smoke-free by going to this Website’s Contact Page and sending him an e-mail.

DSCA Director Art Levin is Appointed to City of Sarasota Charter Review Committee (9/10/2010)

DSCA Director Art Levin has been appointed to the City of Sarasota Charter Review Committee for a term expected to last approximately 9 months. The Charter defines the structure of our city government and its powers. The City Commission may appoint a 10 member Charter Review Committee from time to time to review specifically designated provisions of the Charter. It must appoint a Charter Review Committee with unlimited review authority at least once every 10 years. Art is a member of an “unlimited authority” committee. It will be meeting the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Commissioners’ Meeting Room. All meetings are open to the public and some or maybe all of the meetings will be televised on Comcast’s and FIOS’s public service channel.

In addition to being a Director of the DSCA, Art has been a Director of the One Watergate Association for the past 5 years and is their Treasurer. Before retiring to Sarasota, he was a Town Councilman in New York State for 12 years, and, though not a lawyer, for 4 years he was a consultant to the Legal Dept of IBM Europe in their Paris HQ.

Art Levin wants to hear all your great suggestions to make our city a better place through improving the way our government functions.  You can reach Art at Arthur.Levin@sarasotagov.com.

October 11th, 2010