Two council seats are expiring; city seeks qualified candidates
Last week, the City of Sanibel announced its 2011 Municipal Election Calendar for the City Council election being held on Tuesday, March 1. Two council seats, currently occupied by Jim Jennings and Peter Pappas, will officially expire on March 15.
Although Pappas has not formally announced his candidacy for re-election, Jennings said on Wednesday that he will be seeking another four-year term.
“Sanibel is such a unique and wonderful place, and I’d like to help keep it in its pristine condition,” said Jennings. “There are all sorts of different factors out there — the new governor and new state representatives — that we don’t know how they will deal with Sanibel’s priorities.”
Jennings serves as the council liaison to the City of Sanibel Parks and Recreation Committee and the Recreation Financial Assistance Committee. He also serves as liaison to the Southwest Florida League of Cities, is on the Board of Directors for the Florida League of Cities, and serving appointments to the Florida League of Cities Legislative Committee and the Florida League of Cities Resolutions Committee for 2010.
In addition, Jennings is a voting delegate to the Florida League of Cities and serves as the liaison to the Lee County Horizon Council (Economic Development) and first alternate for the Metropolitan Planning Commission.
A resident of Sanibel for more than four decades, Pappas currently serves as the council liaison to the City of Sanibel Vegetation Commission as well as on the Employee Dependent Scholarship Committee. He could not be reached for comment on the upcoming election.
According to the city, final candidate qualifying documents must be submitted during the week of qualifying, from noon on Monday, Jan. 10 through noon on Friday, Jan. 14. The municipal filing officer must receive official certification of valid candidate petition signatures from the Lee County Supervisor of Elections prior to the close of the qualifying period.
Voter registration books close 29 days prior to election day, on Monday, Jan. 31. Sanibel’s municipal election will be held on Tuesday, March 1. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day. Polling locations will include Precinct 16 — Island Civic Center, 2407 Library Way, Precinct 117 — Sanibel Community Church, 1740 Periwinkle Way, and Precinct 118 — Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ, 2050 Periwinkle Way.
For additional information regarding the 2011 Municipal Election Calendar, including links to download candidate forms, visit www.mysanibel.com.