Daniel Kuether Runs For Sarasota County Commission District 4 Seat

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Voters will decide who will win the Sarasota County Commission District 4 seat.

Two candidates are vying for the position:

• Daniel Kuether
• Joseph Neunder

Voters will cast their ballots in the Nov. 8 general elections.

Patch has asked all candidates to complete a questionnaire about their campaign and their priorities.

Kuether responded to our survey and her responses are posted below:

Name

Daniel Kuether

Campaign website

https://www.electkuether.com/

City or town of residence

Sarasota, Florida

Office sought

Sarasota County Commission, District 4

Education

B.A. from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY

Occupation

UX Designer, 3 years

Family

Husband, Ryan Suplee

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Age

33

Previous public office, appointive or elective

No

Why are you seeking this office?

I've always been involved in my community. Still, recently I've felt a strong desire to run for office because of stories of friends being forced to move when they could no longer find housing in their price range. Or when local business owners tell me, they are struggling to stay open because new employees can't afford to live close enough to their place of work. Sarasota is a beautiful place to live, but sadly it doesn't work the same way for all its residents. So, I knew that I had the experience to help make a difference.

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

My campaign is about bringing new ideas to a county that is no longer working for all its residents. I'm a new leader for Sarasota County with a decade of relevant business experience and a smart-growth approach. My opponent has been part of the problem over the years as a member of the Planning Commission. His deep ties to the developer community are most evident by his development-funded campaign.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

In addition to working to solve our affordable housing crisis, I plan to address our inadequacy in caring for the environment and supporting the needs of residents.

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

I've spent over a dozen years working in the real estate industry in management, development and real estate tech. I've done the hard work of sitting down at literal tables to get developers to work with residents in the past. I can bring a new face to the commission that is not afraid of doing the work we need to make affordable housing options in Sarasota County.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The best advice I was ever given was to simply listen. The story goes that a businessman held dozens of meetings, but all his pitches landed flat for some reason. He walked into the next meeting, and the client started talking before he could get a word out, so he stayed quiet, and the client spoke for over an hour. In the end, without the businessman saying a word, the client stood up with affirmation, "That was the best meeting of my life." We need more of that in local politics. We're better off listening and earnestly hearing the needs of our constituents.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

The Republican Party has controlled the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners for over 50 years. The issues we see in the current affordable housing crisis, our overwhelmed infrastructure and the negative environmental impacts, are entirely caused by mismanagement from one-party rule. We have an imbalance in the system that can only be reworked by adding new faces to the county commission. We need new county commissioners who are not bought by developer funds and will stand up for citizens' interests.