Television host Kyle Scott Battie last week filed to challenge Sarasota City Commissioner Willie Shaw for his District 1 seat. When the two face off this year, it will be the first time there’s a contest for the north Sarasota seat in more than nine and a half years.

Shaw notes that in a near decade of service on the Commission, the former mayor has served on and chaired regional boards. He now chairs the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council and has held leadership positions with the Manasota League of Cities, Florida League of Cities and other agencies dealing with governance and economic development.

“I want to continue to maintain the quality of life in the City of Sarasota,” Shaw told SRQ MEDIA.

As fas as specific achievements for north Sarasota, Shaw was quick to bring up the Drug Market Intervention program, which has played a significant role in reducing crime within north Sarasota.

For Battie, a 52-year-old who graduated from Sarasota High School, he comes into the election with a serious pedigree. His mother Jean Battie taught at Emma E. Booker Middle School, and father Hank has been an active and continuous Downtown Sarasota business owner. That long family connection to the community and business leaders will drive his candidacy, he said.

“The cost of living is increasing too quickly for many in our community to afford, and the longstanding challenges facing our North Sarasota neighborhoods need to finally be addressed,” Battie said. 

The recent impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout only exacerbate problems and the need for commissioners to focus on economic opportunities and cost of living, he said.

Mattie’s entry means all three Sarasota City Commission races this year will likely see contests. Four candidates are running in District 2: incumbent Liz Albert, Martin Hyde, Terry Turner and Jerry Wells, with others rumored. In the District 3 race, Erik Arroyo faces Daniel Clermont.

Shaw first won office in 2011 in a four person field, and won reelection unopposed in 2015. This marks the first election for the city in decades scheduled for a November cycle. If only Shaw and Battie file, they will face each other on Nov. 3.