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Venice has a council-manager system of local government. This system combines the political leadership of elected officials in the form of a city council with the managerial experience of a city manager.
The council is the legislative body empowered to make decisions by the citizens who elect its members. Council hires and supervises the charter officers.
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Ed Martin, Mayor
emartin@ci.venice.fl.us |
Mayor Ed Martin was elected in November, 2007. He and his wife, Peggy, moved to Golden Beach in 1994 after retiring from a career with the federal government managing programs in special education and rehabilitation.
He holds a bachelor's degree from Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., a master's degree in speech pathology from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. in speech pathology and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.
He represents the city on the Council of Governments.
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Ernie Zavodnyik, Vice Mayor
ezavodnyik@ci.venice.fl.us |
Council Member Ernie Zavodnyik was elected in November 2007.
Before retiring, Mr. Zavodnyik was assistant corporation counsel to the city of Chicago and staff director for the American Bar Association Judicial Administration Division.
He holds a bachelor's degree and law degrees from the University of Notre Dame.
Since moving to Venice, he has been active in the Epiphany Cathedral Parish Council and is a member of the Venice Neighborhoods Coalition, Venice Area Audubon Society and Notre Dame Club of Sarasota.
He serves as ex-officio to the city’s Environmental Task Force and represents the city at the Criminal Justice Commission City-County Corrections Work Group and the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council.
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Jim Bennett, Council Member
jbennett@ci.venice.fl.us |
Council Member Jim Bennett was elected in 2009.
Before being elected to City Council, Mr. Bennett served on the Venice Planning Commission.
He also served as chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission in New Canaan, Conn. and on the Stamford, Conn. based Southwestern Regional Planning Agency. The Montclair, N.J., native was in-house counsel for several well known firms, such as Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical, Allied Chemical Company and General Electric Co., Latin American Business Division.
An attorney by profession, Mr. Bennett is a graduate of Princeton and Stanford universities. He represents the Palladium Group, a European-based family real estate conglomerate as its U.S. counsel.
He currently serves as ex-officio on the city’s Architectural Review Board and Municipal Code Enforcement Board; and represents the city the Manasota Metropolitan Plannning Organization (MPO).
He and his wife, Lynnette, moved to Venice in 2006.
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Emilio Carlesimo, Council Member
ecarlesimo@ci.venice.fl.us |
Council Member Emilio Carlesimo was elected in 2009.
Mr. Carlesimo is a retired firefighter who worked for the city of Detroit and Sarasota County fire departments.
Before his election, he served as a member of the city’s Fire Pension Board and Sarasota County’s Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board. He also served as the vice president of the MacArthur Beach and Racquet Club condominium association.
He serves as ex-officio on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and represents the city on the Coastal Advisory Committee as well as the Complete Count Committee for the 2010 Census.
He and his wife, Brenda, have lived in Venice since 1990.
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Sue Lang, Council Member
slang@ci.venice.fl.us |
Council Member Sue Lang was elected in November 2007.
She moved to Venice in 2003 after retiring from city government in Hartford, Conn.
She holds a bachelor's degree in human services administration and a master's degree in economic development from New Hampshire College, and attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Design fifth annual Harvard Institute of Affordable Housing.
She served as president of the Venice Neighborhoods Coalition Inc., and has been a member of the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations, Citizens for Sensible Growth and the Sierra Club.
She serves as ex-officio on the Planning Commission. She is also the liaison to the Venice Housing Authority and represents the city at the Sarasota County Community Action Agency.
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Kit McKeon, Council Member
kmckeon@ci.venice.fl.us
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Council Member Kit McKeon was elected in 2008.
Before being elected to City Council, he served on the Venice Planning Commission.
Mr. McKeon graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and has an MBA from Golden Gate University. He served as an infantry officer and a helicopter pilot in the United States Army. During his 30-year career in the defense aerospace business, he worked for General Electric and later retired as an executive from Sikorsky Aircraft’s Washington D.C. office.
He serves as the ex-officio on the Public Art Task Force and Economic Development Task Force and represents the city at the Economic Development Corporation.
He, and his wife, Wanda, moved to Venice full time in 2004 from Alexandria, Va. After his parents retired in Venice in 1970, he visited the area frequently until moving here permanently.
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John
K. Moore, Council Member
jmoore@ci.venice.fl.us |
Vice Mayor John K. Moore was reelected in 2008.
He serves as ex-officio on the Venice Historical Commission.
Before being elected to the council, he served as chairman of the Municipal Code Enforcement Board.
Mr. Moore holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Virginia Military Institute and a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He served in the U.S. Army.
He represents the city at Manasota League of Cities, Sarasota County Tourist Development Council and Tourism and Economic Development Board. He is the ex-officio to the city’s Historic Preservation Board.
He, and his wife, Linda, moved to Venice in 2000 from Virginia Beach, Va., where Mr. Moore served as circuit court judge. The couple have three children and six grandchildren.
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