Community forum to be held at Taylor Center

The Robert L. Taylor Complex. Photo courtesy City of Sarasota

District 1 Sarasota City Commissioner Willie Shaw and District 1 County Commissioner Carolyn Mason will host a community forum Thursday, June 14, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 34th St. the City of Sarasota has announced.  The forum will feature updates on current city and county projects within District 1, including the latest community efforts to improve public safety, a city news release says.

A featured portion of the forum will be Shaw’s report on his recent trip to High Point, N.C., “where he learned more about a unique community based initiative to reduce crime,” the release adds. “Led by criminologist David Kennedy, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, the High Point community used a multi-pronged approach to reduce crime,” the news release says.

That approach includes local pastors; representatives of social services, health services and probation offices; and economics to achieve success, the news release says. Shaw will be seeking community volunteers to help launch a similar program in North Sarasota, the release adds.

Shaw has been the District 1 city commissioner since May 2011. Mason was elected to the County Commission in 2008, after serving on the City Commission from 1999 to 2003.