Dan Saracki named 2018 Home Rule Hero Award winner by Florida League of Cities

Oldsmar City Council member Dan Saracki was recently named one of 89 Home Rule Hero Award winners by the Florida League of Cities. (Pictured: Saracki and his wife, Paula, in the 2017 Oldsmar Days Parade.)

Oldsmar City Council member Dan Saracki was recently named a 2018 Home Rule Hero Award winner by the Florida League of Cities, continuing a streak of being recognized for his commitment to local government.

Saracki, who was automatically reelected to a second three-year term in March 2016, helped Oldsmar win the 2017 City Spirit Award for his work organizing the city’s yearlong centennial celebration in 2016, and he was also recognized by the FLC for completing a local-government training course last December.

Dan Saracki holds the City Spirit Award that was presented to Oldsmar officials by the Florida League of Cities in July 2017.

According to a press release announcing the 2018 Home Rule Hero Award, the FLC “recognized 89 city officials from across Florida who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the state legislature and give a local perspective to an issue.”

Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems through and by local decision makers with minimal state interference.

The organization chose Saracki “for his tireless effort to advance the League’s legislative agenda and help protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s cities during the 2018 legislative session.”

“I am honored to receive this prestigious award,” Saracki said in the release. “It serves as a reminder of how we are striving to remind our constituents about the importance of local government.

“This legislative session certainly shed light on how quickly things we take for granted could easily be taken away. The staunch support I received by Oldsmar City Council, Mayor (Doug) Bevis and members of the Suncoast League of Cities helped assure that our voices were unified and echoed throughout the halls of our state Capitol, Senate and House.”

On Feb. 20, 2018, Oldsmar Mayor Doug Bevis (l) presented Dan Saracki with a certificate he earned for completing a local-government training program hosted by the Florida League of Cities. The FLC recently named Saracki one of 89 Home Rule Hero Award winners in the state of Florida for 2018.

After receiving a certificate for passing the stringent IEMO (Institute for Elected Municipal Officials) IV Municipal Leadership training program from Mayor Bevis in February, Saracki said he was inspired to help fight for his community’s rights by his uncle, Stanley Spisiak, an activist in Buffalo, NY who promoted his cause of cleaning up the waters around his hometown directly to Sen. Robt. F. Kennedy.

Dan Saracki at the Legends of Rock concert that closed Oldsmar’s yearlong centennial celebration on Oct. 1, 2016.

“It is clear from where in my family I inherited the gift to help bring people together, ensure success in our neighborhoods, and never think twice about helping others be successful,” Saracki said of his Uncle Stanley.

In response to receiving the latest accolade, Saracki, a candidate for second vice-president of the Suncoast League of Cities, explained why he was so honored to receive the 2018 Home Rule Hero Award.

“I am grateful to the Florida League of Cities for the education and opportunities they have provided me and honored to have received this award,” he said via email.

“I became involved in politics when I discovered that people and organizations truly could have a positive impact on the community. That’s why Home Rule is so important to me, to let local government continue to work for the people and make a difference.

“The Oldsmar Mayor, Council and Staff are a great team, and it’s important that we protect the right to serve our residents.”

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  1. Rick 6 years ago
    • Dan Saracki 6 years ago

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