Dobrin files for District 5 seat on North Port City Commission, race set for Aug. 23

NORTH PORT – Victor Dobrin, a four-year member of the West Villages Improvement District Board of Supervisors and a staunch advocate of fiscal responsibility, recently filed to run for the District 5 North Port City Commission seat.

That decision may seem odd when contrasted with the fact that the retired Ford Motor Company engineer is also a founding member of the West Villagers for Responsible Government – the resident group seeking to separate land west of the Myakka River from the city of North Port.

Related: Emrich files for second term; two file in District 5

Dobrin, 65, said that the push for deannexation is “in the realm of the courts and let that process work its way."

“But as a citizen of North Port I see a lot of opportunity to change, shift some of the habits and direction of the city to make it more sustainable, more responsible governance where everybody can benefit and that’s why I am in this race,” Dobrin said.

“This is not about deannexation,” he later added. “This is about the dedication of an individual for the common good with the highest responsibility.”

A resident of Gran Paradiso, Dobrin is one of three Wellen Park residents to have filed to succeed Jill Luke – who is term-limited – on the City Commission.

The other two, Island Walk resident David Pankiw and Gran Paradiso resident Philip Stokes, are both against the West Villagers for Responsible Government Movement’s push to separate from the city.

Dobrin said that the key concept behind the citizens group is responsible government.

“I think the most important and vital issue of the community is its long-term sustainability,” said Dobrin, who moved to North Port in 2017 from Michigan and grew up under communist rule in Romania. He was valedictorian of the Jet Propulsion class of 1981 at Polytechnic University of Bucharest and valedictorian of his class in 1975 at the Gheorghe Lazar National College in Sibu.

He first worked as an aerospace engineer and as assistant professor at the University of Bucharest and served as a lieutenant in the Romanian Air Force  but left, in part, because he was not allowed to pursue his doctorate.

After emigrating to the United States, Dobrin continued his PhD studies in mechanical engineering at Wayne State University and in aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan.

He first worked at Bosch and later at the Fort Motor Company, until he retired in 2017 after working there for almost 24 years.

Dobrin is finishing the fourth year of his term as a resident representative on the board of the West Villages Improvement District – the government entity that finances and maintains infrastructure for much of the development now known as Wellen Park.

He previously served as chairman of the North Port Utilities Board, and is a member of the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association Board.

He became a vocal activist in 2019, as the City Commission considered an aggressive increase in the property tax rate that would have had city property owners paying an additional 79 cents per $1,000 of taxable value.

That year, Dobrin noted in an open letter to the commission that the proposed rate of 4.2056 mills was a 31.29% increase over the rolled back rate of 3.2034 mills, which would have kept tax revenues level with the 2018-19 fiscal year.

Earlier:North Port commission trims more millage for 2019-20 budget

Ultimately, the commission set a rate of 3.8735 mills for the 2019-20 fiscal year – a reduction but still enough to prompt Dobrin and other critics to rally in opposition prior to the last budget hearing. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

Displeasure over that proposed hike, as well as the city’s decision to build the North Port Aquatic Center and even the decision to spend money to restore three historic structures at Warm Mineral Springs Park contributed to the formation of the WV4RG and the push to contract the city’s boundaries.

In subsequent years, the commission dropped the millage rate to 3.776 mills – the figure used to build the proposed 2022-23 budget.

Dobrin said he believes that to be successful, the city must have a diversified tax base and set its priorities to maintain and improve infrastructure – notably the water control structures built by General Development Corp. that control the flow of water in 80 miles of waterways and canals within the city.

As part of that diversification, he points to the need for the city to charge appropriate impact fees for new development, to take the burden off of existing homeowners.

“There is so much potential for this city to become better and sustainable and I cannot be an outsider anymore because I have seen the people who are going to run for this and that doesn’t suit me well,” Dobrin said.

Candidate qualifying runs from noon June 13 to noon June 17.

In addition to District 5, city voters will also pick the District 4 commissioner.

Incumbent Peter Emrich has filed for a second term but so far no one else has filed. Commissioners must live in their district but are on a citywide ballot.

All three candidates will be on the ballot for an Aug. 23 primary. If one of those candidates gets 50% of the vote plus one, they will win the seat. If not, the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 8 election.

 If no one gets 50% of the vote plus one, the top two candidates will advance

As per the charter, city commissioners can serve two consecutive terms. They are paid  $34,800.85 a  year. The mayor, who is chosen on a year-to-year basis by the commissioners, earns another $1.200.

Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune.