Photos: Erik Arroyo, Kathy Kelley Olrich.

Many voiced surprise when Erik Arroyo, despite a second-place finish before a runoff, won his District 3 seat on the Sarasota City Commission four years ago. Now he hopes voters feel satisfied with the job he has done.

But Kathy Kelley Olrich, a past chair of the City Coalition of Neighborhood Associations and the city Planning Board, certainly is not. She is challenging the incumbent for his District 3 seat, saying Arroyo has kept up a long tradition of ignoring the district’s concerns.

Both appear on the Nov. 5 ballot for voters living in the southeast Sarasota district.

Arroyo points to a lengthy list of accomplishments on his campaign website for why he deserves a second term. That includes conserving the most green space of any Sarasota City Commission, most notably using conservation easements to preserve Bobby Jones Golf Club as a nature park.

“Bobby Jones was closed and dilapidated for years. It’s open again now and we funded this entire project so it’s now in a preserve forever,” Arroyo said. “If that’s not an investment in District 3 in and of itself, I don’t know what is.”

But Ohlrich doesn’t see Arroyo making decisions on grounds they will benefit the city as a whole. Rather, she sees him doing the work of donors and friends, many of those from the development world. As for service to District 3, she said the neglect can be seen throughout.

“It’s a really simple thing to observe,” she said. “There is not one piece of public art in District 2. And as I have walked around the district, it’s clear to me code enforcement is not happening as much in District 3 as in District 2. So I’ve said to people I’m going to get some equity in District 3, whether that’s public art, code enforcement, city grants, whatever it takes so we are not ignored anymore.”

Ohlrich previously won election to the Village Council for Moreland Hills, Ohio before moving to Sarasota. That and her service with neighborhood associations gives her the background to make a positive impact on the city, she said. She has been concerned at the number of proposals to commercialize bigger parts of Payne Park. She would rather the city look at ways of improving portions of the city without giving up public assets, and points to tools like a Fruitville Road overlay district that could be better employed to make an attractive entry to the city from the east.

“I’m the kind of person, when I have responsibilities for making decisions for other people, I really prepare,” she said. “I listen to all sides of an issue, including others who will be voting on an issue, and I always try and vote and do the right thing.”

Arroyo notes the city has rejected controversial proposals again and again to give up parts of parts for commercial units, but also notes cafes and other uses have long been part of the city fabric. He also points to lasting public improvement projects in the city including at The Bay. He also notes that during his time in office, Sarasota City Commissioners have not voted to raise taxes even while reducing homeless rates and increasing the availability of affordable housing, including an incentive program that sparked commitments to bring 600 new units online in the city.

“Opponents love saying they, in theory, are for affordability,” Arroyo said. “My oppononent on the Planning Board didn’t vote a single time for affordable housing. They support it in philosophy but their actions do not align.”

Photos: Erik Arroyo, Kathy Kelley Olrich.