Our Candidates

Four of the nine seats on the board are open for election in August this year. We support high-quality candidates who will continue to demonstrate leadership in providing high quality healthcare services to our county-wide community.

We are backing these excellent candidates:

Dr. Tara Butler, Northern District, Seat 2

Butler, a board-certified emergency medicine physician, has served Sarasota Memorial for more than 15 years. She has also led efforts to improve patient outcomes and streamline emergency operations as chairs of the Emergency Care Center’s Quality Improvement Committee.

“Sarasota Memorial is the crown jewel of our region — a hospital that represents the very best of what a public health system can be,” Butler said in a statement. “It has been the privilege of my career to serve here, and I’m running to ensure we preserve that excellence, transparency and trust for generations to come.”

Bill Woeltjen, Northern District, Seat 1

Woeltjen has worked at Sarasota Memorial for 15 years, including 12 as Chief Financial Officer. He is focused on sustaining the hospital’s mission and independence. He holds degrees in economics, management and accounting from Tulane University and the University of South Florida, and an MBA from USF.

"Having spent my career helping to ensure SMH’s financial strength, I know firsthand what it takes to sustain this hospital’s mission,” Woeltjen said. “As a fiscal conservative, I’ll work to keep Sarasota Memorial strong, efficient and accountable to the people it serves."