Contentment doesn’t suit Kerry Kirschner. That’s not to say that Kirschner appears an unhappy man. Indeed, a signature chortle often accompanies his grimmest assessments of the future. He lights up when talking about his children, all success stories in their own right in fields including education, sports management and manufacturing. But after decades of shaping public dialogue on the Gulf Coast, his face still turns serious when asked about the direction in which Sarasota is going today. “When I look at our elected officials now, I don’t see in any of our elected bodies a strong direction or an interest in what we want our community to be in the future,” he says. “You know, it’s all seemingly a lot of government as usual, and no concern with how me make this a better place.” It’s frustrating to this child of the Suncoast to see since thoughts of a better future carried him through every decision in his life.