Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
September 7, 2018 12:00 a.m.
With the conclusion of the primary elections last week, we got a brief respite from the political campaign noise and clutter. I expect the noise and clutter to return shortly after the week of Labor Day. Over the next few months, with the high-visibility contests for the United States Senate seat (major two-party candidates: incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson versus term-limited Republican Governor Rick Scott) and Governor (major two-party candidates: Congressman Ron DeSantis [6th Congressional District- Palm Coast] versus Andrew Gillum [Mayor, Tallahassee]), we’ll have plenty of electioneering.
The November ballot will also include a dizzying thirteen State Constitution amendments. If you ever needed a reason to consider voting-by-mail, the time needed to vote on these thirteen measures should be enough incentive. For more information, please visit the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections web site (https://www.votenassau.com/).
To all of the more local candidates in the recent primary (County Commissioner, Ocean Highway and Port Authority Commissioner, School Board, and judges), both victors and vanquished, thank you for your efforts. Until you experience a political campaign, a building-block foundation of our republican government, it is difficult to comprehend the depth of commitment required to seek, let alone gain, political office.
I have offered similar deep appreciation to the five candidates that will also be on the November ballot for the Fernandina Beach City Commission races. The five candidates are running for the new four-year seats in Groups 4 and 5. In Group 4, incumbent Roy G. Smith, Bradley Bean, and Mike Lednovich are contending. In Group 5, incumbent Vice Mayor Len Kreger and Cason Zylinski are vying for the four-year seat.
The City has a population of over 12,000 residents, with likely two-thirds of those as registered electors, eligible to run for the City Commission. Only five of those have stepped forward to run. Congratulations to those five.
The role of the City Commissioner is often undervalued. Although the City Commission regularly meets only twice each month, additional special meetings and workshops are frequently scheduled. Each of those meetings require significant preparation.
The City Commission agendas, including background and supporting documentation, are available online for everyone to review (http://www.fbfl.us/867/Agendas). For timely review, anyone can also request an electronic alert when agendas (for any board or commission) are uploaded and posted. The City does not publish paper packets, having fully transitioned to electronic agendas a few years ago.
City Commission agenda packets are usually around eight hundred pages. Agenda preparation for a meeting begins several weeks prior to each specific meeting. Except for emergency issues, each agenda is typically “locked-down” about three weeks before each meeting. In the days following the “lock-down” senior City staff (with the often underappreciated assistance of additional staff) reviews and approves each agenda item. It is a little easier now with the electronic agendas, but during my first several months here, the paper agenda items traveled frequently back and forth between the scattered City offices. The City Commission agenda is published one week before the appropriate meeting.
Since the City Commission meetings are usually every two weeks, City staff is often engaged preparing the next agenda before the current agenda meeting even occurs. From a staff perspective, we have moved on to the next meeting, which leads to the need to often re-familiarize ourselves with each agenda on the day of the meeting. In some instances, staff begins agenda preparation on issues several weeks, if not months, in advance of scheduled meetings. The routine of agenda preparation is frequently overlooked as an imperative time-consuming task, in an effort to have city government function seamlessly and efficiently.
City Commissioners then need to read and review the massive document. The City Commissioners subsequently request additional information or clarification from City staff over the course of the week leading to the actual meeting. City Commissioners have their own routine of engaging local residents to solicit feedback on issues, both on and off the agenda.
A final aspect of the life of a City Commissioner is that, most importantly, the City Commissioners are publicly visible. With cell phone cameras and recorders, public officials (elected, appointed, and employed) are always on duty, representing the community with every action and word. For some officials, this can be a challenging transition to public life.
It is for that reason that I again offer my sincere appreciation to candidates Bean, Kreger, Lednovich, Smith, and Zylinksi. I look forward to your service and commitment to the City of Fernandina Beach.