By Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
December 11, 2020
Tuesday’s Run-off Election has nearly completed the City’s 2020 election cycle. Congratulations to Mr. Bradley Bean (who will fill the Group 1 seat vacated- due to term limits- by Mayor Johnny Miller), to Mr. David Sturges (who will fill the Group 2 seat vacated by retiring City Commissioner Philip Chapman), and to Mr. Ronald “Chip” Ross (who retained the Group 3 seat).
The community should also recognize the efforts of Ms. Marian Phillips, Ms. Alexandra Lajoux, Ms. Genece Minshew, and Mr. Wendall McGahee for their interest and efforts to serve our community. These candidates dedicated many months (most of which were roiled by the pandemic) to familiarize themselves with the various issues and to introduce themselves to the electors. Their efforts incurred significant costs and time to themselves and to their families. Thank you for your efforts, and I hope that despite not securing a seat on the City Commission you will find other opportunities to serve (Ms. Lajoux currently serves on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and Ms. Minshew currently serves- and chairs- the Planning Advisory Board).
The 2020 election cycle (splendidly managed by Ms. Vicki Cannon- her final election cycle as the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections- and Ms. Carolyn Best- who likely has many more election cycles as the City Clerk) will formally conclude with the City Commission’s selection of Mayor and Vice Mayor at the December 15 City Commission Organizational Meeting. Although Commissioner Mike Lednovich tallied more votes than Vice Mayor Kreger in the November 3 “straw poll” for Mayor, it is the City Commission itself that formally elects the Mayor and Vice Mayor, typically recognizing the desires of the voters reflected in the straw poll.
The special City Commission Organization Meeting (5:15 PM, December 15) will also officially recognize the service of Mayor Miller and Commissioner Chapman. Mayor Miller has served on the City Commission for seven years, with three of those years as Mayor and two years as Vice Mayor. Commissioner Chapman has served for three years. The two new City Commissioners will be sworn in and seated, the nomination and election of Mayor and Vice Mayor will occur, and appointments to a variety of intergovernmental and internal boards, commissions, and committees will be made. With little pause, the newly seated City Commission and officers will then move to its regular 6:00 meeting and the business of city government will continue.
Due to several legal complexities of public service, City staff, led by City Attorney Ms. Tammi Bach, will conduct an orientation session for the City Commission prior to the onset of official government business. This orientation is actually scheduled for Thursday, December 10 (which due to the timing of publication will have occurred before you read this).
The most critical elements of the orientation include an introduction and overview of state statutes related to “Sunshine,” public records, and ethics. The relevance of these “pesky” statutes are often overlooked or ignored when it is argued that local government should operate more like a business: businesses are not obligated to operate openly nor are they subject to public records scrutiny or ethics laws that are instituted to serve and protect public interest. It is because of the integrity of government processes and the severity of violations of the public trust that the overview is necessary.
“Sunshine” refers to the requirement that the elected officials’ actions on behalf of the City be conducted in the open, not in the shadows. It is often lamented by City Commissioners that the only time that they can discuss issues that affect the City and its residents is at a publicly noticed and open meeting. Commissioners cannot legally meet to discuss City-related issues at any other time: at lunch, during social gatherings, etc. The “sunshine” laws go even further to restrict the dissemination of Commissioner comments that are often shared with the City Attorney and the City Manager during our private conversations: we cannot share those comments with other Commissioners. Furthermore, Commissioners cannot communicate directly with each other through email or texting (the innocuous but inappropriate use of “Reply All” to email correspondence earns a quick rebuke from the City Attorney or the City Clerk, who is responsible for the City’s public records).
The new Commissioners will also be introduced to (and current City Commissioners re-familiarized with) the Commission’s rules and procedures for the conduct of City Commission meetings.
It is an exciting time for the new City Commissioners. Commissioners Bean and Sturges will not have a grace period before being confronted with determining several key local issues. City staff looks forward to providing the support, experience, and resources to the new City Commissioners to ensure that the entire City Commission and community continue to be an exceptional place to live and work.
Thank you, Mr. Martin, for your elucidation of Florida’s sunshine laws, requiring all discussions by commissioners together of city business to be done publicly and openly. There are good reasons for this, as written in the article, as it helps to (but does not wholly) prevent backroom deals, payoffs and bribes, etc. Yes, it slows down government processes, but that is ok, as the public needs time to educate themselves on issues and decisions to be made. Government is not a business, and never should be treated as such. It has to abide by a budget, yes, but it is not in the business of making a profit for its leaders or a certain group of people. It serves all the public and the environment and culture in which we live.
I suspect Mr Martin will find the election of the new commissioners very exciting.
Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Martin. Running for office was an honor and a privilege. Congratulations to the winners -and thanks to all who have served as elected commissioners or as candidates.