General

Introducing the 2017 Fernandina Beach City Commission

Posted on by Suanne Thamm

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
November 16, 2016 1:02 p.m.

 

Incoming Fernandina Beach Mayor Robin Lents shares a moment with outgoing Mayor John Miller, who was reelected to the FBCC and continues to serve as commissioner.
Incoming Fernandina Beach Mayor Robin Lents shares a moment with outgoing Mayor John Miller, who was reelected to the FBCC and continues to serve as commissioner.

Perhaps the smoothest transition to a new Fernandina Beach City Commission ever took place during the 15-minute Reorganizational Meeting on Tuesday evening, November 15, 2016. Incumbent commissioner John A. Miller, who was handily reelected, was sworn in to office for his second term. Miller is the first city commissioner elected to a 4-year term, following a Charter change approved by the voters last year. Commissioners, as has almost always been the case, followed the straw vote results and elected Robin Lentz Mayor and Len Kreger Vice Mayor.

Newly elected FBCC leaders for 2017: Mayor Robin Lentz and Vice Mayor Len Kreger
Newly elected FBCC leaders for 2017: Mayor Robin Lentz and Vice Mayor Len Kreger

The only awkwardness followed Commissioner Tim Poynter’s motion to approve the people’s choice of Lentz and Kreger to their leadership positions. It appeared that he might not get a second to the motion. Finally, after verifying that he could second a motion involving his own appointment, Kreger seconded Poynter’s motion. When the vote was taken, it was unanimous—even though it appeared that Commissioner Roy Smith hesitated before casting his vote. Smith was also in the running for Mayor on the straw ballot, but polled the lowest number of votes.

City Clerk Caroline Best administers the oath of office to Commissioner John Miller.
City Clerk Caroline Best administers the oath of office to Commissioner John Miller.

Outgoing Mayor John Miller graciously passed the gavel to incoming Mayor Robin Lentz, who delivered brief remarks to her fellow commissioners and the public. She said, “I’d like to thank everyone for attending tonight and thank the community for their support in my new role. I look forward to continuing to serve with my fellow commissioners. I don’t want to deliver an inaugural speech, because I think we all know where we want to go. I’m looking forward to our meeting on December 14, when we can reset our goals. I think we are all really lucky that we get to continue our good work together, and I look forward to another good year.”

New mayor takes Oath of Office
New mayor takes Oath of Office

Mayor Lentz proceeded to make committee assignments for the FBCC:

  • Lentz: Tourist Development Council (TDC), Community Redevelopment Area Advisory Board (CRAAB), Fernandina Beach Youth Advisory Committee (FBYAC)
  • Kreger: Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council (NEFRC), Airport Advisory Commission (AAC),
  • Poynter: TDC, Greens & Oversight Committee (GOC)
  • Smith: Nassau County Economic Development Board (NCEDB), Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC)
  • Miller: Nassau Alcohol, Crime, Drug Abatement Coalition (NACDAC), PRAC
New Vice Mayor takes Oath of Office
New Vice Mayor takes Oath of Office

During the Regular Meeting that followed the Reorganizational Meeting, Commissioner Smith was also assigned to be the FBCC liaison to the Planning Advisory Board.

The final act of business during the brief reorganizational meeting was to move two FBCC Regular Meeting dates in 2017 to the following day. The July 4th meeting will be rescheduled to July 5th; the November 7th meeting, which falls on Election Day, will move to November 8th.

The annual reorganization meeting was sparsely attended, reflecting the lack of drama over the transfer of the gavel to a new mayor. The composition of the new commission remains the same. Several commissioners remarked that they have been pleased with progress made to date and hope to continue that progress into the new year.

Suanne Thamm 4Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.