Email sent to CRC - Charter Review items - Fouraker 7-26-23Steve,
I appreciate you taking the time to explain your comments during the
meetings. I will say no clarification is needed. I fully understand what
you were sharing. I encourage you and others to share input.
Thanks
Mitchell E. Reeves
Principle & Managing Partner
MR & Associates
1663 Sea Oats Drive
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
904-955-0101
Mitch@mitchreeves.com
________________________________
From: stephen fouraker <fouraker@earthlink.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2023 1:54:39 PM
To: Dawn Scott <dawnsmac@bellsouth.net>; ellengolombek@gmail.com
<ellengolombek@gmail.com>; Mitch Reeves <Mitch@mitchreeves.com>; Chip
Drysdale <chipdrysdale@yahoo.com>; bruce.andrews@comcast.net
<bruce.andrews@comcast.net>; lagnerjennifer@gmail.com
<lagnerjennifer@gmail.com>; gulliford@usa.com <gulliford@usa.com>;
kellmore@comcast.net <kellmore@comcast.net>; dyoung@c5mi.com
<dyoung@c5mi.com>; debbie.buckland@gmail.com
<debbie.buckland@gmail.com>; scswann@gmail.com <scswann@gmail.com>;
suzanneatcrc@gmail.com <suzanneatcrc@gmail.com>
Cc: elected Officials <electedofficials@coab.us>
Subject: Charter Review items
I’m writing to each of you for several reasons.
First of all, I want to start by apologizing for exceeding the bounds
of public involvement during the last “public comment” section and to
appreciate Bill Gulliford for trying to operate an open and transparent
committee process.
I had not planned to say anything during that meeting, until the
current mayor-commissioner got up to upbraid this committee for not
seconding Don Young's motion to increase the mayor-commissioner’s term
to four years instead of the current two-year term. He pointed to Mr.
Young’s “research” paper on the matter as reason for doubling back.
My dismissiveness of your effort was rude, Don, and I’m sorry for that.
I really thought it was not going to be brought up again, so I was taken
aback when it did. I had wanted to point out that AI produces many
logical sounding results, but AI-assisted "pro and con" arguments can
only produce good results, if it is given complete information to work
with. In this case, this paper presupposes powers and duties of the
mayor-commissioner that we do not offer in our commission-manager form
of government, hence the assertions made are not really applicable to
our city.
Every two years, two commissioners and the mayor-commissioner have to
run for office giving the electorate enormous power. Former
mayor-commissioner Mitch Reeves put it well, saying that he and other
former officeholders “believe the citizens have the right to change” the
majority of their governing body every two years. I think most of us
concur, seeing how well Atlantic Beach has been governed over the years.
The third reason for me writing is to clarify my use of the term
“Sunshine” with regard to how the City Commissioners communicate with
members of the Charter Review Committee. Of course, I was not meaning
the legal term but rather a suggestion of a self-enforced agreement
between commissioners and committee members not to talk with each other
about shared business.
In other words, I’m asking the city commissioners to agree to leave
their deliberative committee alone to do their best work. Charter Review
Committee members should absolutely feel unfettered by commission
members that appointed them. I believe this committee should have a
guarantee of “independence” until their recommendations are presented to
the City Commission for action.
Of course, it is your call, but I would think, if city commissioners
want to present proposals for the AB Charter, at his point, they should
vote it through the commission to the CRC as a suggestion. This will
help alleviate this committee of feeling lobbied by individual members
of the city commissioners.
Thanks to all of you for doing such thoughtful work!
Steve Fouraker
(904) 755-4992