The No Boss Mayor effort may have actually had more to do with the state and national interests wanting to stop “strong mayor” than any local grassroots effort. In reviewing the board minutes for the Florida City and County Management Association, I came across this entry from a board meeting held on May 27, 2009 at the Renaissance Resort‐World Golf Village in St. Augustine:
” Ms. Rawlins continued with an update on the Sarasota defense of the Plan. It was a very successful campaign, with both FCCMA and ICMA contributing. She thanked John Wesley White who spoke to various groups. The result was 65% of the voters rejected the strong mayor initiative. Range Rider Dick
Williams will be working with the Charter Review Committee, which will be looking at “the directly elected Mayor” form.”
Rawlins fights strong mayor initiatives and consolidation for the FCCMA and was paid $22,182 by No Boss Mayor, $17,000 of those funds came from the national association of city managers, International Council-Manager Association. The No Boss Mayor campaign was from the Rawlins, FCCA and ICMA playbook. The FCCA and ICMA fight for city managers and help them keep control and their jobs.
Forces outside of this area manipulated this campaign and community to preserve the status quo. They will be back to fight consolidation.
Popularity: 21% [?]
And so it begins! The self-dealing insiders are on their way out.
Thank God! What area is next?
Anon:
I think you would agree that there is a big difference between a national trade association whose sole focus on Pensacola is to protect its members’ jobs and local business owners who don’t live in the city but do pay city taxes and have family members and employees who live in the city. Many of those business owners are the biggest supporters of the local arts, PJC and United Way of Escambia County. What has the ICMA done for Pensacola? How many Pensacola Habitat houses have they built? What Pensacola youth sports teams have they sponsored or coached?
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I don’t know what Jacksonville has to do with Pensacola – except that in 1960s both cities were the same size – Jacksonville voted to consolidate, Pensacola did not. I guess it’s a matter of opinion which city is better today. Did the Jacksonville have a city manager that reopened their pension fund, reworked it to get a large pension for himself and then move to Tennessee costing the City taxpayers over $100 million–like Pensacola had????
Rick said “Forces outside of this area manipulated this campaign and community to preserve the status quo. They will be back to fight consolidation.” Couldn’t the same thing be said about the Gulf Breezers and other out-of-towners doing their best to change the status quo? The information they’ve provided has been slanted to put the best foot forward for strong mayor. I noticed they always use Jacksonville as an example but fail to mention the number of people put in positions of power by the strong mayor there who have been investigated for misuse of their office.
Interesting. I saw where Just Barely Getting By magazine named Pensacola a top place to work two jobs even though you have a college degree in. And, in a related story, You Better Hope You’re From Old Money magazine just named Pensacola the best place to graduate college and move away from.
Thank, CJ. It’s not the point of this post, but thank you.
Sarasota’s so-called “Strong Mayor” vote involved keeping the Council-Manager form of government but directly electing the mayor as we do here. The City Manager’s job wasn’t at risk in Sarasota, at least not in this vote. From what I could find online, the issue seemed to pit businessmen and developers against neighborhood groups. Regardless of who paid for the lawn signs, the voters had the final say. The low turnout vote was 2:1 to stick with the current system. Rather than a vote for “No Change” they may have viewed it as a vote to keep what’s working well. Money Magazine previously named Sarasota the best small city in the nation. Apparently “form” or “variant” of government has very little to do with being a very successful community.
City Managers self-dealing in the shadows is OVER. It may not happen this week or this year, but IT WILL HAPPEN. The trend is growing against them like a snowball. Goodbye CROOKS!
This form of governing by nature of design, breeds corruption because of a strange confluence of factors including the wonderful thing we call “Sunshine Laws” which prevent any discussion except through the city manager. You see city managers are by circumstance the ultimate deal-makers nowadays in this cocktail of factors. Public officials can’t talk to each other, but who do they relay all information through? That’s right, your friendly city manager who can influence ALL DECISION-MAKERS before the vote by injecting his version of the situation, and it’s all perfectly legal!
But not for much longer thank God.
If it does pass will the council chambers remain empty and the blog full?
If you haven’t noticed the council folds every time a group of citizens are in attendance.
I hope to see Jason, Ms. Haddigan and all the gang at the city council meetings to present their fresh ideas regardless of the outcome.
I don’t think it’s professional managers that are holding the city back, I think it’s old established southern family and business interests that hold the city back, and all those long time campaign contributors that are part of those groups.
I don’t remember reading anything here complaining about the AAF and the FPRA coming here to do a seminar/fund raiser promoting the CMP a week or so ago.
If the Charter revision doesn’t pass, can we expect the main NBM supporters to do anything to improve the City of Pensacola? Will Fairchild and company be proposing any new and fresh ideas? Seems that their entire reason for existence is to vote NO and then fade into the background until someone else has a new idea that they don’t like. Lets face it folks, this City has been poorly managed for a long time. We need a change of direction. If not the new Charter, then something. It’s easy to say “that’s a bad idea” about everything that comes down the pipe…it’s quite another thing to come up with a good idea yourself. If the Charter revision fails, I challenge the NBM supporters to actually come up with an idea and to DO SOMETHING to improve our city.