The Pensacola City Council and its Community Redevelopment Agency are legislative bodies. They act based on their votes. Chairpersons aren’t given executive powers. Those only fall solely to the mayor.
What’s the big deal? There is no check on a rogue chairperson–not that I am characterizing Megan Pratt as such. If the CRA/Sale transaction goes unchecked, it sets a precedent that chairpersons can hire whatever outside contractor they want without RFPs or RFQs and simply inform their fellow council members that they have done it. There are no limits on fees other than the overall budget for the board, council or committee. No votes take place so no vetoes can be exercised.
Worse, the chair can instruct the outside contractor to act according to the chair’s personal agenda without any vote from the council, incurring expenses and without knowing if the majority of the council supports that agenda. (Remember Wackadoos & Council executive fiasco?)
The CRA/Council never voted on the contract with Doug Sale’s firm. I don’t think they even saw it before the CRA Administrator Becky Bray and the CRA chair Megan Pratt began running up bills.
Sale has worked over two months on an alternative CRA agreement based solely on input from Pratt and Bray. There was no vote on changes to the agreement proposed by Mayor Hayward in September. No vote on any recommendations to it. The document that has cost the CRA over $5000 to produce is a product of one council member and a staff person working outside of the “Sunshine.”
Power has been assumed, not granted. It’s a dangerous and expensive way to govern.