Pensacola City Council
Four Candidates, Two City Council Seats and Amendment 3 Hanging Over Both
How much independence do Pensacola voters want from a council that works alongside a strong mayor? The answer may depend on which of these candidates they choose on Nov. 3.
Pensacola voters will decide two City Council races on the Nov. 3 ballot. In District 2, Councilman Charles Bare faces former Councilwoman Sherri Myers. In District 4, Councilman Jared Moore is not seeking another term, leaving an open seat contested by Brian Cole and Boyce White.
All four candidates appeared on Rick’s Blog Live. Property tax relief under Amendment 3, the tree canopy, downtown parking and the council’s role alongside the mayor came up again and again.
District 2
- Charles Bare, incumbent. The Army veteran says constituent service is his biggest contribution. He talks about the votes he would cast differently, what he has heard while knocking on doors and what Amendment 3 could mean for public safety spending.
- Sherri Myers, former councilwoman. She held the seat for 12 years before term limits ended her run. She says her pitch is trust and accessibility, and she explains what drew her back into the race.
District 4
- Brian Cole. A property restoration contractor and longtime volunteer firefighter, he says many of the problems voters raise trace back to the local economy. He talks about how the city can help local businesses grow.
- Boyce White. A third-generation Pensacolian who chairs the Zoning Board of Adjustment, he says he spent two months deciding whether to run. He talks about parks, downtown parking and recruiting employers.
Hear Them in Their Own Words
Read the story, then listen to the full interviews. They are below and on YouTube at youtube.com/@coloronthedog.
District 2: Charles Bare
District 2: Sherri Myers
District 4: Brian Cole
District 4: Boyce White
Election Day is Nov. 3. Know who is asking for your vote before you cast it.
Based on the interviews above that I did watch, and also reviewing the candidate’s websites, Brian Cole seems the better pick. If I lived in District 4 I’d vote for him.
FYI, also, because the real issue on the ballot is whether we embrace the separation of powers and checks and balances described in the Charter or continue to ignore them, the document at the link below accurately describes what city voters were told in 2009 when they went to the polls to vote for the new Charter. Earlier, in August 2009, the City Council received two key letters, one from City Attorney Rusty Wells and the other from Charter Review Commission Crystal Spencer writing jointly with the CRC’s general legal counsel Margaret Stopp. The City Clerk can provide them to anyone who asks to see them. Wells raised multiple key issues never fully addressed. (I think that’s why Mayor Hayward fired him almost right away.) Spencer & Stopp, emphasized that the intent was not, as many have claimed, to establish a “Strong” Mayor and so a “Weak” City Council. Very unexpectedly, a crazy move, the CRC reassigned a key legislative power “from” the City Council to the Mayor [now Section 4.01.(a)(15)]. I believe that Pensacola is the only municipality in Florida, perhaps in the nation, where the Mayor can make recommendations to the City Council about the organization of the city government, and do so without actually telling the City Council, and then approve those same changes, often in secret. I objected in vain in 2009 and many time since. Bare did try to fix the Section 4.01.(a)(15) problem. Compounding the insertion of a massive governance flaw, the CRC then refused to hold its mandatory public hearing (no final vote ever taken) and refused to draft and submit to the City Council, and public too, its mandatory final report, which is why there has been so much confusion. The City Council was told but did nothing. Mayor Wiggins told me that he felt he “lacked the authority to make Crystal finish the job.”
In simple terms, the key thing the Charter did was change the chief executive position from an appointed City Manager (accountable 24/7/365) to an elected Mayor (accountable every four years). Because the new Mayor is not accountable to the City Council, the concept was for the new Mayor to exercise less administrative authority than the prior City Manager. Instead, the Mayor has repeatedly seized power and gotten away with it and refused to do as required by law. As case in point, Mayor Reeves is required to enforce children safety rules at the skatepark but told Andrew McKay he would not do it, etc. I wonder how many kids have been injured as a result, etc. A PPD Sergeant actually told me that the PPD is not required to enforce city laws in city parks. No kidding. We all see it.
For its part, and it is to blame too, since 2014, the City Council has been required to hire its own legal advisor but has refused to do so which is why it is so openly defenseless.
2009 Charter FAQ – https://www.scribd.com/document/264448830/Charter-FAQ