Apparently Councilman Larry Johnson attacked fellow council member, Sherri Myers, this morning on News Radio 1620 AM. I’ve been told he accused her of senility.
This is sad because I think Sherri is one of the most dedicated elected officials in Escambia County. Our paper hasn’t always agreed with all of her stances, but we’ve never questioned her passion and compassion for the people of Pensacola.
Johnson’s remarks are slap in the face of the 13,480 registered voters in the city of Pensacola that are over the age of 60. That age group comprises 34.7% of city voters. His district has 1598 voters that are over 65 (26%). Only District 3, represented by Andy Terhaar, has more voters over the age of 65.
My guess is Councilman Johnson is upset about Myer’s opposition to the Bayview Community Center. I’ll find out at 8:10 a.m.
On the pay raise mentioned by Melanie Nichols, the increase was 53% not 56%, a small point. The more important point overlooked and as I recall not reported in the PNJ or on WEAR TV 3 is that before it could give itself a pay raise the City Council had to first amend the City Code to get rid of a city law that gave citizens the power to set the salaries of City Council members. They did. As I recall, it was Councilman Larry Johnson who made the proposal that included abolishing the Citizens’ Compensation Task Force shifting the power to set City Council salaries from voters to their employees. My District 1 Councilman P.C. Wu who voted YES and in recent years has had a number of temper tantrums to include publically threatening Councilwoman Sherri Myers even scolded her after the vote, “We deserve a pay raise.” Because I was then a candidate trying to unseat Wu, I was present at that meeting. Before the meeting, and I was sitting in the last row next to the City Council staff listening and answering citizen questions when the staff could not, Wu got up from his seat and walked all the way to stand in front of me and with a snarl told me that I was “wasting” my money running against him, his campaign funded by people like Quint & Rishy Studer. Wu told me that he was going to remain in office until 2024, a total of 20 years, a statement he had made before both to Councilmembers Charles Bare and Sherri Myers saying that he needed to stay 20 years to “win” a Florida League of Cities award for being a city politician for 20 years. Apparently, they give out such entrenched incumbent awards. During the campaign, Wu told voters that I lied about everything I said about him to include his statements made in videotaped meetings that I documented with “quotation marks.” As I recall, Johnson wanted to give the City Council a significantly larger pay raise to about $38,000 or so. I believe that it was Councilwoman Jewel Cannada-Wynn thought that big salary was a good idea but said that she though people might get angry if they gave themselves such a large pay raise in one bite. Perhaps they will vote themselves another pay raise this August. Because of how the City Charter is written, voters have no power to challenge the City Council giving itself a pay raise even if they voted to pay themselves $100,000 a year. Councilman Brian Spencer voted YES but said that he was going to donate the 53% pay raise to charity and perhaps he did. If he opts to run for mayor as he is hinting he will do, then someone can ask him to prove he did as he promised.
Larry Johnson’s behavior as a City Council member has been unprofessional and out of control for years and he should have been reprimanded by the Council President for his numerous comments during City Council meetings that were nothing more than attacks on citizens during meetings, and verbal attacks on Councilwoman Sherri Myers which were nothing but sexist and ageist comments. Councilwoman Myers is one of the FEW council members who actually reads their council materials, studies it, asks staff questions, does research, reads the Municipal Ordinances, the State Statutes, the Comprehensive Plan, and all other city sponsored plans and studies to make her decisions. That’s why Johnson and the Mayor have issues with her……because they can’t buy her off or pull the wool over her eyes. She stands up for her district and all others demanding that they see their fair share of benefits and funding. Her legal background is an absolute asset for her position. She is one of the few council members who actually represents the citizens of the entire City of Pensacola, responds to citizens’ calls and emails, and looks out for the citizens who are paying the bills and not just special interests. Sherri has also attended each and every CivicCon Workshop because she truly cares about improving our City and learning more from the experts who come to Pensacola to help us. Larry Johnson hasn’t attended any of these important learning events. Look at Larry Johnson’s attendance record, he never comes to Leroy Boyd Forum which is the first 30 minutes of each Council meeting because he has nothing but disdain for the citizens and what the input they bring to the process. He comes late and he leaves early, if he attends at all. He is frequently absent at the special workshops and budget meetings. Councilwoman Sherri Myers voted AGAINST the 56% pay increase that the Council gave itself. She has also been the lone voice asking repeatedly for the Council to go back to meeting twice a month because of the delays it is causing the City and its development and response to urgent needs. For decades, the City Council met twice a month and now when things are happening so fast in the City and there is so much work to be done, Larry Johnson advocated for cutting his work in half and giving himself a pay raise. The only people in this city who are senile, are those who don’t see what is happening at City Hall and vote this November to put a stop to it.