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 Resortâ€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.