John Peacock and friends have asked the Board of County Commissioners to create an Escambia County Charter Study Commission  to conduct a review of best practices in county governments within Florida and, if appropriate, develop a proposed charter for Escambia County.Â
Earlier this year, Inweekly advocated such a commission, but I no longer think the timing is right. Peacock has made it known that his  goal is to put the county under one elected  leader – a county mayor or county CEO.  I don’t like the idea of putting that much power into one person’s hands.
County operations – day-to-day efforts – are best in the hands of experienced, professional administrators, not politicians.
Under the draft proposal, the core committee will consist of:
The membership of the ECCSC may not exceed 25 persons. The members of the commission shall be appointed by (date), as follows:
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- The BOCC shall appoint five members. Each commissioner shall appoint one member who shall reside, work, or own property in the appointing commissioner’s district.
- The Mayor and the Town Council of the Town of Century shall appoint one member who shall be a resident of the Town of Century.
- The Mayor and City Council of the City of Pensacola shall appoint one member who shall be a resident of the City of Pensacola.Â
- The following organizations may each appoint one member to the commission:
– The Escambia County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
– Justice United Seeking Transformation in Pensacola
– Escambia County Taxpayer’s AssociationÂ
– The League of Women Voters of Pensacola Bay Area
– The Pensacola Young Professionals
– The Escambia County Farm Bureau
– The Home Builders Association of West Florida
– The President of the University of West Florida shall appoint one member who shall have expertise in local government matters.
– Escambia County Sheriff
– Escambia County Tax Collector
– Escambia County Property Appraiser
– Escambia County Clerk of the Court
– Escambia County Supervisor of Elections
– The Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit shall appoint two members who shall be members of the Florida Bar and have legal expertise in local government matters
– The Escambia County School Board may appoint one member by a majority vote of the board
– The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority shall appoint one member
– The President of Pensacola State College shall appoint one member.Â
– The Commanding Officer of NAS Pensacola shall appoint one member
– United Way of Escambia County shall appoint one member
Here is the draft given to the commissioners: Escambia County Charter Study Commission