City of St. Augustine Beach City Commissioners need to learn from their sister ciCity about avoiding conflicts of interests. Where there's a conflict of interest or an appearance of imropriety, they need to recuse themselves from voting or speaking. Some of them understand -- Commissioner Andrea Samuels recused herself on an a request for $5000 for the A1A Scenic Highway nonprofit (her husband is board chair).
Some of them don't get it though.
On Monday, November 4, 2013, DOUGLAS BURNETT, the City of St. Augustine Beach Ciy Attorney, sat silently while two (2) of five (5) City Commissioners engaged in a colloquy about a proposed alcohol control ordinance affecting their businesses. BRUD HELHOSKI and Vice Mayor RICHARD O'BRIEN are directly affected. HELHOSKI owns Jacks's Barbeque and O'BRIEN et ux own motels.
On final passage next month, neither HELHOSKI nor O'BRIEN should vote.
The City Attorney (a developer lawyer and son of the former Commanding General of the Florida National Guard) needs to speak out and tell them to leave the dais when discussing an ordinance that affects their own pecuniary interests.
Never again!
By he way, the City Manager of St. Augustine Beach, Max Royle, was asleep at Monday's meeting. He often dozes off.
This is symbolic of St. Augustine Beach's management often being "asleep at the switch" too often -- gulled, cullied and diddled ty St. Johns County, by developers, and by any schlemiel or schemer who comes along, it seems at times,
We can do better, we must do better and we will do better.
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