Letter: Great start for St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver

Letter: Great start for St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver
Posted: March 9, 2015 - 4:02pm

By Patricia Reilly
Editor: It has been a fast three months since the election of Mayor Nancy Shaver. A lot has been accomplished.

Just attend a city commission meeting and feel the difference in the open and welcoming atmosphere, and listen to the interaction among the commissioners themselves.

The long break in the middle of the meeting has been eliminated. Public comment is both acknowledged and welcomed. Staff is reporting on follow-up items and tracking action.

An objective assessment of our infrastructure has now been completed for the first time. We might not like the current grade, but at least we have a starting place to make objective decisions about staging and funding future work that is needed. We know we can’t fix everything at once, but we can do things using an objective set of realistic criteria.

The mayor has also stuck to her commitment about reaching out to the public, and has not only attended a great many events throughout the community, but also hosted her monthly “coffees.”

Everyone in the city has access to our mayor.

Zoning conversations are taking place, with outreach to the community. The city plans conversations in each neighborhood so that deficiencies in our zoning ordinances can be addressed. Two workshops are on the calendar.

The celebration planning for the 450th is getting some much-needed rigor and attention. Community-focused events are being prioritized, and specific questions answered about just what is planned and what needs to be done to pull all of it together.

This is just a short list of the first couple of months. Most significant of all is a feeling of optimism: That working together we can make the city work for all of us.

Congratulations mayor on a great start. And thank you.

St. Augustine