PZB member Grant Misterly
St. Augustine City Commissioners voted 3-2 to appoint engineer Grant Misterly to the City Planning and Zoning Board; Misterly edged out an equally qualified candidate Karen Zander amid concerns an engineer or contractor was needed on the Board. Mayor Nancy Shaver, Vice Mayor Roxanne Horvath and Commissioner Leanna Freeman voted for Mr. Misterly while Commissioners Todd Neville and Nancy Sikes-Kline voted for Ms. Zander. Mr. Misterly was a former PZB member who resigned in 2014 to run against Commissioner Sikes-Kline, nearly defeating her.
During general public comment, Ms. Zander spoke -- a breath of fresh air -- helping open up the process to discussion and debate, earnest discussions by Commissioners. Not so long ago, Board appointment operated as a fraternity blackball system, in secret, without discussion. Commissioner Sikes-Kline pointed out that new people were needed, who had not served on Boards before.
The vote occurred after JOHN VALDES withdrew his application, the morning a St. Augustine Record column by Steven Cottrell, discussing VALDES' intentionally destroying an historic building without a permit. Applying after the deadline but still on the ballot and getting no votes whatsoever was controversial former Commissioner Donald Crichlow, an architect and perennial developer advocate for ugly projects (like the Bishop's Building, across from the Cathedral Basilica, on which Crichow was round rejected 4-0 by his colleagues on a former Commission).
Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline later commented on the orgy of demolitions.
Three cheers.
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