On the agenda for tonight's City of St Augustine City Commission meeting is a first reading of Ordinance 2019-42 which places on the March 2020 Presidential Preference Election the question of election of the candidate for Seat 3 (Mayoral seat) to the City Commission. Essentially what this ordinance does is remove the title of "mayor" from Commission Seat 3 and grants the commission the power to elect from among the five commissioners a "mayor" every two years. Ultimately, it does away with a popularly elected mayor.
At first glance, the change from the people of the city choosing who holds the title of "mayor" to the commissioners themselves choosing didn't seem all that important because the mayor is essentially a ceremonial position. The mayor chairs commission meetings and represents the city at various functions, but in terms of authority and power, the mayor has no more than any of the other commissioners. So, my first thought was; not a big deal. But as I talked to a few thoughtful residents, my perspective changed.
Although "ceremonial," the mayor is the face of the City of St Augustine. He or she represents the citizens of the city at events and ceremonies, both local and distant. Who that person is can say an awful lot about the city, its priorities and its aspirations. It seems that choosing who represent the city is fairly important and is something that for the past 30-plus years has been a prerogative of city voters. Why change now?
Additionally, having the gavel as Commission chairperson is no small thing. The chair sets the tone of the meetings and has the ability to shape the discussion and guide the debate. He or she can create and promote a culture of civility, accountability and transparency among commissioners or, conversely, foster one that is less open and welcoming of citizen input and hard (but important) questions. If memory serves, the city has seen examples of both in the recent past. Yes, transparency and hard questions can be uncomfortable at times, but they are essential to cultivating and sustaining the citizens' trust in government.
So, tonight the Commission will hold the first reading (no public comment) of Ordinance 2019-42 which, if eventually approved on second reading, would put the question of mayoral election on the ballot for the voters to decide in either March or November. While having the voters decide is a good idea, anything can happen, particularly during a presidential election guaranteed to be dominated by burning issues at the national level. The risk is that a question of local importance will get overwhelmed by the intense national-level focus and some voters will vote "yes" to the change with little understanding of its impact. Rather than take that chance, it would be better if ordinance 2019-42 gets voted down by the Commission and never reaches the presidential election ballot.
Presently, Commissioners Freeman, Horvath and Valdes are in favor of the change. Mayor Upchurch and Commissioner Sikes-Klein are opposed.
At the last Commission meeting, Mayor Upchurch noted that the people had already decided the issue in the 1980s after the Commission, “unilaterally changed the mayor.” Upchurch noted, “That’s how we got here, when Ramelle Petroglou, our first woman mayor, was removed late at night in a Commission meeting. That was the event that caused us to go to an elected mayor.”
Hmmm, good idea then - good idea now.
You can voice your opinion by either emailing the commissioners or speaking tonight during agenda item 4, General Public Comments.
Mayor Upchurch has it right. Don't let the right to pick the "Face of St Augustine" be taken from you without your input. And please help ensure all city residents understand the importance of this issue.
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