05/22/2018 - Strong Mayor Task Force STRONG MAYOR TASK FORCE
CITY OF CLEARWATER
MAY 22, 2018
Present: Nino Accetta Committee Member
Norma Carlough Committee Member
Karen Graham Cunningham Committee Member
Jack Geller Committee Member
David Loyd Committee Member
Rosemarie Kibitlewski Committee Member
Keith Protonentis Committee Member
William Sturtevant Committee Member
Stan Vittetoe Committee Member
Howard Warshauer Committee Member
Absent: Bud Elias Committee Member
Cyndie Goudeau Committee Member
George Mantzaris Committee Member
Konrad McCree Committee Member
Olin Wright Committee Member
Doreen Caudell Councilmember
Also Present:
George Cretekos Mayor
Hoyt Hamilton Councilmember
Bob Cundiff Councilmember
David Allbritton Councilmember
Pamela Akin City Attorney
Micah Maxwell Assistant City Manager
Nicole Sprague ORLS Coordinator
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. at the Main Library
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
Item # 3 — Sunshine Law Review
The City Attorney reviewed the Sunshine Laws and public records requirements.
Item #4 — Elect Chair and Vice Chair
Member Sturtevant moved to appoint Bud Elias as Chair. The motion was
duly seconded and carried unanimously
Member Geller moved to appoint Howard Warshauer as Vice-Chair. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously
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The Joint Meeting with City Council convened at 5:39 p.m.
Item #5 —Adopt Rules of Procedure
The City Attorney reviewed the Rules of Procedure
The City Attorney said the Task Force and Council informally decided to meet
every Tuesday, 5:30 — 8:30 p.m., in the Main Library Room A/B, except for one
meeting when the library will not be available.
In response to a question, the City Attorney said afternoon meetings were not
considered as the majority of the Task Force members work during the day. A
comment was made that the public would have a better opportunity to attend
evening meetings.
In response to a question regarding Rule 5 —Votes, the City Attorney said the
purpose of a supermajority vote is to have a majority of the whole body approving
a recommendation to Council.
Member Geller moved to change the word supermajority to majority in Rule
5. The motion was duly seconded
In response to a question, the City Attorney said in case of a tie vote, the issue
will automatically be moved to the next meeting. Mayor Cretekos commented
that by changing to majority, fewer members will be able to make a motion and
pass recommendations; by keeping the supermajority language, it strengthens
what the Task Force is trying to do.
Upon the vote being taken, the motion carried as follows: Committee
Members Accetta, Carlough, Cunningham, Geller, Loyd, Kibitlewski,
Protonentis, Sturtevant, Warshauer, and Councilmembers Hamilton,
Allbritton and Cundiff voted "Aye" and Committee Member Vittetoe and
Mayor Cretekos voted "Nay".
Motion Carried.
Item #6 — Direction from Council
Councilmembers Cundiff, Hamilton, and Allbritton stressed the importance of
reading the material provided to the Task Force and stated that Council wants to
work together throughout the process.
The City Attorney said many charter sections will be affected and there are three
areas to discuss: 1) Power of Executive Mayor, 2) Power of Council and the
balance of those, and 3) Professional Management. She said she would like to
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focus on those things necessary for strong mayor. Peripheral issues can be
addressed during the next Charter Review Committee in 2019.
In response to questions, she said there are so many ways to set up strong
mayor and there is no way to estimate the financial impact of changing the form
of government until decisions have been made. Of the four charter examples
she provided, two require a city administrator. She did not research council size
as that would be an issue to be discussed during Charter Review. She said
there is a lot of overlap and when discussing the power of the mayor, a
discussion will need to be had regarding the power of council as they will flow
together.
The City Attorney reviewed the Brief Comparison of Selected Strong Mayor
Charter Requirements handout.
Discussion ensued regarding how to proceed with a work plan. It was stated that
the Task Force needed to review the material provided and attend the next
meeting where a representative from the Florida League of Cities would be
providing a Form of Government presentation.
Member Geller moved to elect a strong mayor by majority if the Task Force
moves forward with a strong mayor form of government. The motion was
duly seconded.
Mayor Cretekos said by changing to a vote by majority, another election layer
gets added to the process which increases the cost. He said the terms of the
Mayor and Council also need to be considered. Ms. Kibitlewski requested further
discussion to understand all the ramifications of the motion.
The City Attorney said Clearwater has always had plurality which means the
highest vote getter is the winner. This change will trigger the need for a runoff
process and at this point it is unclear what that process would look like.
Upon the vote being taken, the motion carried as follows: Committee
Members Accetta, Cunningham, Geller, Loyd, Protonentis, Sturtevant,
Vittetoe, Warshauer, and Councilmembers Hamilton and Allbritton voted
"Aye", Committee Members Carlough, Kibitlewski, Mayor Cretekos, and
Councilmember Cundiff voted "Nay".
Motion Carried.
The City Attorney clarified that any charter amendments made will be
implemented over a time period as different issues will come into effect at
different times.
Item #7 — Set agenda for next meeting
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The City Attorney said Florida League of Cities representative Lynn Tipton will
provide a PowerPoint presentation regarding Municipal Forms of Government in
Florida.
Item #8 — Provide Direction for the June 5, 2018 meeting
Mayor Cretekos said Council has a conflict with the June 5th meeting.
Member Geller moved to hold a Task Force meeting on June 5, 2018. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Item #9 — Citizens to be heard
Bill Jonson thanked the Task Force for their willingness to participate. He urged
the committee to look at the ultimate decision the voters will have to make and
said it is important to look at the overall objectives to accomplish through the
Charter. It would be important to discuss or consider the basic functions of
government like how the City would come up with a vision or program of projects
and how the City would hold their elected officials accountable.
Beth Rawlins thanked the Task Force for their service. She said she has not
seen a problem for which the Task Force is seeking a solution. It is important to
find the thing that is broken before a fix can be offered. She said at the last
council meeting, she was called an outsider and lobbyist. She said she attended
school here and her father was the editor of the Clearwater Times. She is part of
this community and lives here. She said she is not being paid to be here but is
passionate about professional city management and she does not like the
direction that is being taken in her hometown.
Item #10 — Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Attest:
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City Clerk
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Chair, Charter Review Commie