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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-05-21 Charter Review Board Agenda Meeting Packet AGENDA CITY OF DANIA BEACH CHARTER REVIEW BOARD THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015 – 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call 2. Approval of Minutes from May 7, 2015 Meeting 3. Discussion Items 3.1 Part II – Legislative Branch and Legislation, Article 1. – City Commission 3.2 Part VI – Registrations and Elections, Article 1. – Elections 4. Public Comments 5. Adjournment MINUTES DANIA BEACH CHARTER REVIEW BOARD THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015 – 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Chair Joe Van Eron called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: David Clark Betty Sokol (Alternate) arrived at 6:08 p.m. Terry Hale-Hicks Luis Rimoli (Alternate) Lisa Duke Gail Davison (Alternate) Derrick Hankerson Charlotte Sloboda Chris Barile (Alternate) Rae Sandler arrived at 6:08 p.m. Joe Van Eron, Chair Bruce Hannover (Alternate) Tom Ansbro, City Attorney Louise Stilson, City Clerk Absent: Anne Castro, Vice-Chair (excused) Carolyn Jones (excused) Michael Kassower Board member Derrick Hankerson motioned to excuse the absence of Anne Castro and Carolyn Jones; seconded by Board member David Clark. The motion passed unanimously. Chairman Joe Van Eron confirmed that Chris Barile, Luis Rimoli, Bruce Hannover and Gail Davison would be voting members tonight, to insure 10 voting members. 2. Approval of Minutes from April 16, 2015 Meeting Board member Luis Rimoli motioned to approve the Minutes; seconded by Board member Chris Barile. The motion passed unanimously. Chairman Joe Van Eron asked the board members who once ran for City Commission to share their experiences with the process. City Attorney Ansbro advised that he would be leaving at 6:30 p.m. tonight. Bruce Hanover ran to make a difference; the election process was simple and easy to follow; raising money was tough. Rae Sandler and Betty Sokol arrived at 6:08 p.m. Derrick Hankerson noted that running for Commission was eye opening and enlightening. He said a lot of progress has been made in the City since he ran. He agreed with Mr. Hanover that raising money to reach the public is a challenge. He encouraged the board to have a discussion on seats, not districts. The problem is that we are having super-voters who come out during the election, so the entire voter population is not participating. Rae Sandler said a November election is tough because people are not around in the summer months and boards are not meeting. If the election were in March, you have all the winter months to campaign, and you get more informed voters in March. 3. Discussion Items 3.1 Part II – Legislative Branch and Legislation, Article 1. – City Commission Chairman Joe Van Eron indicated the topics for discussion include: an elected mayor; a strong mayor, a 4-year term mayor, increasing the number of commissioners, and city manager form of government. He stated we will need to have a workshop with the Commission as soon as possible to find out if there is a will of the Commission to make changes. Luis Rimoli said a confusion for voters is not understanding the process for electing the mayor and vice-mayor. There is no continuity in the City with elections every 2 years; a dedicated 4- year mayor term would provide more stability. David Clark said informed voters understand the process. He said the mayor does not set the agenda; he only has one vote like the other commissioners. What if you don’t get a good mayor and you are stuck for 4 years? Chairman Joe Van Eron said we would need to set qualifications for the mayor. Charlotte Sloboda said most people have no clue that the highest vote-getter becomes the mayor. We need to find a way to inform and educate the people. Lisa Duke agreed that we should look at seats, not districts. City Attorney Ansbro confirmed the city is too small for districts, and we would have to hire someone to determine the 4 quadrants; and candidates would need to live in the quadrant in order to run for office. He addressed the information he provided on how other cities fill vacancies. He recommended a hybrid of what we have and what was in the information he distributed. City Attorney Ansbro left at 6:30 p.m. The board concurred not to pursue districts, but to discuss seats and an elected mayor. Luis Rimoli noted that if we had a designated mayor seat it would increase the quality of the candidates running for mayor. Terry Hale-Hicks was concerned that if the best candidates run for mayor, we would lose good candidates because only one would become mayor and the other two would not be in office. Chairman Joe Van Eron said it would be interesting to see how it works in other cities that have seats. Discussion continued on the pros and cons of seats, and then the board moved on to the discussion of an elected mayor or strong mayor, and the city manager position. Chairman Joe Van Eron invited the public to participate in the discussion. Patty Hart commented that her biggest problem is bullet voting; this isn’t fair to all the candidates. Chris Barile noted the highest vote-getter becoming mayor has been that way for a long time. If you make a change, it should be to make it better. Bruce Hanover concurred; let’s not fix something that isn’t broken. The main item for the board is how to fill a vacancy on the commission. Charlotte Sloboda commented that people don’t understand that the election is a popularity contest; it does not matter on their qualifications. If they vote for mayor, there would be qualifications. Board member Terry Hale-Hicks motioned for an elected mayor for a 4 year term; seconded by Board member Charlotte Sloboda. Betty Sokol questioned if she should vote. Chairman Joe Van Eron confirmed that everyone at the table was voting tonight. The motion passed 7-5, with board members David Clark, Rae Sandler, Betty Sokol, Bruce Hanover and Chris Barile voting no. Chairman Joe Van Eron stated we will now discuss terms. Chris Barile stated he is not in favor of career politicians. He favors two 4-year terms with no return. Derrick Hankerson is against term limits. Charlotte Sloboda stated it’s not broken, it should stay the same. David Clark questioned how to get new people, if they keep voting for the same popular people. Terms should be 8 years, no more. Terry Hale-Hicks is on the fence, but leans towards keeping what we have. Gail Davison said if they do a good job, we should keep what we have. Rae Sandler said that 8 years is enough; if they haven’t accomplished what they wanted in that time, they could continue to serve on boards. Derrick Hankerson stated you are one voice among five; if you do not have like-minded people voting with you, you cannot get something done; you can’t make change by yourself. Keep things the way they are. Chris Barile said we need fresh faces and fresh minds; we need younger people. Lisa Duke commented that new, young, intelligent people get shot down; she likes the way it is. If you are a true public servant and you are doing a good job, you will get re-elected. Luis Rimoli is also on the fence with this item. Bruce Hanover agrees with Mrs. Duke, but sees Mr. Barile’s point. Board member Rae Sandler motioned to cap term limits to eight years total lifetime (2 4- year terms), no returns, terms do not need to be consecutive; seconded by Board member Chris Barile. The motion failed 5-7, with board members Rae Sandler, Chris Barile, David Clark, Betty Sokol, and Joe Van Eron voting yes. 3.2 Part VI – Registrations and Elections, Article 1. - Elections Chairman Joe Van Eron opened the floor to discussion as to whether or not we should move the elections back to March. Charlotte Sloboda noted that working the polls, she has noticed that we have a larger turnout in November. Lisa Duke commented the more voters that turn out, the better. She challenges anyone who says that the informed voters turn out in March; informed voters also vote in November. Also, it is less money to have a November election. Rae Sandler noted that in November, the people vote the presidential election, and may not vote for the city portion of the ballot. Luis Rimoli would be in favor of changing the elections to March if it was cheaper; if not, keep it in November. Board member Rae Sandler motioned to change the elections back to March; seconded by Board member David Clark. The motion failed 4-8, with David Clark, Rae Sandler, Betty Sokol and Bruce Hanover voting yes. Chairman Joe Van Eron opened the floor to discussion on qualifications. Lisa Duke left at 7:40 p.m. The board concurred to keep the voting age at 21 years. Bruce Hanover commented that he thinks residency should be for more than 1 year; he suggested at least 5 years. Rae Sandler suggested 6 years, to really get a feel of the city. Gail Davison suggested 4 years; Betty Sokol concurred. Derrick Hankerson said it should be longer than 1 year. Luis Rimoli stated if it is not broken, don’t change it. However, people most likely will not vote for someone who has only lived here for one year. Board member Bruce Hanover motioned to increase the residency requirement to 6 years; seconded by Board member Rae Sandler. Board member Bruce Hanover withdrew his motion. Board member Bruce Hanover motioned to increase the residency requirement to 4 years; seconded by Board member Chris Barile. Discussion ensued regarding the difference between residency and registered voter. Board member Bruce Hanover amended his motion to increase the residency requirement to 3 years; seconded by Board member Luis Rimoli. The motion passed 9-2, with board members Rae Sandler and Chris Barile voting no. 4. Public Comments Nicki Hansen commented that she would like to see a time limit on personal comments made by commissioners at the meetings. She would also like this board to address how to fill a vacancy on the commission. Patty Hart commented that it was a pleasure being here tonight. This is one of the few groups she has the opportunity to attend that actually does something. Chairman Joe Van Eron noted the agenda will remain the same for the next meeting. Chris Barile noted that Chairman Joe Van Eron did a fantastic job at the last commission meeting by inviting anyone from the city to attend these meetings. He suggested that Chairman Joe Van Eron continue to attend commission meetings and invite people to attend. Chairman Joe Van Eron noted that he also got an article published in the Dania Beach Press, and that he asked the City Clerk to send a notice to everyone who receives a notice for the City Commission agenda. City Clerk Stilson pointed out that the notice links directly to the City Commission agenda. Charlotte Sloboda suggested the City Clerk prepare a notice that could be sent out to all homeowners’ associations. Rae Sandler noted that she will prepare her own notice to distribute to her homeowners’ association. Derrick Hankerson suggested that we try to get people to attend the last 2 meetings; it is tedious to sit through all of these meetings. Chairman Joe Van Eron requested a workshop with the City Commission be held in June, with 100 people in attendance. Chris Barile questioned if we would have enough information to meet with and get answers from the commission. Rae Sandler noted that a 6:00 p.m. meeting is difficult for people to attend. Luis Rimoli left at 8:06 p.m. Chairman Joe Van Eron suggested a Saturday workshop. Charlotte Sloboda suggested asking the commission to conduct a workshop as early in the evening as possible. Terry Hale Hicks left at 8:09 p.m. The board concurred to have the workshop with the City Commission on June 18, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. Charlotte Sloboda suggested the board meet at 6:00 p.m., followed by the workshop with the Commission at 7:00 p.m. 5. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m. Joe Van Eron, Chair Approved: