What do you see as the appropriate role of staff and the commission in decision making?
City Commission
City Commission Seat 2
Dot Inman-Johnson
The city’s organization chart dictates that the citizens are at the top, followed by the elected commission, then the appointed executive management team, followed by the line City staff. Currently the decision-making is backwards with the city manager making the decisions and dictating to the commission, with three commissioners falling in line. The previous city attorney, the first black women in this position, was run out of city hall because of the hostile work environment created by the city manager and his executive team. Text messages how them intimidating and degrading her to developers over the Welaunee development. Three members of the commission only listen to the city manager. As an example, they voted not to defer making a decision on the police station contract in order to provide time for the city attorney and city treasurer/clerk to provide their expert opinions on the matter, instead voting for the huge increase in cost relying solely on the city managers recommendation. The city manager acts with impunity and shows no respect for Jack and Jeremy, knowing the other three commissioner have his back. Another example of this treatment is the city manager only briefing the three commissioners regarding the city losing $1M in a scam while Jack and Jeremy learned about from the newspaper. How is it possible for the city manager to ignore two commissioners and answer to only three? It’s clear that the public is now at the bottom of the city’s organizational chart.
Curtis Richardson
Of course, the city commission sets policy and the role of staff is to bring the appropriate information forward to enable us to set policy. Once policy is made, staff execute. I am comfortable the way it works in Tallahassee.
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County Commission
Group 1 – At Large
Carolyn Cummings
The role of the staff is to analyze issues from a variety of perspectives, including fiscal impact. They present to the Commission well-rounded views of the options on any given issue. The role of the Commission is to represent and listen to the public, and do what is best for the community. So commissioners need to assess the staff analysis in light of public comment, and try to decide matters in a way that provides the greatest good for the greatest number.
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David T Hawkins
David T. Hawkins did not respond to ATN interview requests.
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District 4
Isaac Montilla
I believe that what I’ve learned as a small business owner really comes into play here. There, as leader, I work with my staff to define what we’re going to be accountable for. We do that by defining our vision, mission, and core values. Then, the job description is how that staff will implement those things. I see something similar as a county commissioner. The commission sets the policy, but the staff implements them in accordance with the county’s vision, mission, and core values. That’s the standard I would expect staff to meet. For instance, that means they gather the right information, clear, complete, and unbiased, to present to commissioners so the commissioners can make the best decisions for the good of the whole community. Departments exist to make an organization work more efficiently. Yet, as commissioners, we also need to ensure the staff are staying true to our mission, vision, and core values and not letting politics or favoritism lessen their effectiveness. That’s what accountability is all about.
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Brian Welch
There is a fine line between analysis and advocacy. Regarding staff, I give them a huge benefit of the doubt because they are experts in their fields. Ultimately, they are the executive branch and we (the County Commission) are the legislative branch. They have to execute the policies that we set forth. We have to set policy based on the whole of the available information. And so, our job as elected officials is to listen as much as possible and to as many people as possible – take in information from staff, community, experts, stakeholders, property owners, neighborhoods, developers, businesses, and anyone else impacted by a Commission decision. This process for me is very deliberate, objective, and reasonable. Staff provide the official document that is set forth to the Commission. However, none of us shy away from disagreeing with any recommendation that is not in the best interest of our community.
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