Vote NO on Margate’s terrible charter amendments
Margate voters can breeze quickly through the four charter amendments on the Nov. 6 ballot. They should reject them all.
Collectively, three of the proposals are an attempt by the reigning city commission majority to expand their power and stay in office longer. The other amendment addresses the wrong city priority. Here’s a look at all four:
■ Amendment 1 would authorize a $10 million parks and recreation bond. Supporters say the program would allow the city to complete a long-delayed parks master plan. They first envisioned a $25 million bond.
Parks are important, but the biggest public works issue in Margate is decaying seawalls. Against the threat of seawall collapse and resultant flooding, a dog park looks like a luxury, not a necessity. The Sun Sentinel recommends a vote AGAINST BONDS.
■ Amendment 2 would change purchasing policies for the city manager and commissioners. There has been a back-andforth over how much discretion to give the manager, and there isn’t a good reason for voters to make this change. The Sun Sentinel recommends a NO vote.
■ Amendment 3 would repeal term-limit rules that 87 percent of voters approved in a January 2017 special election. That majority of Mayor Arlene Schwartz and commissioners Anthony Caggiano and Tommy Ruzzano put the amendment on the ballot over the objections of Lesa Peerman and Joanne Simone.
Schwartz argues that term limits force good commissioners out of office. Perhaps, but we believe the motivation for this proposal is consolidation of power. That’s not a reason for voters to end term limits. The Sun Sentinel recommends a NO vote.
■ Amendment 4 is the worst proposal. It would allow the city commission – not the manager – to hire the police chief, the fire chief and the assistant city manager.
Margate has a manager-commission form of government, in which commissioners set policy and the manager acts as the CEO. The commission hires and fires only the city manager and the city attorney. There is no strong mayor. Or mayors.
This amendment also came from Schwartz, Caggiano and Ruzzano. It would inject politics into almost every aspect of government in Margate, which would be a terrible development. The Sun Sentinel recommends a NO vote.