Secret meetings up for review
New Broward mayor says there will be no discussions about COVID-19 in private
Broward’s mayors no longer will be meeting privately to discuss the COVID19 pandemic, the newly appointed county mayor said Tuesday, vowing to open the talks up for public review.
Steve Geller, whowas sworn in as county mayor Tuesday, pledged to open up meetings in which hospital executive sand health officials often discuss the state of the pandemic with dozens of mayors across the county. “I see absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t be ope nto the media,” Geller said Tuesday.
In past months, the COVID-related talks have touched ona range of issues, such as beach openings, curfews, mask rules, restaurant hours and business restrictions, aswell as updates from medical leaders about the COVID infection statistics and state of the area hospitals to deal with it all. Broward’s mayors can ask questions and come to a consensus about what the next steps should be, and even criticize the county.
The former county mayor, Dale V.C. Holness, had presided over the weekly mayor’s meetings since March. He had cited concern that making the meetings public would give mayors reason to grandstand, if they knew that their comments would be heard by many more people.
When the South Florida Sun Sentinel requested recordings of the meetings in July, the county provided them in August but abruptly stopped recording any subsequent discussions.
Holness only agreed to resume record-
ings after public pressure.
Geller’s first action as mayor was emailing Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, asking for a statewide mask mandate, or at least for DeSantis to rescind his order prohibiting local governments from enforcing fines for people who refuse to comply with local mask laws.
The governor’s actions make it difficult for businesses to enforce mask rules, hewrote.
Geller’s political career began in 1988 in the Florida Legislature as a state Representative. In 1998, he was elected to the Florida Senate, where he served a decade.
He was elected to the Broward County Commission in 2016.
Geller’s term is for one year. He had been serving as vice mayor, a formality before becoming mayor.
In addition to leading public commission meetings, the mayor is the chairman of the county’ s Tourist Development Council, and the public face of Broward who often stands alongside the governor when he makes local COVID19 announcements.
Commissioner Michael Udine also was chosen to become the county’s next vicemayor, putting him in line for the top job of county mayor next year.