Team’s city data inconclusive
I just finished watching attorney Brian Seymour’s Oct. 12 presentation to the Palm Beach Gardens Council on his charter team’s proposal and recommendations. (“Newly elected Gardens officials push for review of city charter,” May 31)
I’m questioning the data that the charter team used to arrive at its conclusions. Seymour said the team investigated, “What is the reality of what other people live with?” So I researched the conclusions for myself (thanks to all the cities that use Municode).
The team proposed that we use plurality to determine the outcomes of our local elections. Of the 29 Florida cities equal or larger in population than Palm Beach Gardens with term limits in their charters, only 38 percent use plurality voting. Fifty-five Florida cities are equal or larger in population than Palm Beach Gardens; 36 percent use plurality voting schemes.
The charter team also recommends allowing council members to serve again after sitting out a term. Using the same data sample, only 31 percent allow term-limited elected officials to serve another term. The average number of terms allowed in the Florida cities with term limits of the same sample is 2.24 terms.
Last but not least, they also reintroduce in their recommendations an old city favorite: allowing the city manager to live outside the city. Using the 55-city sample, 48 percent allow their city manager to live outside the city. But I ask, after Hurricane Irma, does anyone really want our $225,000 manager to be a telecommuter?
DAVID PARKS,