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City clerk certifies POP petition
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The Marco Island City Clerk’s office has certified a Marco Island City Charter amendment petition by Preserve Our Paradise (POP), a political action committee.
POP wants to put a referendum on January’s Marco Island City Council election ballot to allow voters every four years to approve or disapprove of the performance of any current or future Marco Island City Manager. The petition states, “has the city manager’s performance been to your satisfaction?”
If a majority of voters disprove of the manager’s performance, the Marco Island City Council must terminate and replace the person. Bill Moss is the current city manager. The petition states that a city manager cannot appeal the voters’ decision. A manager terminated by the process cannot re-apply for employment with the city until four years later.
During the July 16 council meeting, Moss requested that the City Council approve Marco Island City Clerk Laura Litzan, instead of himself, to review the petition for certification.
“Inasmuch as the petition potentially impacts the office of the city manager, it is recommended that City Council appoint the city clerk as council’s designee in order to avoid even the remote appearance of impropriety,” Moss stated in the request.
POP chairman Russ Colombo stated in a July 15 e-mail, “if integrity, ethics and sincerity of the city manager are truly the honest focus of this request, these can best be served by the CM personally expediting the numerical sufficiency of the certified petitions in accordance to the city charter and moving the process forward, nearer to the voters.”
Litzan stated in the July 19 certification that the petition “is sufficient as to those matters required by city charter 6.02 “Number of Signatures” and (2) “Form and Content.” She added that the petition is subject to further consideration and action by the City Council pursuant to 6.05(1) of the charter and Florida Statute 166.031. The council can review the petition as to its legal sufficiency.
The office of the Collier County Supervisor of Elections told Colombo earlier this month that enough signatures were certified on a petition. The office examined 1,430 signed petitions and validated 1,383 as those signed by registered voters.
POP tried to amend the city charter last year. The Supervisor of Elections certified 1,347 out of 1,396 signature petitions that POP collected. The City Council rejected the referendum on Aug. 21 by a 6-1 vote.
Former city attorney Richard Yovanovich advised the council that POP had identified only two people on their board of directors. Yovanovich said the city charter called for at least five directors.
After the council’s decision, Colombo named himself and five other Marco Island residents as board members.
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Good! Now if only the City Manager will keep his promise and resign. According to the 2007 MICA Membership Survey, 1,205 members thought his performance deserved a job rating of no better then "Fair" to "Poor". 687 members believed his performance to be "Poor"! I can't see this fellow surviving this referendum. He might as well resign like he promised.
#1 Posted by Lolala on July 23, 2007 at 3:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How many people took part in this poll by MICA?
I mean you seem to have the poor to fair numbers but I see no mention of how many people were responding and how many thought he was doing a good job. Biased opinion makes you look foolish. If you have a point to make you really should acknowledge both sides of the story.
#2 Posted by marcogirl on July 25, 2007 at 2:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I believe that there were 2300 responses to the MICA survey and 60%=/- gave the council and the city manager a less than favorable rating. I wonder why they haven't published these number?
#3 Posted by optomist on July 25, 2007 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe it's because people like marcogirl asked MICA not to? 1,361 of the total responses rated our City Council as only doing a fair to poor job. A paltry 186 members thought the Council was doing an excellent job. Any opinions that reflect more than 55% disasatisfaction with our government officials should be published and shouted out to the public from our highest buildings!
#4 Posted by Lolala on July 25, 2007 at 4:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here are a few more results of the survey: Only 23 percent of the responses agreed with Councilman Minozzi's proposal for a toll on the Jolley bridge. 59 percent of the responses believe the city should provide additional bike paths. Yet that is one of the items our City Manager is putting on the chopping block. A full 65 percent expect Veterans Park (the Glon property) to be developed within the next FIVE years! Where is that on the City Council's priority list? Only 11 percent favor changing zoning from commercial to mixed use! I would say the membership of MICA and the City Council is out of step wouldn't you, marcogirl?
#5 Posted by Hawke1 on July 25, 2007 at 5:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You can bet Mr. Tucker is vigorously working this issue, not in the sunshine, to have the petition declared invalid! Desperation breeds unethical acts. Let's keep a close eye on Mr. Tucker (or his surrogate's) actions in the next few weeks.
#6 Posted by lutherdog on July 26, 2007 at 8:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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