IMPORTANT: New Business Item 11B - Violation of City Ordinance as it relates to Appointments to City Boards

On the City Commission agenda Tuesday, July 20th, there is a very important item placed by Commissioner Maxwell regarding the recent appointment process to City advisory boards.  Click title for link to entire agenda and back-up material.  The following is from the transmittal memo from Agenda Item 11B under "New Business:"


Recently I received an extensive e-mail from Mr. Ryan Anderson alleging one or more
violations of City ordinances related to the recent Commission selection of citizen volunteers
to serve on the various advisory boards.


As indicated below, Mr. Anderson states he recently had a conversation with the City
Manager requesting that an agenda item be placed on the next Commission agenda regarding
the recent City Board appointments. Mr. Anderson, along with other members of the public,
believes that several obvious violations of City ordinances occurred during these proceedings
and that they should be publicly discussed.


Mr. Anderson is aware that as a member of the public he cannot require the City Manager
make additions or deletions to the Commission's meeting agenda, as indicated in the body of
Mr. Anderson’s e-mail:


“What I was requesting of Ms. Stanton is that she be cognizant of the blatant violations that
occurred and the public's current perception of this process. Then, with her authority to add
agenda items, add one to the next discussion and efficiently manage the public's perception of
the board appointment process. In an attempt to make myself clear, below I have included a
snippet from the City ordinance that defines that board applications must be submitted ten
days before interviewing, that each applicant must be interviewed, that the Commission must
rank each applicant and that board members must be selected by the Commission at the same
meeting as the interview. These are four items that stand out to me as they did not take place
for each Board appointment as mandated.


Sec. 2-12. Terms of office and selection of members of city boards.


(a) The term of office of each person who serves on any city board, commission, authority,
council, agency or panel who is appointed by the city commission shall end on July 31 of the
year in which such member’s term expires.


(b) Beginning in April of each year, the city shall provide to the public notice of vacancies of
board members whose terms expire during the year, so that residents may apply for the vacant
positions. Applications for boards may be filed at any time up to ten (10) days before the
interview meeting with the city commission.


(c) In June of each year, the city commission shall conduct an interview meeting with
prospective applicants to city boards and shall select the board members at the meeting, based
upon the commission members ranking of the applicants. In the event that vacancies to city
boards occur at other times of the year, the city commission may determine to hold interview
meetings with applicants at other times of the year and select replacement members in
accordance with the procedures contained in this section.


(d) Upon the adoption of this section, for members of city boards whose terms end in a month
other than July, the terms shall be extended until the following July, as provided in paragraph
(a).(Ord. No. 2002-20, 1, 7-16-02)


Please consider my request to bring this issue to the forefront of discussion at the upcoming
Commission meeting by making it an official agenda item. Thank you for your service and all
that you do for our City.”


At the request of Mr. Anderson, I requested the City Manager place this matter before the
Commission at the July 20th meeting and allow 10 minutes for a presentation from Mr.
Anderson or a designee so that the Commission might have a better understanding of the
allegations so as to better form a decision of action to take to address the allegations.

PLEASE COME AND SHOW COMMISSIONER MAXWELL AND MR. ANDERSON,  YOUR SUPPORT AT TUESDAY NIGHT'S MEETING.  IF YOU WISH, SUBMIT A CARD TO VOICE YOUR OWN OPINION AFTER THE PRESENTATION.


THIS AMOUNTS TO CORRUPTION OF PROCESS PERPETRATED BY CERTAIN OF OUR CITY COMMISSIONERS - IF WE, THE RESIDENTS OF LAKE WORTH, DON'T MAKE AN ISSUE OF THIS, IT WILL KEEP THE "BUSINESS AS USUAL" ATTITUDE ALIVE AND WELL - THIS CANNOT CONTINUE TO HAPPEN!