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Commissioner Myers in St. Pete Beach calls it a day
By AMY WIMMER, Times Staff Writer ST. PETE BEACH -- Commissioner Jim Myers surprised City Hall watchers by submitting his resignation last week, leaving the District 2 seat open just months before he was expected to seek a fourth term in office. Myers and his wife, Greta, have purchased a unit at the Florencia, a luxury condominium high-rise built three years ago in downtown St. Petersburg. They now live at St. Pete Beach's Silver Sands Beach & Racquet Club. "We'd been looking for an opportunity to move to downtown St. Petersburg," Myers said Thursday. "We could not let it pass." Myers will continue to live in St. Pete Beach until mid November, but his resignation is effective Monday. He said he resigned immediately because he felt uncomfortable setting policy for a city he will not live in for long. His decision left city politicos wondering who will be appointed to take his place. Myers lives in District 2, so the commission must appoint a replacement who lives between 55th and 72nd avenues. Detailed maps of the district are available at the city clerk's office. Myers' replacement could play a key role in the overhaul of city land development regulations. Myers advocated taking a slow, measured look at any changes to the rules, which govern how the beach is developed. Last year, the new rules were so controversial that they became the main issue in the city election. Commissioner Peter Blank has said that he doesn't want the land development regulations to drag on for so long that they become a campaign issue this year. City Clerk Theresa McMaster said the city has not made firm plans for how it will appoint a new commissioner, but commissioners will discuss Myers' replacement at a meeting Tuesday night. According to the city charter, because Myers resigned with less than six months remaining in his term, the commission must appoint a replacement. The appointed commissioner is also eligible to run for the seat in the March 11 city election. McMaster said anyone interested in being appointed can submit a resume now, but the City Commission likely will decide on Tuesday what information it wants from candidates. She was unsure when the commission might appoint a replacement, but it could be as early as Oct. 15.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
