Last mission to repair the Hubble telescope
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Rays fan guide to the Trop Print |
 Email story |
 Comment |
 Email editor |
Fed up with what they see as a fractured and dysfunctional City Council, residents prepare a petition drive for dissolution.
By RAGHURAM VADAREVU
Published March 16, 2005
CRYSTAL RIVER - Just a day before City Manager Susan Boyer prepared to depart from her job forever, a group of residents declared that they want the whole of city government to follow her out the door.
The residents, perhaps numbering three dozen, want the city dissolved and are preparing to start a petition drive that would force the City Council to hold a referendum on the issue.
Claire Titus, who announced the effort at Monday night's council meeting, said the residents' group has grown tired of squabbles among council members and thinks the city cannot offer the services they expect for their tax dollars.
"We have a crazy City Council," she said Tuesday, adding that the turmoil over the past few months at City Hall has resulted in the departures of much of the city's senior management staff, including Boyer, the city planner, and the finance director.
"We don't have anybody in there working," Titus said.
The last straw came when residents saw how the council fired Boyer for alleged violations of the city charter - which have yet to be proved - only to backtrack and accept a settlement in which Boyer will depart Tuesday and be paid until November.
"What really headed it off was the manner in which they tried to get rid of her, which was both illegal and morally terrible," Titus said. "We don't need this."
At the time of the firing, the council's labor attorney advised it that the way in which it was dismissing Boyer could open the city to lawsuits because council members were depriving Boyer of her job without due process.
Under state law, the council itself can decide to hold a referendum, City Attorney David La Croix said at the council meeting. If the council chose not to - that appears to be the case in this instance - the residents can petition for one, he said.
In order to get the referendum, the residents need to collect the signatures of 10 percent of the city's registered voters. That comes to roughly 300 voters, Titus said.
"We can easily achieve 10 percent," she said, adding that the residents are going to walk the streets collecting signatures in much the same manner as they would in an election campaign.
If Titus' group does so, the city will have to schedule a vote at the next general election in November 2006 or at a special election before then, La Croix said.
"I hope they don't pursue it, but I understand it," Mayor Ronald E. Kitchen Jr. said.
Titus said the group is composing an ordinance with some direction from, but not direct involvement, of some attorneys.
Before the city is dissolved, La Croix said that a plan must be developed to handle the city's financial obligations, and the city would need to make arrangements for the city employees who would lose their jobs.
"It's a sad day indeed, but common sense must prevail," Titus said.
County Commissioner Dennis Damato said Tuesday that the city's dissolution would not be wise and that the city might consider going to a form of government in which the mayor would serve full-time and also oversee the city's functions.
"That person would be accountable not to the council, but to the residents of the city," Damato said. "That might be another thing that they could possibly consider. It's pretty obvious that the city manager form has not worked well."
While County Commission Chairwoman Vicki Phillips said Tuesday the decision to dissolve rests with the city's residents, the county has the ability to provide law enforcement and maintain the roads and other infrastructure.
"If we were in a position in which we would have to do it, we would do it, somehow," Phillips said. "It is a decision for the residents of the city, rather than for those of us in county government."
Even as the residents' group revealed their intentions, the council continued with its process to hire Boyer's replacement.
After a discussion that was both marked by its collegial tone and its brevity - less than 15 minutes - the council decided on a hiring procedure.
Each council member would get copies of every application as they arrive at City Hall between now and the April 8 deadline. On that date, the applications also will be sent to the Range Riders, a group that helps municipalities search for managers.
Then, each council member and the Range Riders each will fashion a list of their top 10 applicants. Once the lists are collected, the council will convene with the Range Riders and narrow the list to a handful of finalists on April 15.
In other news, the council also introduced its revised land development code, and then set a hearing on April 7 to discuss and adopt the proposed changes.
-- Raghuram Vadarevu can be reached at rvadarevu@sptimes.com or 564-3627.
[Last modified March 16, 2005, 01:31:14]
|
|
| Home |
 News
|
Politics
|
Opinion |
Sports
|
Entertainment
|
Money
|
Go Momma
|
Blogs
|
Video | Weather | Traffic |
Classifieds
|
Jobs |
Real Estate |
Cars
|
Site Map |
|
