Weekly comments from Dale Martin

Dale Martin

Fernandina Beach

January 13, 2017 1:00 a.m.

City Manager Dale Martin

The City Commission Special Meeting conducted earlier this week should be considered a success. It was a demonstration of citizen-government interaction. I hope that residents continue to retain their interest and passion in local government.

Let me first address apparent key misconceptions related to the meeting: the members of the City Commission neither conceived the concept offered by the Florida Department of Transportation nor did any member of the City Commission express support for the concept.

The City Commission provided direction and support for the re-opening of Alachua Street- as have previous City Commissions for several decades. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials, who have demonstrated longstanding support for the City’s rationale to re-open Alachua Street, but who simultaneously consider the needs and concerns of the railroad, offered the concept of opening Alachua Street/closing Centre Street to the City in late October and essentially said, “What do you think about this?”

The members of the City Commission decided to have their first discussion on the subject at the Commission’s annual visioning workshop in December. An FDOT official provided a summary of the concept and shared safety concerns. Those safety concerns were primarily related to the inadequate signalization (as required by state and federal regulations) of the existing crossings at Centre and Ash Streets.

The City Commissioners then decided to host two special meetings for the purpose of soliciting public comment regarding the FDOT concept. The Commissioners were under no obligation or requirement to conduct such meetings, but they indicated that they wanted to gather information, including public comments, to ensure that any decision was supported by complete and accurate information and in the best interests of the community. In other words, the City Commission was doing its job.

And, in response, the general public did its job by turning out to offer comment. It is at City Commission meetings that those comments must be delivered to be effective- not Facebook, not Twitter, not any other form of social media. How many social media sites or accounts would have to be monitored or followed- probably dozens, which is impractical. That is why attendance and participation at City Commission meetings is critical- it is the commonly most accessible forum for every resident. City Commission meetings and associated agendas are prominently posted, and the meetings themselves conducted at a time to best ensure public participation (evening hours instead of morning or afternoon).

Given that perspective, that is why my assessment of Tuesday’s meeting was a success. The City Commission did its part by seeking guidance from constituents, and the constituents provided that guidance. The number of public in attendance was also meaningful. On occasion, a small number of speakers before the City Commission often articulate their views as representative of the entire community. It is a measure of the City Commission’s political acumen to determine the true level of community representation- and sheer numbers (as represented Tuesday evening) are a “force multiplier.” Consider that less than thirty residents actually spoke, but their message was further shared with the Commissioners by the presence of so many others. That is how representative government is supposed to work.

The challenge with local government, however, is that we are all neighbors. Unlike the federal or state government, local government actions are inherently more personal. In these circumstances, sometimes the procedures and rules to maintain respect and decorum are strained. It is the specific role of the Mayor to administer the meetings of the City Commission.

The meeting had an adversarial tension- as if one side was going to win and the other side was going to lose. As stated at the outset of the meeting, no decision was to be made- the status quo (Alachua Street closed/Centre Street open) was not going to change. It was an informational meeting for which the City Commission was solely soliciting information: no winners, no losers, just better informed Commissioners and residents. And I believe that was achieved.

It is exactly that type of meeting that makes a career in local government so exciting, challenging, and rewarding.