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2006.07.25_TC_Minutes_Special
. TOWN OF HIGHLAND BEACH MINUTES OF TOWN COMMISSION MEETING SPECIAL MEETING Tuesday, July 25, 2006 1:30 P.M. Mayor Harold R. Hagelmann called the Special Meeting to order in Commission Chambers at 1:30 P.M., advising its purpose was to discuss an amendment to the Town Charter regarding terms of office, and consideration of an ordinance setting the ballot language for the November 7, 2006 election pertaining to same: AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF HIGHLAND BEACH PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE TOWN CHARTER EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE TERMS FOR THE MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND TOWN COMMISSION MEMBERS, AND REDUCING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PERMITTED CONSECUTIVE TERMS; EXTENDING THE TERMS OF NON-TERM LIMITED COMMISSION MEMBERS (INCLUDING THE MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR), BY ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR; PROVIDING FOR SUBMISSION OF THE PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT TO • THE ELECTORS OF THE TOWN AT THE REGULAR ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 7, 2006; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR REPEALER; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Town Clerk Doris Trinley called the roll. The Mayor, Vice Mayor Joseph J. Asselta, and Commissioners Rachael Scala-Pistone, Miriam S. Zwick and Jim Newill, CPA were present. Town Attorney Thomas E. Sliney and Town Manager Dale S. Sugerman were also present, as were members of the general public. After the Town Clerk gave first reading to the proposed ordinance, Mayor Hagelmann began discussion commenting that it takes about a year to become accustomed to the requirements of being an elected official and, with the three 2-year terms now in place for the Town's elected officials, immediately following one's first year in office it is time to start thinking about the next election. The Mayor further remarked that the proposed ordinance would allow for two 3-year terms, thus time and money for campaigning would be cut byone-third; however, because the issue would go to referendum, it would be left to the voters to decide if they wanted the change. Commissioner Jim Newill, CPA was the first to give his opinion, which he separated into • "for" and "against." The Commissioner first noted that currently there are two (2) seats that run against each other -his and Commissioner Scala-Pistone - if a third party • Minutes of Town Commission Special Meeting July 25 2006 Paae 2 of 3 qualifies; the other seats do not face that possibility, so this change would solve running against a colleague. Secondly, Commissioner Newill noted that if the Town. had an effective Commissioner, it would have him or her for an additional year, and, as the Mayor had mentioned, it spreads out the cost of campaigning over three (3) years rather than two (2), which might encourage more people to run. Conversely, Commissioner Newill pointed out that an ineffective Commissioner would also have an additional year; that a change would mean Commissioner Scala-Pistone would have to sit out a year if she planned to run for another seat; and, finally, the Commissioner noted that such an action could possibly be perceived by some as a political move. Commissioner Newill also said he found the ordinance title, which referred to "....reducing the maximum of consecutive terms..." [current Charter language calls for three (3) consecutive 2-year terms] as well as the ballot language which states, "Current Town Commission Members may serve a total of three consecutive terms." confusing; hence a lengthy discussion ensued among the members and the Town Attorney. Concluding discussion, Commissioner Zwick, who served on the Charter Review Board • in 2003, said she had felt at that time this issue would need to be addressed in the near future, as it would be a benefit to the Town, with the voters realizing the effect it has on those trying to run for office. Vice Mayor Asselta stated the issue was not that complicated; he said if the Commission didn't want so many people running at the same time, then two (2) seats would have to be identified to either have the terms cut short or extended. MOTION was then made by MAYOR HAGELMANNNICE MAYOR ASSELTA, to approve the title of the ordinance. Roll call vote was as follows: Commissioner Newill - No Commissioner Zwick -Yes Commissioner Scala-Pistone - No Vice Mayor Asselta -Yes Mayor Hagelmann -Yes A tentative date for a Special Meeting to have final reading and possible approval was set for Monday, August 7, at 10:00 A.M. At this time, Commissioner Scala-Pistone asked to be heard. She expressed her disfavor of the change in terms and, among other comments, the Commissioner noted that voters would not understand the term "non-term limited Commission Members." A copy of the Commissioner's complete remarks are attached to and made part of these Minutes. THE PALM BEACH POST SATURDAY, TULY 22, 2006 Town to consider longer terms of office By ELIOT KLEINBERG Palm. Beach Past Sta~Writer IfIGHLAND BEACH - Residents could vote:- on whether to limit elected ®ffi- cials to two three-year terms instead of ' three two-year. terms. The. town commission will hold. a special meeting before Tuesdayy''s monthly. workshop to debate whether to dace the proposed charter an~ndment referendum on the.: November ballot.. 'The von to do so would come in a special meeting before the Aug'. 29 monthl workshop. The town ~as had the current term limits since 1952. Nearby Boca Raton voted. this year to have two three- year terms. Bo~nnton Beach also has those lunits. Delray Beach has' two two-year terms... H~'gbland .Beach Mayor Harold Hagelmann, who in- Htland Beach offlclats wilt discuss a proposal Tuesday, , troduced the idea, .said two years is barely enough: time to get settled on the commis- sion. "If you are on the board for a year, you'really are the new kid on the block," he said. Candidates for office in small. towns can spend as much" as, $5,000 of their own money, Hagelmann said. Smaller towns also could use the savings .incurred in spreading out elections, he said. Commissioners :may spend tune Tuesday discuss- ing the current. wording of the proposal, which Com- missoner ~ Jim Newi11 de- scribed as "confusing." As now written: The terms of Hagelmann and. Newill, .both elected in 2005, would be extended one year to 2008. They could run once more, potentially serv- ingsix pears. Commissioner Rachael. Scal~l?istone, first elected in 2001, would be forced out by term limits, having served six years. Scala-Pistone, wlo said she plans to run f©r mayor; would be unable to'da so until 2008. The terms of Vice Mayor Joseph' Asselfa and Commis- sioner Miriam Zwick, both elected` in 2'004 and reelected> this year, would be extended one .year to :2009; at which time .they would be allowed to rein far a third term, which would aUow'them to serve.: a total of seven years. ® elio~kleinbetg~pbpost.eom • r: THE PALM BEACH POST MONDAY, JULY 24, 2006 Highland Beach .may alter. office terms in charter TUESDAY: Highland Beach residents could vote on whether to limit elected officials to two 3-year terms instead of up to three 2- year terms. 'Ihe town commission will have a special meeting at 1:30 p.m., before its monthly workshop to debate whether to place the issue on the November ballot 4H SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2006 • C Opinion Sun=Sentinel DEDICATED TO BEING THE MOST VALUED INFORMATION PROVIDER IN SOUTH FLORIDA. ROBERTGREMILL[ON EARLMAUCRER drowning, behind toddlers. It's predictable that some older kids might shy away from swimming classes. What middle schooler, for instance, would want to be seen in a pool learning alongside a bevy of 4year-olds? Especially if it leads to teasing. Fortunately, the danger has been recog- nized. The American Red Cross and other agencies aze now offering swim classes targeted at older kids. The availability of the classes is only a partial an- swer,though. Parents must also recognize the inher- entdanger, and get their kids to classes. In South Florida, where beach weather is nearly year-round, there's always time to avert a tragedy. BOTTOM LINE: Swimming lasses are a must for older bds, too. YATES VERDICT ISSUE: A jury finds Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity for drowning her kids. ' The word "victory" has no place in the story of An- dreaYates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children in a fit of psychoticpazanoia in 2001. But the recent jury verdict finding her not guilty by reason of insanity in her retrial is perhaps the fairest conclu- • sion tothe mind-boggling tragedy of this case. No one disputes that the horrific murders, carried out in the family bathtub as Yates shoved one child after another underwater, were legally and morally wrong. But this woman was arguably insane at the time. She believed Satan lived inside her and that the only way to save her kids from the hell they were des- tined forwas tosnuff out their lives. It's sick stuff, and it brought America's righteous anger to a boil. But judging Yates' actions under rea- sonable standards of right and wrong underesti- matesthe consuming delusions that bedevil victims of postpartum psychosis. Those who suffer its effects say rational thought is a foreign concept and sanity comes only with intense therapy. But that's hard to grasp for the rest of society, and so sufferers of even milder cases of postpartum depression struggle with the stigma linked to this oppressive mental illness. So it perhaps reflects a greater level of awareness that four yeazs after the first jury convicted Yates of murder, a second panel was moved by testimony aboutthe effects of her illness. It's hard to call that a victory, especially when five children are dead. But maybe America gets it a little better todaythan when Yates helped introduce postpartum psychosis to a shocked society. Most new moms experience "the baby blues," but one in 1,000 suffer the more de- structivepsychosisthat can leadto violence. Despite a prior suicide attempt, Yates didn't get the help she needed. Since then, more women like actress Brooke Shields have opened up about their struggle and gotten treatment. That's progress, if not some small victory, but more awareness is still need- ed sothat more can come out from the shadows. BOTTOM LINE: It's a humane end to a horrific case of postpartum psyd~osis. DISASTER AID SBA gets storm response critiqued Not all disasters are the same. The 2005 hurricane season, and a flood of applica- tionsfor assistance, overwhelmed the Small Busi- Letters. to the Editor F Not enough. voters let voices be heard Your editorial comments on July 25 seeking candidates to tell citizens where they stand and urging citizens to show that they care by voting were excellent. It is an absolute shame that only 7 percent of candidates for the state or federal legislature have returned their questionnaires for Project Vote Smart. As someone passionate about getting people to the polls and educating citizens about issues and stances, I urge every candidate for state or federal office , even if you are unopposed, to take the time to fill out the questionnaire so your answers can be posted on www.votesmart.org. I certainly appreciate and acknowledge that li there are many citizens who feel disconnected from government. However, your choice to be silent and not exercise your tight to vote only serves to further disconnect you fmm government. Unfortunately, the bulk of the power rests with the minorityofvoterswho choose to participate in the election process. While I am so grateful that I was chosen to be the mayor of Coral Springs in March, I am fully awaze that the vast majority of our registered voters (approximately 90 percent) chose to stay home on election day. I urge every citizen to make sure you are heard at the upcoming primary elections on Sept. 5 as well as the general election in November. The more you exercise your tight to vote, the more powerful you and your community become. SroTT L Bxoox MAYOF CORAL SPRING! Lo nstructor, "Report details DUI instructor's fiasco," eery factual and only wanted to add a few comments as someone with a Ph.D. in criminal justice. First, the officer has been on the police force for an exceptional amount of time. This in itself is commendable and I have seen several law enforcement officers over the years who have fallen to the "bottle," so to speak. There is usually more than meets the eye in these cases. For example, I do not know this officer but would bet there is a personal problem that is behind the excessive drinking and maybe this OLD.GR~w~7Y xns+eoL~+ „~rveroa, wE ~oiR~~e aui. n+r rov TEN F100Rf eyKpwy NW NOI MKS rFIEM. i301tO111S What U.S. needs at U.N. it happen again" bottom line. It is t save an experien~ officer than try to new one as a repl He is doing the ti; Tryingtobe re the best appmacl gal goes off again not only lose her Plantation but sh come before the Standards and T Commission for decertification a enforcement offi thiswill be a fine situationwhentl commission acts These actions embarrassing fo everyone conne~ the individual, tk department, anc NEW. CMPrVnPiG 104 _SEwaoa,we ~oaRD s ~lplly64N N4f M inefficient behe bureaucracy rif corruption. Most of these have motives tt hazdlypure. Tl fortheirown ei and not for any motives. Russil recently as this December sold to Iran. China financial dealir Ir~ari, hence its ~ to impose sanc ]ran regazdles: theycomplyw upcoming Aug resolution or n forget the oil-f. scandal and th performance c peacekeepers watched forye Hezbollah bui'. near the Leber with Israel. Th ~ Kofi Annan az Thank goodne least we have . C. E I concurwithyouthat John Bolton should receive Senate confirmation to the U.N.; however, I am more enthusiastic that he is, indeed, a very good choice. Journalists have been surprisingly impressed with how directly and articulately he has answered their questions. If he hasn't had an answer to a, question, he hasn't hesitated to tell them. He is definitely representing the United States and not his own personal aggrandizement. The United Nations has primarily become ananti- U.S., anti-Israel body that is impotent to do more than pass resolutions without enforcingthem. We are the largest contributor to the U.N. What we get is an ~77 A~A~~~C~ _ . __...~......~.......~..^..rnr wne • Minutes of Town Commission Special Meeting Ju1y 25, 2006 Page 3 of 3 Public Comments were heard from the following residents: Retired attorney, Joe Yucht, Boca Hi, said the way this issue was presented only assumes the Commission wants the change; he took lawyerly exception, in an exchange with the Town Attorney, to the ordinance title, as well as other sections of the ordinance. Harold Glasser, Coronado, expressed disappointment in the meeting's proceedings, stating he did not approve of the ordinance as written, and asked why such haste to change the terms of office; also, who would .benefit. Mr. Glasser further stated that changing the terms of office would deny voters the opportunity to vote out a Commissioner who was not satisfactory to them. Martha Pando, Coronado, questioned why the change in terms was being considered by the sitting Commission, which directly impacts them, rather than the Commission voting for the future, and not extend their own terms. There being no further business to come before the Commission at this time, Mayor Hagelmann adjourned the Special Meeting at 2:50 P.M. upon MOTION by VICE MAYOR • ASSELTA/COMMISSIONER ZWICK. dmt Approve: Mayor .s ~ 1 { (j Rachael Scala-Pistone, Commissioner Miriam S. Zwic , Co ssioner Jim will, Commis 'oner Attest: ~-~. J ~- • Date: _ % / ~ f0,