The Charter Review Commission

From: A Friend
To: Sam Hall
Subj: The Charter Review Commission
Date: November 5, 2008

I just left.............the Charter Review Commission (CRC) meeting. They voted for and thus approved (8 -2) to change our form of city government from its current manager-council format to mayor-council (strong mayor).

Now it's time for "the devil is in the details" phase. There will be several more CRC meetings, but I thought you would like to know that this event represents the CRC's endorsement to travel down the mayor-council route when confronted w/ the proverbial "fork in the road"! The CRC also voted and approved the mayor's position to be separate from council, thus removing the mayor from exercising "voting power". In this form of government, the mayor will be able to discuss issues on an individual basis w/ a council member. (this is currently not possible as per the Florida Sunshine Law). Several guest speakers (mayors) from other cities advocated this modification in order for leaders w/ visionary goals to be less "constrained" in their attempt to convey thoughts and strategies with council members.

This language is part of a much more comprehensive (lengthy) revised charter that will be authored for several months by the CRC for subsequent presentation to the new council ... but the process of changing the 1931 document has "at last" started to materialize.

My take: Pensacola just MIGHT have to consider the word, prosperity, as
being a term that is incorporated into its future!

This e-mail from a friend came into my personal account and I have not asked for permission to post, hence I left authorship as simply "A Friend".