By DOTTY NIST
A special county commission meeting on Dec. 8 was devoted to those who are among Walton County’s “unsung heroes,” citizens who volunteer their time, effort and expertise to serve on the county’s boards and committees.
In recent years, the practice for appointing members to these panels, appointing replacements for those whose terms are expiring, and renewing terms, has been for such actions to take place in a piecemeal fashion as agenda items at Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meetings, as needed. However, at the suggestion of Walton County Attorney Mark Davis, the BCC took up membership on the 11 boards and committees in one fell swoop, so to speak, at the Dec. 8 meeting.
Planning Commission
Attendance at the workshop indicated strong community interest in the appointments. This may have been partly due to Walton County District 5 Commissioner Cindy Meadows having sent out a Dec. 3 notification to “concerned south Walton citizens” that there had been word that the BCC would vote at the Dec. 8 meeting to remove Suzanne Harris, her District 5 appointee to the Walton County Planning Commission.
“This is the 4th attempt by opponents (led by those who wish to see south Walton lose its quality of life through overdevelopment) to remove her. I appointed her because she studies the material and asks questions of the large number of proposed projects. I would like her to continue serving,” Meadows had written in her message and request for citizens to attend the meeting.
Harris, who is often outspoken and critical at county commission and planning commission meetings, is seen by many in the community as a champion for citizens. She is well known for having filed lawsuits against Walton County involving allegations of Sunshine Law violations. Some of her litigation has been successful, some unsuccessful. Most recently, in September, there was a circuit court ruling in favor of Harris’ argument that Walton County had violated the Sunshine Law with the signing in 2010 of contracts for attorney services without the contracts being approved in public session.
At the outset of the meeting, Meadows objected that the commissioners had received information for the special meeting very late, with six names of potential appointees provided the previous day and the remaining information the same day of the meeting. She complained that she had not had time to research or review the information.
However, Meadows’ fellow commissioners were apparently ready to proceed. Her motion to continue action on the appointments to the Jan 12 BCC meeting did not receive a second and therefore failed.
When the commissioners’ attention turned to the planning commission, it was noted that the holders of the District 2 and District 3 seats, Sally Merrifield and Tom Terrell, respectively, had resigned. The term of District 1 appointee and current board Chairman Teddy Stewart was shown to have expired in February 2015 and Harris’ to have expired in January 2015.
The expiration date of the terms remaining five planning commission members, David Kramer, Lee Perry, and Tom Patton, was shown to be April 22. 2016.
District 1 Commissioner Bill Chapman’s motion to have his appointee, Teddy Stewart, continue on the planning commission was approved unanimously. District 3 Commissioner Bill Imfeld motioned for David W. Smith as his appointee to fill the seat vacated by Merrifield. His motion also carried unanimously.
Although her planning commission appointee David Kramer’s term was not set to expire until April 2016, County Commission Chair/District 4 Commissioner Sara Comander relinquished the gavel to move for his reappointment. Her motion was not seconded.
Meadows complained that voting on reappointments prior to term expirations was “new ground…with no policies established.”
“We’re making it up as we go,” she said.
Davis said his understanding was that the BCC would be appointing or reappointing board or committee members for expired terms or those expiring in 2016.
Since her motion had not been seconded, Comander said she would choose someone else as her appointee and bring back that selection. Discussion indicated that Kramer would continue to serve in the meantime.
District 2 Commissioner Cecilia Jones motioned for Rick Wilson as her appointee. Wilson serves as special projects coordinator for Walton County Administration. Meadows questioned whether as a county employee he could serve on the planning commission. Sidney Noyes, assistant county attorney, said she had verified that he would be allowed to serve.
Wilson’s appointment was approved. However, regarding this appointment, in a Dec. 10 email to county commissioners, Davis indicated that it had been discovered that the Walton County Land Development Code (LDC) prohibits paid or elected employees of the county from serving on the planning commission… “so at the December 22, 2015 meeting, Commissioner Jones will need to nominate a replacement.”
Meadows moved for reappointment of Suzanne Harris as her appointee, with Comander relinquishing the gavel to second that motion.
Of 21 citizens speaking on the motion, 15 spoke in favor of Harris staying on the planning commission, with five speaking in opposition and one just urging the commissioners to carefully consider their decision.
Supporters of Harris praised her for her hard work, bravery, advocacy of citizens, honesty, good service, and insistence on holding government accountable.
Fort Panic resident Ed Goodwin called Harris “a Joan of Arc for us property owners.”
“She is very knowledgeable,” said Inlet Beach resident Betty Letcher.
Harris’ fellow Planning Commissioner David Kramer credited her with being one of the most prepared members of that board. “She has a fervor for it,” he said, and spoke in favor of the “valuable balance” brought to the board by Harris, even though he was not in agreement with her at times. Kramer expressed hope that the BCC would decide to retain Harris on the planning commission, whether or not they decided to keep him.
South Walton County resident Alan Ficarra commented that the fact that Harris has filed lawsuits against the county should not be a reason for her not to serve on the planning commission. He said he himself had had to sue the county in order to get its rules enforced.
Mark Walker, a resident of Shipwatch, a property bordering Edgewater Beach Condominiums, where Harris resides and serves as homeowners’ association president, was critical of Harris, who he said he had known for 11 to 12 years.
Walker maintained that Harris misstates facts and called her, “unprofessional, unethical, and a liability to the board and the citizens of this county.”
Other detractors of Harris, among those Randy Gardner and Ronnie Brannon, referenced the finding of White Sand Protection Zone violation against Edgewater Beach Owners Association by the Walton County Code Enforcement Board (CEB) in connection with a retaining wall project for which Harris was agent and signed engineering and construction contracts. After the CEB determined the color of sand brought in for the wall project noncompliant with county code, the board’s July 16 finding of violation resulted in a requirement for removal of hundreds of cubic yards of sand from the project site.
Santa Rosa Beach resident Bonnie McQuiston charged that this was an instance of Harris choosing not to comply with an ordinance while serving on the planning commission.
“She’s been demonized for violating the code and breaking a law in Walton County;” Inlet Beach Neighborhood Association President Shane Odom countered; “I guess we’ve never done any of that before?…so unless everybody sitting on this commission is perfect in every sense, then it would be in your best interest and the best interest of the county to reappoint Mrs. Harris to her current position.”
South Walton County resident Alan Osborne told the BCC that Harris “asks the hard questions” as a planning commissioner. “She needs to stay on that board,” he said.
“This is about a small group of developers who don’t like to be told no,” Osborne said of efforts to remove Harris from the planning commission. These are people who want control, Osborne continued.
“Don’t give it to them, or we’ll vote you off,” he told the commissioners.
Regarding the White Sand Protection Zone violation, Harris commented that Edgewater had hired an engineer and had relied on him in consultation with a county employee sent by Walton County Administrator Larry Jones to help Edgewater, with the aim of building a project that was in compliance with county code.
The vote was taken on Meadows’ motion to reappoint Harris. It failed 2-3, with Meadows and Comander voting in favor and Chapman, Imfeld, and Jones voting no.
Questioned as to whether she had an alternate appointee to propose for the District 5 planning commission seat, Meadows said she did not.
Later a motion by Commissioner Jones to declare that District 5 planning commission seat vacant carried 4-1, with Meadows voting no. Without that vote, Harris would have continued serving until a replacement was appointed.
In other action regarding the planning commission, a motion for the reappointment of Lee Perry, holder of one of the two at-large seats, was approved unanimously. However, a motion to reappoint Tom Patton, holder of the other at-large seat, failed 0-5.
To fill the District 2 planning commission seat vacated by Merrifield, Commissioner Jones moved to appoint Greg Catalano, who had previously served on the planning board. Concerns were expressed due to the appointee’s son Jason Catalano’s employment with Walton County planning. Jones’ motion failed 1-4.
After discussion of some other applicants, a motion by Meadows to appoint local architect George Abert was approved unanimously. He is to replace Patton when his term expires in April.
Tourist Development Council
A motion by Meadows to reappoint all current members of the Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) carried unanimously. Commissioner Jones had also recently been appointed by the BCC to serve in the county commissioner seat on the TDC.
While TDC chairs have at times been selected by council members, Commissioner Jones pointed out that by law the BCC is able to appoint the TDC chair.
Comander moved that Commissioner Jones be appointed as TDC chair.
A possible conflict was discussed with the TDC chair being a commissioner and meeting with other commissioners in the capacity of chair.
Former TDC Executive Director Jim Bagby, who has served approximately 2 1/2 years until Nov. 16, came forward to address the commissioners. Bagby told them that in consultation with the county attorney about a year ago, the determination had been made that a non-BCC member of the council should serve as chair so that the chair would be able to serve as a liaison and talk with county commissioners without a Sunshine Law conflict.
Commissioner Jones asked if the TDC vice chair could not fill the role of liaison.
Comander’s motion to appoint Commissioner Jones as TDC chair was approved.
Code Enforcement Board
Among other board memberships generating discussion was that of the Walton County Code Enforcement Board (CEB). A motion by Meadows for all current CEB members to continued serving failed 1-4 after Imfeld raised concern about CEB member Richard Fowlkes turning in code enforcement complaints while serving on the board.
Meadows countered that serving on the CEB does not negate a citizen’s right to file code enforcement complaints, as it is possible for a board member to recuse him- or herself from board decisions in that circumstance.
Commissioner Jones commented that sometimes there are applicants “that shine,” and that it is good to see new faces on the boards.
McQuiston asked how long some CEB members had been on the board and spoke in favor of limiting terms so that other citizens would have the opportunity to serve.
Meadows acknowledged that that might be a “nice concept,” but observed that the BCC had not established any such policy. “We’ve never done that before,” she said.
Reappointments to the CEB approved by the BCC included Victor Bowman, Gordon Porter, Bob Sullivan, and Dave Lovell. It was noted that the seats of CEB members Tom Stein and Alan Newsome (an alternate) would not expire until 2017.
A motion by Imfeld to appoint Harold Jack Wilson to Fowlkes’ seat carried 4-1, with Meadows voting no. A motion by Comander to appoint John W. Roberts to the one remaining vacant CEB seat also carried 4-1, with Meadows voting no.
Other new appointees
Other new appointments included William Schissler to the Walton County Scenic Corridor Design Review Board and Joe Mustachio to the Coastal Dune Lakes Advisory Board.