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Some Consolidation Committee Members Did Not Support Plan
January 25, 2010
The plan for a new consolidated government in Escambia County was not fully supported by the committee that created it.
When the Escambia County Consolidation study commission completed their plan to consolidate the governments of Escambia County, the City of Pensacola and the Town of Century, four members voted against the proposal.
C.J. Lewis, representing the Pensacola City Council; Gary Montee, representing Sheriff David Morgan; Doris Harris,representing Clerk of the Court Ernie Lee Magaha; and Sharon Barnett, representing the League of Women Voters, all cast votes against the plan’s final draft.
“Even though I voted against the plan, I worked as hard as I could to make the plan the best it could be because if it did get on the ballot and passed I knew I’d have to live with it,” Lewis said.
Lewis said he tried to look at “what’s broken with our local governments that can only be fixed by consolidating two or more governments”, but he could not find anything. “The problems we did identify all seem relatively minor and can be solved by realigning resources or better communication and collaboration.”
All but four of the 25 members on the consolidation committee either live or work in Pensacola. Only three members directly or specifically represented North Escambia in some manner.
The Town of Century’s representative, Charles Scott, Jr, voted for the plan. The Century Town Council, however, voter earlier this year to withdraw all support for consolidation.
Rusty Tanner, the Escambia County District 5 member, voted in favor of the plan. District 5 includes all of North Escambia. Jimmy Cunningham, representing the Escambia County Farm Bureau, also voted for the plan. The organization, which claims a few thousand members in Escambia County, is based in Molino and represents primarily the rural population of the county.
Three members of the committee were not present for the final vote on the consolidation plan: Jeremy Brown, representing the Escambia County Taxpayers’ Association; Edward Fleming, representing Escambia County District 2; and LuTimothy May, representing the Pensacola Ministerial Alliance.
The Escambia County Commission has asked the legislative delegation to delay any referendum vote on consolidation until 2012 at the earliest. The Pensacola City Council considered, but failed to pass, a similar motion requesting a delay in the public’s vote on the issue. Instead, the council will decide Monday what action to take. The legislative act that created the consolidation study commission does not require the support of any of the three governments to proceed.
The Northwest Florida legislative delegation will have just over a month to review the plan before potentially submitting it to the legislature to set a referendum vote as early as November 2010.
Comments
12 Responses to “Some Consolidation Committee Members Did Not Support Plan”
Okay Jimmy; You represented Florida Farm Bureau of which I probably have been a member as long as yourself. Why did you cast your vote as such? Who told you to do it lke that without polling the membership.
The committee of 25 that met to consider a consolidation plan for Escambia County, City of Pensacola and the Town of Century never cast a vote to consolidate,only to submit a plan for consolidation to the citizens of the entire county. This plan passed on a vote of 18 for, 4 opposed and 3 members absent . The legislature passed the legislation to establish this commission and the organizations that would have representaion on the commision. A total of 85 meetings were held by various subcommittees and the full commission of 25.
we received no funding from any goverment entity and bore the cost of our own travel. Take the time to read the entire consolidation plan and then cast your vote either for or against consolidation. Vote No if you feel that Escambia County is going in the right direction or vote Yes for consolidation if you feel changes need to be made.
i think that this part of florida should become part of pensacola,thers nothing going on in century now.theres no future here for our kids.no schools,no jobs,no housing,no places to pay your bills we have to drive to another state just to pay our power bills.no driver license place,there is no hope for century if it’s not willing to take a chance this part of escambia will become more deserted then it is.century has nothing to offer the kids of tomorrw.most people are not willing to take chances because they are content in the way things has been for the last 50 or so years.century need change.
I agree with bama54 and Laura Cook. Tanner and Scott should have read the consolidation motion in whole and then speak with the residents in the county. They pulled the trigger with out knowing and discussing the consolidation with residents.
As for me and my house, no incumbent will get our vote for any office this year.
If they remain in office over one term,they are then recipients of favors from big business. If everyone would do the same thing maybe our country would be in better condition. Something has to turn around or there will be nothing for our children, and grandchildren. VOTE NO ON ALL AS THEY COME UP FOR RE-ELECTION
llc
If anyone would sit back and think about it. This will not benifit our end of this county. What we have to pay sewer, garbage pick- up, gas that most of us are not own. So we would be paying for Pensacola’s systems. We already are taxed for a fire tax that goes to pensacola. what are we at this end of the county? They take all benifits and move them from us. How can we expect any thing to get better. Help see what’s really going on here. We have no support for anything from Pensacola anyway so why should we support them in anyway.
It is a shame the district 5 representatives did not go along with the majority of the north end of the county. My question to Mr. Scott, Mr. Tanner, and Mr. Cunningham if you did not want to represent the views of the north end of the county, then why did you stay? You should have step down and let someone else have your voice who agrees with the majority. You guys are piece work!! What is really amazing is the fact some of the members did even show up to vote (I guess they were to busy). This article reads the Escambia County Farm Bureau represent primarily the rural population of the county. If so Mr. Cunningham did you get a feel from the residents of this rural area. I doubt not, if so the word would have gotten out, and it did not!! Kind of keeping things to yourself as not to let the cat out of the bag???
Local Yocal is correct SLB.
My voice, your voice and everyone else’s voice WILL be heard so long as we all show up at the ballot box and cast our vote if this PIG ever makes it that far.
Why do I call it a “PIG”? Because like the politicians love to say “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig when all is said and done”
To S.L. B,
Before we go condemning Charles and Rusty, let’s first understand what they voted for. They did not vote yes on consolidation, but on the plan that we would consolidate under “IF” the citizens voted to consolidate. If they would have voted no, then they would still be trying to figure out a proposed plan to consolidate under. Am I making sense? The committee was developed to come up with a proposed plan, not to say yes we should consolidate. Just a plan to execute if we (the voter) decide to. Charles and Rusty felt that this plan would work and said yes, if they would have said no, then they would still be meeting, wasting their own time on a useless endeavor. Thanks.
The Town of Century’s representative, Charles Scott, Jr, voted for the plan. Rusty Tanner, the Escambia County District 5 member, voted in favor of the plan. District 5 includes all of North Escambia.
Starting to look like it doesn’t really matter what the people of northescambia want concerning this consolidation vote, when our own representatives are voting against it’s own citizens wishes concerning the consolidation. Makes one wonder why we even try, since the politicians are going to do what they want to do anyways!
You know it means turning EVERYTHING over to the city of Pensacola… Where each district has a commissioner as well as a couple of City Councelmen and a Mayor…. ZERO power in the majority of the country.
In some ways I could see consolidation working but it’s too scary to give all that power to just a few. We already feel our voices are not being heard. They seem to do what they want and a lot of times it not good. We just need to put people in there that are honest and fair and not what in it for me. We have seen our highest to our lowest Governments become so corrupt that we are fast becoming the laughing stock of the world. Greed has taken over. At the rate this country is going there will nothing left for our kids and grandkids. GOODBY AMERICA