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Town Planner To Return To Century; Councilman Wants Position Oversight
January 25, 2018
Town officials have announced that Town Planner Debbie Nickles is returning to Century following her resignation, but one council member wants more position oversight.
Nickles worked with the town for decades, until calling it quits December 29 over moral and ethical issues, and concerns about the town’s credibility.
At the town’s last council meeting in December, Nickles expressed grave concerns regarding the town’s decision to bill an apartment developer $180,250 to establish water and sewer service as opposed to $63,500 based upon a 2015 verbal agreement that she and then-mayor Freddie McCall made with the Paces Foundation. The 2015 agreement was based upon then-current published rates. [Read more...]
“I feel like this is a moral, ethical thing to me. I feel like we made a commitment to them and the town should honor that commitment,” she said addressing the town council in December.
The council voted 4-1 in early January to attempt to lure Nickles back, with council member Louis Gomez voting against.
This week, Gomez expressed concerns over the power held by the town planner. He cited comments on stories about Nickles on NorthEscambia.com.
“Mrs. Nickles has been serving the town for 30 years; she’s a big part of Century and a big part of the past of Century. But I was looking at if from the standpoint of if Mrs. Nickles fell ill or decided to retire,” he said of his vote against bringing her back to the planner position. “Some of the comments I read made it seem as though Century should just fold up, pack up and just take a bulldozer and go ahead and level this place without her. In my opinion, just opinion now, is that’s too much power for one person.
“I want to be 100 percent behind Mrs. Nickles, but my recommendation is someone needs to work hand in hand with her at a city government level in order that we won’t be held hostage by one person leaving or staying.”
“If it’s something to do with Century, I want to know about it,” Gomez said. “I don’t want to come up later and say it’s done because she had the authority to sign off on it because I want to see what is happening.”
“The downside to everything to going to come before the council is time with us only meeting twice a month” Council President Ann Brooks said. “For example, if somebody came in and needed a new roof, she has to sign off on that, it’s a land use, before they can get a permit to put a new roof on. Are we going to hold up a roof on someone’s home?”
“Yes,” Gomez replied. “We are gonna hold it up, but we are going to expedite the permit.”
“Until we have the next council meeting, you would like to hold off on anyone getting a roof?” Brooks asked.
“I don’t care,” Gomez said. “There’s people been waiting two years to get their house built over here. They don’t even have a house, let a lone a roof. If you are going to do stuff and be transparent, all I’m saying is I’m on this seat and I want to see it.” Or, as alternative, he said a person should be elected or appointed to “follow up” on anything that has to do with Century.
“I don’t want anybody to come back and say that this administration we have in place now let nothing slip through the cracks,” he said. “…Part of the problem was the way they did business in this past, not the person, not Mrs. Nickles.” He claimed that not all business by “a previous administration” was done “on top of the table”.
Mayor Henry Hawkins said, “I need to be aware of what’s going on….the council will be assured that not one person is doing everything with that authority. I’m in the loop; because I’m in the loop, you’ll be in the loop.”
“If something goes wrong in Century, I guarantee you they ain’t going to be saying Mrs. Nickles done it. Who they gonna say, who gonna be on the page on NorthEscambia and Tri City Ledger? The town council. If something goes wrong in Century, some money gets lost or whatever the case may be, a grant goes bad, they are going to blame (council members) Ann Brooks, Mr. Riley, Mr. Boutwell, Mr. Gomez and Mayor Hawkins. If my name is on the line, I just want it up on top. It’s no vengeance against no one.”
The council tabled any action on any additional oversight over Nickles’ position until a February workshop meeting.
Pictured top and bottom: Century council member Louis Gomez. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
11 Responses to “Town Planner To Return To Century; Councilman Wants Position Oversight”
I absolutely agree with Mr. Gomez. Everyone needs someone who is knowledgeable about there position. True leaders create other leaders, dictators create unquestioning followers. The fact that me Gomez is thinking progressively is refreshing! Keep moving in the right direction Century!
Thank u councilman Gomez for supporting the Mayor Hawkins and putting century first
So happy Mrs. Debbie is going to stay on to help Century. She has been handling this job for years and doesn’t have to anyone following her around. So glad you are staying Mrs. Debbie.
If you Google “poorly managed and nearly bankrupt Southern town” I wonder if Century pops up.
As far as the comment of people not having their roofs repaired and that some others did.
Do the people who do not have a roof have a clear title? Why not, how can they get it? (Legal services of Florida)
Do they qualify for relief?
Were they in the historical district?
Knowledge and transparency will clear up a lot of things.
A lot of things have been implied and I even saw where some people thought they were discriminated against.
Were they? I doubt it but do not actually know, I certainly hope not.
Until one can teach others what to do and how to do it one is not a leader but an enabler to allow then to cry victim.
Pull others up by showing them, teaching them and we learn ourselves.
Ask and ye shall receive.
You know what?
I support Mr. Gomez on this, transparency build trust.
This is not a reflection on Ms Debbie but I think for far too long the council has been ineffective and yes many of the people up here lacked the proper guidance and KNOWLEDGE about how to run a municipality.
Can the council learn?
I think some of the citizens did not understand the process for getting SHIP, CDBG funds and perhaps that was never clearly communicated to them. I saw that it took until March to even get the inter local agreement with the county for Ms Nickles to take the application and process them. (tornado recovery) If not for her it would not have been done.
Staff did not seem to either have the time or know how to do it.
Have tasked laid out, a calendar, a leader– communicate. Use email more.
It is very old fashioned to think a meeting is the only place work can be done.
Yes you have the sunshine law and yes a reporter there to expose any thing. That is his job.
Have all the council on an email and get info to them and they should look it over ahead of time including the agenda.
Publish it online for the citizens. Have a place for citizen input.
Training, ask yourself, google it.
The charter spells it out how the government should function. There is supposed to be a balance of power but also a balance of knowledge. I think a big part, looking objectively is the council used to defer too much to the major–let him call all the shots, and they did that, I heard it called the Mayor’s council. It is not
Five heads are better than one. six better, and so on, if they USE them.
The highest paid salaried person is the clerk, she is NOT the town secretary. Is the town clerk in charge of the staff? Elected officials come and go. Century needs some one in charge.
In fact by charter, the council president is supposed to set the agenda FOR the council, not the mayor or the clerk.
Why doesn’t the president to it? Council appoint a treasurer, a secretary etc.
Some of the dysfunction of the town has been directly tied to the dysfunction of the council. Step up to the plate, but not as a yes men but with knowledge, clarity and power for ALL.
Stop the blame game. It is also dysfunction.
(My thought)
But Ms Debbie knows more about running a town that any one who lives here, has served as a mayor, or on the council combined, hands down!!
But yeah get a new accountant also. No doubt, I don’t care who he is friends with. He should be fired.
I don’t think the council needs to know every roofing permit that’s issued. But they do need a backup person in the case Mrs. Nickles retires. There is an employee who works with Mrs. Nickles when she is not at the office and perhaps a council member can be appointed not as an oversight but someone who can be a part of the process when there’s a special project.
It seems to me that Gomez and Hawkins think they have the upper hand and KNOW how the town should run. I, personally, am glad that they are watched over and “kept in line”. It is sad that Gomez would even think of making accusations and innuendos that Mrs. Nickles needs someone to hold her hand! Statements and “fits” such as these are the reason the town council gets a bad name in the press. I think someone needs to watch over Gomez. You see, Mr. Gomez, the people have spoken, as you implied, and they think Debbie Nickles is doing a fine job!
After that tirade if I was Debbie I would stay gone.
Hey, I have a great idea, why don’t you give Robert Hudson, CPA oversight authority over Mrs. Nickles? LOL!!
You guys are a barrel of laughs, you want micro-oversight of a lady that does an excellent job and you trust Hudson with a complete “hands off” approach. I guess it’s true, politics really does seem to suck all of the brains and common sense out of people.
Yes Mr. Gomez and all the comments seemed to prefer her over the mayor and council.