In yesterday’s posting, “Local Color,” I wrote that the most important thing said at the recent Lodging Association candidate forum was City Commission Todd German’s remarks about the need for Key West to honor and keep its eclectic nature, its colorful characters; because if that is lost, then Key West will lose. More specifically, our colorful characters are the main reason people come to Key West, and if they leave, people will stop coming to Key West. This morning, in hindsight, I see there is something at least as important that was said; something I wanted to speak to when it came up, but it was put to the city commission and not the mayor candidates. I meant to speak to it anyway in my closing remarks, but got involved in trying to cover other issues that had come up during the mayor candidates’ remarks. Maybe worse, maybe I spaced it out.
When the city commission candidates were asked to give their views of whether or not city commissioners should be voted on city-wide, I wanted to stand up and say that if we go to city-wide voting for city commissioners, Bahama Village will be disenfranchised, it will not be represented on the City Commission. Then, I heard all seven city commission candidates present, Jose Mendenez was not there, come out strongly in favor of city-wide voting for city commission seats. I was very disturbed by this. Very disturbed. And I can only apologize for not taking time during my closing remarks to say what I am saying here today.
I got a chance to say it yesterday at a church service to which all candidates for elected city offices were invited. Cornish Memorial AME Zion Church is located on Whitehead Street, across from Key West Bank. It’s an old Bahama Village church. It’s pastor, James Thornton, moved to Key West from New York a few years ago. The bottom-line theme of yesterday’s service, set by another minister in attendance, was the Spirit of God operating in our lives as One Human Family. The gathering was, among other things, a fund-raiser for the church. When the collection plates were brought out, Pastor Thornton explained that the church was struggling to restore its old building and build back up its congregation. He said he wasn’t asking people to give more than he was giving, and pulled a check out of his pocket and waved it. A check for $75 dollars. Although I have never liked churches asking congregants for money, it felt okay to me this time and I matched it.
Most of the people there were from this and other black churches. All candidates for office had been invited by mailed letter. Utility Board candidates Ty Symroski, Tom Malone, Charles Lee and Mona Clark were there. Mayor candidates Carie Noda and Rolland Monetfalcon where there. The keynote speaker, City Manager Jim Scholl, was introduced by Mayor McPherson. Toward the end of the service, Morgan stood when Pastor Thornton asked for all ministers in the congregation to stand. As did I. There were about ten ministers standing. City Commissioner Clayton Lopez also was there, playing electric guitar. Lots of songs were sung, as usually happens in black churches. The service lasted about two hours, as usually happens in black churches. No city commission candidates where there. We had a home-cooked meal afterwards in the basement below the nave. The nave’s high ceilings and electric fans hanging down from the timbers holding it all together had kept the nave cool like it was air-conditioned.
As we were getting our food, the candidates were invited to speak briefly. Morgan began, and during his remarks he said many people are in favor of city-wide voting for the City Commission. He said city-wide voting would be illegal and its proponents were pushing for it anyway. He said he would oppose it. I spoke next, told what had happened at the Lodging Association forum and that the mayor candidates had not been asked to speak to city-wide voting for city commissioners. I did not admit even now my lame excuse. But I did say how I felt about the effect city-wide voting for city commissioners would have on Bahama Village, and I said I was glad to see Pastor Thornton was still in Key West, because the last time I saw him was at a city commission meeting where he was not chosen to replace the resigning Bahama Village representative on the Citizen’s Review Board. I did not say yesterday that I had felt the whole thing was rigged, and that I had gone to Pastor Thornton as he was leaving Old City Hall and told him so. He agreed that it was rigged. He was very angry. Todd German, then Chairman of the CRB, was there, and he felt it was rigged. He, too, was very angry.
Pastor Thornton already had been part of the formation of citizen review boards in two different cities, before he moved to Key West. He was uniquely qualified to fill the vacancy on the CRB. The candidate chosen to fill the vacant seat was a young white conch man sponsored by City Commissioner Harry Bethel. Already the City Commission had tried to appoint this man at an earlier city commission meeting without a public vetting of the issue. Todd German and other citizens’ strong objections at that city commission meeting had caused the commissioners to set the matter down as an item on a later city commission meeting. All of this I learned from Todd German and by reading the local newspapers.
There were only four commissioners at the next city commission meeting, which I attended. Harry Bethel’s candidate was unable to answer simple questions about the CRB put to him by the City Commission. He finally admitted that he had not read the CRB materials because he did not know he was supposed to do that. He said he would read the materials if the City Commission wanted him to read them. The first vote ended in a tie between this fellow and Pastor Thornton. Instead of passing the matter over to another meeting, when more or all of the commissioners could participate, someone on the commission called for a revote. This time, without any explanation, Jimmy Weekley changed his vote from Pastor Thornton to Harry Bethel’s candidate. Later in the week, I went by City Hall to see Jimmy. He was not there, so I told his Executive Assistant to tell Jimmy he had done something that caused me to want to run against him to win. He had injected race into Key West politics. Todd told me yesterday that Pastor Thornton later became a member of the CRB, and served it well. Todd was less complimentary of Harry Bethel’s candidate’s service.
Before the Lodging Association meeting began the other day, I spoke briefly with Morgan. He asked how it was going for me. I said the Lord was really working me hard and I wished I could take a vacation. Morgan said he wanted the Lord to keep working him hard, because he wanted to be a completed work. I said he was a better man than me. I did not say he might feel differently if he was in my skin. I wanted to say it, though. So I should say the rest of how I’ve been feeling lately. I say it to my friend, Todd German, and to all other candidates for the City Commission, and to commissioners not standing for re-election this time. If I were mayor, and if it looked to me like the City Commission was on the verge of changing from district to city-wide voting for city commissioners, I would, as Mayor and a member of the City Commission, and on behalf of the City of Key West, file papers in the United States District Court on Simonton Street, asking a federal judge to make that decision for the City. I encourage Morgan to do the same.
I perhaps also now should say that I’m voting for Mona Clark and Ty Symroski, because I believe they are the most qualified candidates for those two seats on the Utility Board, and because I am convinced they are not politicians and seek only to serve. I have not yet made up my mind about the other Utility Board seat.
Sloan Bashinsky
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posted to Today’s Cock-a-doodle-doo page at goodmorningkeywest.com