Islanders meets with Mayor and Gary Ward over Charter questions
Mayor Thomas Masters and Gary Ward, a member of the Charter Revision Committee, sat down last Wednesday night with members of the Singer Island Civic Association’s board of directors to explain the proposed Charter revisions as well as the Mayor’s “Baggy Pants” voter initiative.
The Mayor explained his proposal as one of “community standards,” saying that he felt every community has a right to set the tone for its’ citizens. The Mayor said other cities have passed similar laws, and answered SICA board member and former chair of the city council David Schnyer’s concern about legal challenges by saying that so far no one has challenged these laws in court. After that the board voted to support the Mayor’s ballot initiative.
Gary Ward led the board through an explanation of the 20 charter revisions. He claimed that many are dictated by changes in the state constitution. The three that drew the most attention concerned automatic council cost of living pay raises, extending council terms from two to three years and taking away the mayor’s authority to suspend city employees for misconduct or neglect of duty subject to the council’s review. After serious debate, the SICA board voted to recommend a "no" vote on these three amendments.
Elections will be held from 7 AM until 7 PM on Tuesday, March 11th, at the Sugar Sands clubhouse. Since parking is limited, voters are encouraged to carpool or walk if you are near enough and able to.
