- December 20, 2024
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Dear Editor:
In Ormond Beach, it is difficult to find where the city manager and City Commission divide.
The mayor and city manager seem to dominate the published reporting in lock step of mutual admiration and defense.
Citizens deserve and equal opportunity to point out some of the quickly uttered mistruths, rather than they being accepted as gospel.
There were never any OB Life meetings until CANDO 2 was formed and many residents howled about clear-cutting at Granada Pointe.
All of a sudden, our mayor of 14 years, Bill Partington, “directs” city Manager Joyce Shanahan to expedite the city’s civic engagement plan. Partington says the plan has been in the works for several months — and the community is supposed to believe him. They are going to establish a “resident review committee,” another stacked committee. The City Commission is supposed to be the resident review committee, which is want elected commissions do in all other towns.
On June 14, Shanahan stated that the citizen uprising and CANDO 2 didn’t launch the city’s initiative, as she and the mayor had been talking about civic engagement since October 2017. Thank you so much. After 14 years, the two of you decided to invite citizen input?
Why pay Rafael Montalvo as a moderator, and how much for what city staff should be doing?
All this time, I had relied on commissioners to gauge the public pulse and direct staff accordingly. Then, Partington says, “I believe it’s critical that we work with these groups to engage all our citizens constructively on these issues.” And he said the city would “also work to increase communication between the city and its residents. Wow, thank you! Thank you so much!
And to this end, the City Commission and city staff will not to respond to any petitions submitted by any group of citizens or residents.
Your openness to the other side of issues is appreciated in advance. CANDO 2 is fielding its own candidates for commissioner petitions Nov. 6.
Michael Young
Ormond Beach
