At the recent Village Square Town Hall meeting, City Commissioners Nancy Miller and Curtis Richardson responded to Commissioner Gil Ziffer’s recent comment that city hall was “dysfunctional.”
Previously, Ziffer told a group of citizens that “We have become way too dysfunctional and if any of you have been to or watched our commission meetings, you can tell we’re not getting along real well right now.”
Ziffer attributed the dysfunction to an ongoing FBI investigation, a mayor who’s running for governor and attacks on local autonomy by the state legislature.
Ziffer did point out that the city’s front-line employees are doing a good job delivering day-to-day services.
When pressed at the Village Square meeting to elaborate on his dysfunctional assessment, Ziffer did not back down. Ziffer pointed to the recent debate over the commission’s 3-2 decision to continue the search process for a new city attorney rather than appoint the current assistant city attorney to the position.
TR published a story about that process and how Commissioner Miller accused Commissioner Richardson and Mayor Gillum of committing too early to the in-house candidate.
However, at the Village Square meeting both Miller and Richardson disagreed with Ziffer’s assessment.
Commissioner Miller said, “I do not believe the Commission is dysfunctional in any way.” Commissioner Richardson said that “there is no dysfunction that I have observed” and added “we have done an excellent job of providing leadership for this city under the circumstances.”
Commissioners Miller and Richardson also disagreed with Commissioner Ziffer’s assessment that the federal investigation of city hall “hangs over every thing we do.”
Commissioner Miller stated that the FBI does not hang over her and Commissioner Richardson stated that the “FBI investigation does not weigh on me at all.”
Both City Commissioner Miller and Ziffer have opted not to run for re-election. City Commissioner Curtis Richardson’s seat is not up for election, however it has been reported he is considering a run for mayor.
City Commissioner Scott Maddox and Mayor Andrew Gillum did not attend the Village Square Town Hall.
Miller & Richardson Disagree with Ziffer’s “Dysfunctional” Assessment of City Hall added by Staff on
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The two biggest dumbbells on the commission think everything is okay. They never kept up with what was going on any way.
Justin, do not count on the school board or the school board attorney to file a complaint. They are just as corrupt as the city gang. They take care of themselves first and cover up what they can. It will take a parent or parent group to initiate action.
Important question. Which attorney advised him to send the notebook?
According to articles in the Democrap, Hanna and Hildebrant were represented by an attorney named named Jansen.
He wasn’t the only attorney representing them. Are you sure it was Jansen he claimed told him to do it?
Good point Justin. Do not forget that Mr. Hanna was an FBI informant. The FBI so far have found no truth in any of his reportings. Do not look to them for help. The school board will never challenge him. It is up to parents at this point to take action.
I can only hope that Rocky was an FBI informant. The moment he told Hank Coxe he “had NO firsthand knowledge of any wrongdoing and that he wrotre the misleading summaries” he admitted he lied to anyone to whom he gave sworn testimony or an affidavit to. In sum, Mr. Hanna produced knowingly false information to local, state and federal authorities. He purposely mislead authorities, he admitted this to Mr. Coxe. Please ask Ricky Bell for his affidavit where Mr. Hanna admitted to him the entire notebook was filled with innuendo taken/sent to federal authorities based upon the advice of Mr. Hanna’s attorney. Look further for a copy of an affidavit where Mr. Hanna was told about the possible theft of items from Lively, he refused to act because he was working with Woody Hilderbrandt on the notebook. Ask DJ Wright for a copy of the notebook that Woody developed on her. Woody has a history of “notebooking”. Hanna broke Leon County Schools ethics policies.
Hank Coxe, an attorney with the Bedell law firm of Jacksonville, hired by the Leon County School Board. Coxe is the former President of the Florida Bar:
“The bottom line conclusion remains the same,” Coxe said. “We did not find any person who engaged in any inappropriate, fraudulent or criminal behavior in the construction process.”
The report’s findings include the ” Coxe’s final report, echoing notes from his first report, says former Leon High School Principal Rocky Hanna gathered many of the documents in the notebook and got others from former Lively Technical Center Principal Woody Hildebrandt.
“I think it’s fair to say that the persons who originally created the materials that triggered some of these events had no direct knowledge … of anything, wrong or good or bad or anything,” Coxe replied.”
When will someone investigate the ethics violations committed by Mr Hanna and Mr. Hilderbrandt?
The only person that could do be any worse is our inept Superintendent of Schools. When will somebody look into the corrupt ethics violations of Mr. Hanna and his associate superintendents? If only Erwin Jackson had a child in the school system….!
Well, as a 12-year Tallahassee resident, I also think the City Commission is not at all dysfunctional.
It functions very well as a mutually-cooperative corrupt cabal that has been bilking millions of dollars of taxpayer money from Tallahassee’s citizens, and laundering those millions through circular and shell-game methods towards their own personal pockets. If you ask me, our “City Commission” has functioned far too well in this manner for far too long. Thank Heaven the FBI is stepping in to investigate such “functioning”.
The allegations and revelations of corruption and FBI investigation weigh on me and I am merely an overtaxed resident.
Sure they disagree because they are part of the dysfunction.
It will indeed be a happy day if Richardson actually “resigns to run”, looses, and devotes the remainder of his years to private business.
Nancy and Curtis need to focus more on fading away quietly from public life. The less we see and hear from them the better.
Why…u will not run…and ur boy Steve will run and lose AGAIN….Maybe u should just throw ur hat in there SPORT…
Amazing just how disconnected from reality our Commissioners can be. Cloud? I don’t see no cloud!
The city commission has been very functional for Miller and her family.
This arrogance is amazing:
Maybe we can help Nancy and Curtis remember a few actions that captures a bit of this ‘dysfunctionality’:
1. Fernandez heisting football tickets from a Lobbyist and ‘discounts’ at the Edison;
2. Maddox pictured in Lost Vegas with a midget with the FBI;
3. Gillum on a boat in New York with FBI associates faces blurred out;
4. Miller working on TAPP program whilst husband Buss apparently involved with payments to her;
5. Human Resource Director Blair in the Lobbyist Football Box….
6. Attorney Lou Shelley leaves, Auditor Bert Fletcher leaves; with 4 of 5 seated
Commissioners lame ducks…
7. The interim City Manager Goad emplaced by the failed City system, as Cassandra Jackson was also – and conducting business as usual…while one Assistant City Manager over Police, Fire etc. is pulling in $180,000+ and with her husband – they are pulling in a quarter million per year of City funds (check her Police, Fire, Emergency Response, Con. dispatch credentials)…
8. And what’s with Tadros’?
No – these issues have not gone away; No these issues are not yet resolved. Yes, there will be accountability.
This is by definition dysfunctionality (to name just a few examples) Nancy and Curtis; Commissioner Ziffer called this one well.
“I know nothing.” Sgt. Schultz, Hogan’s Heroes