Following more revelations about questionable behavior by City of Tallahassee officials, Mayor Andrew Gillum and Tallahassee’s four city commissioners took the unusual step of posting a letter on the city’s Talgov.com homepage.
The letter acknowledges the community concerns over the FBI investigation and the recent questions surrounding the actions of City Manager Rick Fernandez.
However, the elected officials make clear there will be no action taken with regards to any allegations until various investigations are complete.
Over the last few months, discussions about the FBI and recent accusations about the City Manager have some in our community concerned. The City is fully cooperating with all official investigations, and we want to respect the investigations as those agencies complete their work. Once they have presented their findings, we can address them fairly and with impartiality.
In addition, the letter states that the city commission has moved to strengthen the City’s ethic rules.
We understand that citizens may be concerned because of the investigations. As a Commission, we are working to strengthen our policies and practices to ensure we uphold the public’s trust. At our workshop on Oct. 25, we unanimously voted to adopt every recommendation brought forth by the Independent Ethics Board, with a change to one word so that the language remains consistent with the State.
However, the letter failed to mention that the Mayor and city commissioners adopted other rules that would weaken the ability for ethical behavior to be identified and investigated by the Independent Ethics Board.
And finally, the letter asks the citizens to overlook the “negativity” of recent revelations and to remember that they – the elected officials – are trustworthy.
Let’s not let the negativity of the moment overshadow the good work that is happening, nor distract us from the important work that must be done. Your trust has not been misplaced.
The full letter can be read at www.talgov.com
BREAKING NEWS: City’s Elected Officials Post “Dear Citizens” Letter that Says They Are Trustworthy added by Staff on
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Just got back to Tallahassee after being in the US Navy for 23 years. Saddens me how far my town has fallen. Yes I am a conservative and I know that Tallahassee has always been a somewhat liberal run city. Hopefully people here wise up and see that OUR beautiful city is heading the way of Detroit, Chicago and Baltimore. All run by greedy Democrats.
George, welcome back home and thank you for your 23 years of service in the USN.
We can recapture integrity in the leadership of Tallahassee. We must work to remove ALL of the current Commissioners (with the possible exception of Curtis Richardson), the Mayor, and Senior City staff.
The only way to do this is to speak to your friends, neighbors, and people you meet. It is amazing how many live in a bubble and don’t know how serious the corruption problem here is.
Please, please, please get the word out.
COT officials, please stop with your Happy Talk letters and tired words.
We Citizens want only one thing of you and that is to be GONE – hopefully to jail, if the trial charges warrant it.
Until then, please spare us your worthless pledges, it is far too late for that.
Doubtless, in the rich fantasy world the mayor lives in, he believes that his legions of fans will rise up and defend him when the FBI indictments come down.
A ruuuuuuude awakening awaits him. A rude one.
One of the main problems with our city commission as well as other city and county commissions all over the country. They are elected to make policy, not run city government. That’s what the city and county managers and senior staff are there for. City and county commissioners should not be involved in day to day operations, personnel issues, hiring firing etc. Citizen inquires should be passed to the city adminstration and go down the chain of command. We just elected them to make policy.
Russell Price just made a brilliant comment on TD stating that he believes the letter was in violation of the sunshine law. I agree!
Now, Mr. Ziffer is calling for Rick to step down. Mr. Ziffer’s lack of leadership created this fiasco in tandem with the other commissioners for not doing a nationwide search for a qualified city manager to begin with. So, if Mr. Ziffer believes he is stepping up to lead he is mistaken. Attempting to clean up a huge mess of corruption which he helped create is not leadership! None of the commissioners have shown leadership and they all deserve to be voted out, indicted, and/or prosecuted; however, Mr. Richardson, may be able to hold on to his seat if he steps up and shows some leadership.
Great info Hope.
If Curtis Richardson is also guilty then he should continu e to hang out with his crew of neferious usual suspects.
If on the other hand Curtis is inocent (I think he is) then CURTIS it’s time to distance yourself from the crew.
Seriously call Steve Stuart. Talk to him about it. Do an interview with Steve. Put some distance between yourself and the crooks.
Richardson has not STEPPED UP to address any issues publicly! No balls! Probably might grow some brass balls when the hammer comes down on the weak link, Rick Fernandez. Too late Curtis! Your seat will be challenged as well! Clean sweep of COT incumbents 2018 and 2020!
Does anyone know how to update Wikipedia pages? Gillum’s Wikipedia page needs to include the high crime rates in Tallahassee as well as the ongoing FBI investigation.
I cant even get the city road in front of me house fixed let alone box tickets to a Noles gamewho to i have to talk to for free tickets?
I read their letter with confusion and bewilderment. I’m not sure what it says about city government when the elected officials find it necessary to write such a thing. We certainly don’t want to convict someone before the investigation is finished, so deferring any action in response to the FBI investigations is warranted. Unless they have more information than we do, no one really knows what the FBI is investigating. However, at the risk of falling into the negativity trap, the commission could also wait until the Florida Ethics Commission acts, but I’m not convinced that the Florida Ethics Commission should be setting the ethical standards for the city. If we give any credence to Home Rule, IMHO that responsibility is rightfully placed with the city commission. Accordingly, the real issue is whether the city commission is satisfied that the city manager acted ethically.
Curtis, it is interesting that our local government champions home rule, but now claims to be powerless to take any action. Doesn’t inspire much confidence in their commitment to doing the right thing, much less showing leadership.
I think they just slapped yall in the face and told yall to go sit down and behave like good little boys and girls. haha!
What degree of denial does the reference to “negativity” reveal? Yes, I feel negative, just as I do when I hear about a shooting in Tallahassee every few days. You see, dear Commissioners, criminal activity should always elicit negativity in the mind of law-abiding citizens.
Notice they didn’t allow you to respond. #GoDirectlyToJail!
Vote all the bastards out. If they are in now, vote them out
clean sweep of COT incumbents 2018 & 2020!
The only person less trustworthy send those depicted in this article might be Rocky Hanna. Having no first-hand knowledge of any wrongdoing, the facts come out more and more each day that he orchestrated the entire notebook event and the appointed five Associates Superintends were based upon political maneuvering that they provided him or school board members. Just when you think you can’t see anything worse in our community look at Leon County Schools. Governor Scott should step in and investigate not only the Superintendent but the appointment of the five assistant superintendents and any possible intimidation tactics that they used on staff members.
How is it, that no matter the article, regardless of title or content, somebody always works in something about Rocky Hanna?
Is this one person (Jackie…is that you?) with multiple log on identities or multiple people with the same fixation?
I have no dog in the hunt (except I will forever pay into a school system I will never use) I am just pointing out that whatever the objective, I am not tracking it. Every time I read something about the “notebook” in the comments it gets filed under non sequitur rant. Write an article, fact check and submit it to TR. I’ll read it.
Spot on!
Well, Thank God! Ethical problems all solved.
“To pause operations as a result of the investigations would be a misuse of citizens’ tax dollars”…no one asked you to pause operations, just get the heck out of office, and please don’t mention how THAT would be a misuse of tax dollars because you all obviously do not have a clue how to spend our tax dollars properly.
Truly, a sad bunch of dirtbags. Paid by the citizens to run a state’s Capitol while stealing from them at the same time. Profiteering with our best interests at heart.
Big shots? No, more like Big Shi*s
Maybe the FBI promised ‘ol Harold they’d give him another fence contract if he ratted out his buds.
You know – a fence around City Hall.
Topped with razor wire.
Entitlement, Non-accountality, Arrogance and void of Ethics. Pure and simple. The perfect storm. Fernandez hires Kring to be in the Communication Office via Corey to help Alison Faris write this baloney for our illustrious Mayor and Commissioners? After Corey takes Gillum to New York, gives Fernandez a $5,000 discount at Corey’s Restaurant and Kring also helps get Fernandez football tickets. Then the person in charge of personnel, Ellen Blair, gets Football tickets too. While personnel (Ellen Blair) oversees this hiring of Kring. Connect the dots. This corruption still continues to run extremely deep in City of Tallahassee Government. Nothing to see here; move along.
All I can say is, you have got to be kidding me!!! They are circling the wagons, they must all have something on each other!!!
When you feel necessary to write a letter and tell everyone how good you are then you have an issue. Actions speak louder than words.
Check this out here’s how their letter begins:
“As your elected officials, we have the privilege of serving this community and its people. We do so because, like you, we love Tallahassee and want to make our home a safe, economically vibrant, inclusive place to live and work.”
I draw your attention to the word “inclusive” 99% of the time when that word is used it is used only by liberal do nothings trying to be something they are not. Proof is that the meaning of word “inclusive” has nothing whatsoever to with the fact they find their busted butts between a rock and a hard place.
Total lefty liberal feel good-spin-pivot-divert your attention from the matter at hand wording.
If you have your email attached to your utility account then you got your own personal copy in your inbox! Easier to find than on COT’s overly complex website.
Steve Colbert had to have wrote that letter, it’s a joke, a very bad joke. There is something going on because they are at the point to acknowledge they smell smoke……….
Feeling better about COT leadership. Will read this heartfelt outreach to community members in full. May or may not comment further. Seems entirely legit,they are looking out for you.
Dear COT leadership,
Your political fate already has been decided! Local government will continue to run without you. Our issues are not with the city government employees, but with incompetent corrupt self entitled ‘elected’ or ‘appointed’ officials. Keeping each of you will not be in the best interest of the citizens. Voting taxpayers of this City deserve ethical trustworthy government officials. Your political ride is coming to a full halt. It doesn’t matter results FBI or Ethic commission delivers, each of you have squandered an opportunity and now desperately penned open letter to the citizens as though WE will allow you to save face, no deal – too late! Good Luck!
Sincerely,
Amazon get a copy or nah?
Dr Jackson… please seek professional help you are ill
Well said Jim!!! He is.
Jim, obviously you are in need for professional help! Dr. Jackson has been a beacon of light we the citizens of Tallahassee needed to expose corruption and to keep local government officials on notice that they are not indispensable no matter the number of years they occupied their ‘seat’!
Jim, thanks for confirming that flak is heaviest directly over target.
One thing I’ve learned is that trust must be earned over time… and usually, anyone who asks you for it hasn’t earned it…and don’t deserve it.
I am not much into humor, but I got a good laugh out of this one! They must be believing their own lies now.
“…FBI…have some in our community concerned.” Possibly the understatement of the year so far.
Having the FBI involved has pretty much everyone concerned, they’re just not all vocal about it.
A statement along the lines of “we’re working our tails off to establish a structure and culture of accountability, along with a mechanism to punish and remove those operating outside this system. We won’t rest until we have it, and it’s sufficiently vetted. Only then would we expect to begin to earn back the trust of those we work for, the citizens that rightfully expect value from their city employees, no different from the expectations of their employers in the community.”
I will make an official written request to the Warden in each Federal Prison which our beloved leaders are assigned that a mandatory copy of this letter be permanently embossed upon the wall at eye level of each of our beloved leaders cells. And they will be forbidden from covering the letter up with a picture of Hillary or BHO.
Somehow it will make the citizens of Tallahassee feel better just knowing that our beloved leaders will have years and years to read and reread their letter.
This pretty much sums up the way our beloved leaders letter has made me feel.
Hey Snidester:
Any chance Nancy and Crooked Corrine end up as cellmates at FCI on The Circle?
Genius!!! Naughty Nancy and Crooked Corrine will be perfect cell-mates.
I hope they fashion some wedding gowns out of sheets and pillow cases!!!
Whoa….who can you trust? The fox says he will gladly guard the hen house while all you SLEEP! I think not, I for one will wait to see and here what the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION presents along with other investigative law enforcement rather than those suspected of same….thanks but no thanks.
Another stinking pile of BS….
A full page letter just to say “Nothing to here, move along.”
What an #EpicFail!
his reminds me of when “Baghdad Bob” was giving a press conference during the Iraq War about how they were in control, and in the background you could see US tanks and troops!