It is amazing how bold and righteous the executives at the local paper can get when a few FBI subpoenas are dropped at city hall.

But in my view, the Tallahassee Democrat should just stop writing about City Commissioner Scott Maddox and his long-time business associate Paige Carter-Smith and let the legal process unfold.

Yes, you heard that right. Just stop! Now!

Why?

The fact is the Tallahassee Democrat has known about the real estate transactions between Maddox and Carter-Smith for years. The Democrat has had numerous opportunities, before the FBI came to town, to raise questions about these real estate deals, but they chose not to.

I am sure they agonized over each decision.

But each time – under different publishers and editors – the brain trust on Magnolia Drive in charge of holding local government accountable fell in line behind their advertisers and the political insiders and just looked the other way.

The real estate deals were, well, no big deal!

And now the FBI shows up and the Tallahassee Democrat is trying to act like “Woodward and Bernstein” by burning the midnight oil to reveal facts that have been a part of the public record for years.

It is embarrassing to see the pandering to such an educated citizenry: “Hey look, we found a questionable transaction from 2010!”

Consider these two examples.

In 2012, when Maddox ran for the city commission, the Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jeff Burlew did a story on Maddox real estate transactions. After his report, Tallahassee Democrat Editor at the time, Bob Gabordi, wrote:

Unlike other media reporters, Burlew — a veteran reporter who on Saturday won the Gold Medal for Public Service reporting from the Florida Society of News Editors along with a first place for investigative reporting — did not simply run with a story based on what Penny Herman and Erwin Jackson were saying about Maddox’s land deals.

Guess what? There was no mention in Burlew’s reporting about Paige Carter-Smith, Governance Services, or Adams Street.

The property records were the same then as they are now – what changed? Why no details on transactions in 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012?

An agonizing decision, I’m sure!

And more recently, in May of 2016, Tallahassee Democrat reporter Tamaryn Waters wrote a biographical article about Carter-Smith when she was appointed to the Downtown Improvement Authority (DIA).

And even though the DIA is a taxing authority that relies on the city commission for approval of funding levels, the article completely ignored the real estate transactions between Paige Carter-Smith and City Commissioner Scott Maddox.

Another agonizing decision!

It is obvious the Tallahassee Democrat is not going to expose unethical or possibly corrupt behavior of those they seek to protect – unless subpoenas are dropped.

It is just too uncomfortable!

So do not expect to read about Nancy Miller’s brother-in-law getting city contracts from the city department Miller’s husband works for.

Do not expect to read about the city employee given a $47,000 job that was not advertised after approving a $5,000 discount at the Edison restaurant for City Manager Rick Fernandez’s immediate family.

Do not expect to read about the city employee who has come forward with emails and text messages supporting her accusation that Commissioner Miller rigged a bid for a friend.

I could go on, but you get the point?

No matter what the FBI investigation finds, it is my view the Tallahassee Democrat has failed this community. And now our city is beginning to bear the brunt of their failures.

If the paper of record had carried out their journalistic responsibilities over the last 10-15 years, maybe the FBI would not have descended upon Tallahassee.

Instead, the Gannett paper has focused on generating revenue for shareholders who do not live in Tallahassee at the expense of holding our local government accountable.

It is unfortunate for Tallahassee, because our community deserves the full benefits of democracy, which requires a free and independent press.

In the words of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Hugo Black, “Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.”

So please, leave Scott Maddox and Paige Carter-Smith alone. You had your chance. Now the FBI will sort out any deception that might have existed.

Last year the Mayor’s office recommended, and the City Commission approved, a one year extension for the lobbyist contracts that were awarded in 2012. During the meeting some members of the City Commission verbalized concern about the process.TR’s article on the selection can be read here.

The recommended vendor for the city lobbying contract for the next two years is Ronald Book P.A., which bested the Gunster law firm on a point system, but was higher in price. One of the point categories which helped Book P.A. win the point system was minority participation.

None of the documents provided by the Mayor’s office details the lobbying team proposed for use by Book P.A., but based on previous information, the minority component of the proposal is Sean Pittman, owner of the Pittman Law Group. Mr. Pittman has been a part of the city lobbying team for at least the last ten years.

It has been documented that Mr. Pittman is a close friend to Mayor Gillum and the Mayor’s office staff. Mr. Pittman has also traveled with Mr. Gillum, and provided financial support for a Mayoral event.

In addition, Mr. Pittman was identified by the Tallahassee Democrat as an investor in the Edison Restaurant, which is owned by the former campaign treasurer to Mayor Gillum.

And finally, both Mr. Book and Mr. Pittman have donated thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to current City Commissioners through a number of different businesses. The most recent donations were made to City Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Scott Maddox during the most recent primary election cycle.

The Mayor’s office is also recommending the lobbying contract for city utility issues be awarded to the highest bidder.

William Peebles P.A., who has held the contract for at least the last eight years, won in a point system over Ballard Partners, however Ballard Partners had the lower price. Ballard Partners is considered to be one be of the most powerful and successful lobbyist groups in the state of Florida.

Campaign records show that Mr. Peebles has donated thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to current City Commissioners. The most recent donations were made to City Commissioners Curtis Richardson and Scott Maddox during the most recent primary election cycle.

Records show that Ballard Partners donated a $1,000 to Mayor Andrew Gillum in 2014 and $500 to City Commissioner Scott Maddox in 2012.

Burlew, referring to Maddox, wrote “He’s facing three challengers with little name recognition or chance of winning.”

Ironically, in writing that Maddox’s opponents had “little name recognition”, Burlew failed to mention their names.

Bruce Strouble and Luther Lee are competing against Scott Maddox for seat 1 on the Tallahassee City Commission.

Mr. Strouble told TR that “the Democrat has not conducted any official polling of Tallahassee voters and are reporting their opinions of the seat 1 race as facts.”

Mr Lee said “I don’t think it’s any secret that some “journalists” report their stories from a very biased perspective. Scott Maddox spends a significant amount of money advertising with the Tallahassee Democrat so I expect him to get preferential treatment.”

In the article, Burlew wrote that Maddox was “relying on yard signs and ads in the Tallahassee Democrat.”

Both challengers believe the Tallahassee Democrat reporting could aid City Commissioner Maddox in the upcoming election.

Mr. Strouble said, “I do have concerns that the bias tone in some of the reports will unfairly influence voters to support the incumbent.”

Mr. Lee said, “If they continue to push the narrative that no one stands a chance against Scott Maddox, then people buy in to that opinion and vote for Maddox because popular journalist have them convinced that anything else would be foolish.”

Mr. Lee finished by telling TR, “I’m not upset by biased reporting anymore, just disappointed. I hoped that our large, local paper would be the exception, but that’s probably hoping for too much.”

The declaration by Mr. Burlew poses a serious question for Tallahassee Democrat management: does Mr. Burlew’s view of Maddox’s victory mean that Burlew will not pursue “watch dog” reports involving City Commissioner Maddox?

Candidate Rocky Hanna was not allowed to participate because he is running as an independent.

Pons Opening

Superintendent Jackie Pons began the debate by talking about his views on testing and his accomplishments.

He said “we have to stop the addiction to the tests” and stop the punitive teacher evaluations pushed down from the state.

He told the crowd that “we have accomplished a lot and the Florida Department of Education ranks us as an A district.” He said “we have improved graduation rates by 18% and African American grad rates have increased.”

Pons talked about losing $111 million during the economic downturn and how he and the School Board protected the classroom by not laying off any teachers.

And in a subtle jab at his opponent, he ended by saying “to do this job you need education experience.”

Maddox Opening

Candidate Scott Maddox began by laying out his education experience gained through significant volunteer efforts such as heading PTO’s, substitute teaching and coaching sports teams.

He told the crowd that he pushed hard as a Democratic Party leader for the class size amendment.

Maddox discussed education related initiatives he has supported while on the City Commission. These initiatives involved the push for community schools and the use of Star-Metro to provide transportation for students who are unable to take advantage of the later start times recently approved by the School Board.

Maddox said “the way to succeed is to get resources down to the level on the ground where they are needed the most.”

And then he addressed Pons.

“I am compelled to run because there are problems…I am going to talk about the elephant in the room – we’ve got problems. I had to write them down I couldn’t remember them all.”

Maddox then listed what he viewed as a host of problems. He spoke of  audits, a federal grand jury, FBI investigations and reminded the audience that two allies of the school superintendent were arrested for stealing and selling drugs. He said “we are in the million dollar range for criminal defense attorney’s.”

Acknowledging the district success, Maddox said to great applause, “We have an A district but not every body goes to an A school.”

He closed with a dagger.

“Our kids deserve a superintendent that cares as much about their well being as his political career.”

Pons Rebuttal

During his rebuttal Pons opened by saying, “I find it very interesting Mr. Maddox is talking about someone’s career in politics you know being a politician himself.”

He added, “this is the guy that ran your Democratic Party and had a $200,000 tax lien filed against it because they refused to pay their taxes so when he is talking about fiscal responsibility he has a record.”

He closed to great applause, by saying, “this rhetoric sounds very much like what you’re hearing in the Republican presidential primary.”

Maddox Rebuttal

In response to the tax lien Maddox said, “I had two audits that said I was not at fault but leaders take responsibility and that is what I did.”

And then he talked about the continuing distractions with the School Board over the last two years and addressed another distraction by saying “you have all your high paid people from the district that are required to do campaign things like tonight.” A reference to School Board employees in attendance supporting Superintendent Pons.

Maddox closed by saying if he is proven wrong about the controversies surrounding the district over the last two years he will stop talking about it and move on.

But he added, “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Previoulsy, the complaints have been about the number of stories, 40-50, dedicated to the coverage of the investigations into the awarding of construction contracts to Pons’ donors and the inclusion of wild accusations in articles about activities at the School Board without any independent evidence.

However, the issue of bias has been raised again with two stories written by Mr. Burlew that appeared on the front page of the Tallahassee Democrat on Sunday, February 28th.

The charges of bias centers around the timing, the lack of “new” news in the content of the articles, and the inclusion of the writer’s assessment of a political campaign.

In addition, Tallahassee Reports, through a public records request, has received documents that show Mr. Burlew failed to publish information in his possession that would have discredited allegations in a lawsuit filed against the Leon County School Board and Superintendent Jackie Pons.

First, today’s articles.

The story above the fold in Sunday’s paper, titled “The right turn that rocked district”,  is about the arrest of School Board employee Paul Byrd. The story seems to have been written simply because it has been two years since the arrest of Mr. Byrd.

However, on the front page is a paragraph that sets the political context of the article and raises serious questions about bias.

Mr. Burlew writes, “the fallout from the arrest ultimately would cast doubt on the political future of Byrd’s former boss and one-time friend, Superintendent Jackie Pons, in the run up to his 2016 re-election.”

Burlew’s assessment of Pons’ political future comes during a campaign for Leon County School Suprintendent that is well under way. Three candidates, Rocky Hanna, Scott Maddox, and Jackie Pons have each raised over $150,000 each.

Burlew’s view would seem to be best provided in an opinion column.

Below the Byrd arrest story on the front page is another article penned by Burlew which is entitled “FDLE probe into Leon schools is active, ongoing.”

This story appears to have been constructed around a single phone call to  FDLE to inquire about the status of the investigation into Leon County Schools. The response by the FDLE spokeswoman was it is “active” and no other details were provided.

After this revelation, Burlew begins to site “news” from June of last year and spends the second half of the article on facts already reported about the investigation into Leon Schools. Also in the article, is a large picture of Superintendent Jackie Pons next to a picture of an FDLE emblem.

The fairness of writing such a story given the ongoing campaign raises questions about future stories and the criteria used by the Executive Editor at the Tallahassee Democrat.

A Boat Purchase and a DUI

Two of the wilder accusations that have originated from the local reporting surrounding the Leon County School District over the last two years includes a $30,000 boat the district supposedly paid for and a Jackie Pons DUI.

Like most rumors, it is hard to tell exactly where they get started.

On June 18, 2014 Tallahassee Democrat Reporter Jeff Burlew submitted a public records request to the Leon County School Board that asked for “copies of any emails, memos, receipts, purchase orders and any and all other documentation involving the purchase of a boat by the school district.”

On June 19, 2014,  at 8:30 AM the Tallahassee Democrat published an article that reported accusations made in a lawsuit against the Leon County School Board and Superintendent Jackie Pons.

The following section was published in the Democrat:

The lawsuit says Nichols also was asked about whether she knew anything about a boat or beach house or rumors of a DUI crash involving Pons and a district vehicle. Nichols responded by saying she’d heard about a purchase by the district of a boat for $30,000 but that it wasn’t properly authorized. She also said her daughter’s best friend worked at a body shop where Pons had taken a district vehicle and that he’d paid for the repairs out of his own pocket to avoid an invoice to the district.

Through public record requests, Tallahassee Reports has learned that Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jeff Burlew had in his possession, on June 19 at 4:56 pm,  information that did not substantiate accusations about a boat purchase in the article made against Leon County School Superintendent Jackie Pons.

The information provided by the school district is provided in an email below. Click image to enlarge.

The information in the above email clearly shows the accusation about the boat purchase was not supported by any public documents.

However, for whatever reason, Mr. Burlew did not wait for the information from the School Board before publishing the accusation about the boat.

In fact, Mr. Burlew has yet to publish the findings provided in the above public records request.

In addition, the accusation that Pons had a DUI in a School District vehicle could have been easily verified by checking with local law enforcement officials.

Was it Mr. Burlew’s responsibility to provide the information?

Was it the responsibility of the Tallahassee Democrat to ensure fairness and address omissions of facts.

The American Society of News Editors states that:

Every effort must be made to assure that the news content is accurate, free from bias and in context, and that all sides are presented fairly. Editorials, analytical articles and commentary should be held to the same standards of accuracy with respect to facts as news reports. Significant errors of fact, as well as errors of omission, should be corrected promptly and prominently.

Tallahassee Reports will continue to provide information that holds elected officials and the local media accountable.

At the last City Commission meeting, Commissioner Scott Maddox asked the City Commissioners to vote for a resolution that supported Florida Senate Bill 582, entitled Misuse of Public Office Act which has been proposed for the 2016 session of the Florida Legislature.

The stated purpose of the proposed legislation is to address certain provisions in State law that have prevented law enforcement and State Attorneys from pursuing certain persons suspected of conduct that would constitute unethical or corrupt behavior.

Other cities around the state of Florida have adopted similar resolutions.

The vote by the City Commission was 3-2, with Mayor Gillum and Commissioner Richardson voting against the resolution.

Mayor Gillum also failed to support an independent ethics officer as recommended by the Ethics Advisory Panel and the citizen driven referendum that called for an independent ethics board in 2014.

Approximately 70% of the electorate voted in the last election cycle to change the City Charter and adopt the referendum.

City Commissioner Richardson said he could not support the resolution because he was not familiar with the specific impact of the proposed state legislation. He did point out that he supported the establishment of the independent ethics board for the City of Tallahassee.

Even more curious was Gillum’s reason for opposing the resolution.

Gillum said he agreed with the intent of the resolution but was troubled by the references that Commissioner Maddox made about a local elected official when asking for support of the resolution.

While Maddox never mentioned a local official by name, Maddox referenced news articles that addressed Leon County Superintendent Jackie Pons and the year long controversey over school construction contracts.

Maddox is running for Leon County Superintendent of schools.

But why is this relevant to Mayor Andrew Gillum? Why would a reference to another elected official effect the vote for a resolution that would be good not only for the state of Florida but for the City of Tallahassee?

Gillum would not answer any of our questions.

North American Properties has previously been given Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) tax breaks to build student housing in the Gaines Street area.

Tallahassee Reports has also learned that North American Properties (NAP) hired long-time lobbyist and Tallahassee Democrat contributing columnist, Gary Yordon, to lobby the City Commission on their behalf. City lobbyist records can be seen here.

Lobbyist registration records show that Yordon is registered to lobby County Commissioners for NAP as well. The Community Redevelopment Agency board is made up of Tallahassee and Leon County Commissioners.

Campaign records show that North American Properties and an affiliate company, District Joint Ventures,  have made campaign contributions to a majority of the current CRA Board members within the last three years. The recipients include Mayor Andrew Gillum ($1,000) and City Commissioners Nancy Miller ($2,000) and Scott Maddox ($500) and County Commissioners Mary Ann Lindley ($250), and Nick Maddox ($500).

With the hiring of Yordon, who has been a City vendor in the past and a lobbyist for other developers, NAP solidifies their access , not only to elected officials, but also to CRA staff.

CRA Votes

On October 29th the CRA took up two development items of interest to NAP.

On both items, the CRA staff, among other options, recommended that NAP be sold property without a competitive bid process.

The first item involved property that borders Cascades Park and is the current location of the Firestone building and the Bloxham Annex.  NAP proposed to buy the property for $4.08 million.

The CRA voted to seek additional proposals for this property.

However, on the second item involving property located at 715 Gaines Street, the CRA voted to accept NAP’s offer to purchase the property for $770,000 without seeking other bids.

The $770,000 is the value of the property in the agreement that will result in the CRA acquiring the property from the State of Florida.

NAP which owns property next to 715 Gaines Street, plans to build a student housing complex with retail opportunities on the ground floor.

What was the rationale for not seeking alternative bids? CRA staff wrote in the agenda item:

staff believes the offer from NAP offers the best opportunity to redevelop the combined properties at the highest and best use. Other developers may be willing to offer more to purchase the property, but without a larger redevelopment site the property will not be developed at the highest and best use.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported on the CRA meeting, but did not discuss the business relationship between Gary Yordon and North American Properties or the no bid vote of the CRA that benefited North American Properties.

Candidate Scott Maddox reported $22,590 in donations for August to go with the $93,000 he has previously raised.

Maddox said “I’m proud of the support our campaign has received from folks who want to restore the public trust in our school district.”

Given the fundraising history of Pons and Maddox, it will be interesting to see how much is eventually raised in the race and if political newcomer Rocky Hanna will be able to raise enough to compete with the political veterans.

The current tally shows Maddox has raised $116,329, Pons has raised $108,479 and Hanna has raised $105,062.

Pons told Tallahassee Reports that ” I am proud and thankful for our supporters which include teachers, administrators, and others who believe in what we have been doing in the schools. I plan on making sure everyone in this district knows about the positive outcomes we have worked hard to achieve.”

Pons’ report reveals that he made a $3,000 loan to his account. Accounting for that loan, Pons reported 340 donations for a total of $105,000. That is approximately $308 per donation. The maximum donation allowed is $1,000.

Earlier today we published a story on Rocky Hanna’s first report as a candidate, it can be viewed here. Hanna raised $80,000 from donors and loaned his campaign $25,000. City Commissioner Scott Maddox has yet to file his report, but has raised $93,000 since he announced.

The debate intensified after the 3-2 vote on July 8, 2015 set the tentative millage at 4.55 mills, which is a 23% increase.

Mayor Andrew Gillum, City Commissioners Nancy Miller and Curtis Richardson supported the 23% increase, while City Commissioners Scott Maddox and Gil Ziffer opposed the increase.

Since that vote, a group of individuals, calling themselves the Budget Hawks, stepped up their request for information, fired off emails, and met with elected officials.

Business groups like NEBA and the Tallahssee Board of Realtors continued their opposition to any tax increase and offered alternatives to the increase in public hearings.

At the August 19, 2015 City Commission meeting, a 45 minute discussion among City Commissioners revealed some evolving positions on the budget.

So, where do the City Commissioners stand now.

TR spoke to a number of sources to get their impressions on where they think the Commissioners stand on the property tax increase and how  the final vote on the increase will turn out in September.

The consensus is that City Commissioners Richardson and/or Miller hold the deciding votes on how much property taxes will increase. Also, most believe that the grassroots movement is having an impact by providing Commissioners with another source for information about the budget.

Listed below is a synopsis of the Commissioners position based on public statements and opinions from TR sources.

Mayor Andrew Gillum has been a strong supporter of the full 27% increase from the beginning. He argues that the City has structural problem and needs to increase property taxes to ensure stability. He has voiced his confidence in the City Manager and has made an impassioned plea for body cameras for  police officers. He voted with Commissioners Richardson and Miller for the tentative 23% increase on July 8th.

Current Assessment:  Gillum prefers the 27% increase, but will vote for the next highest increase.

Commissioner Scott Maddox has been against the property tax increase from the beginning. He says he has never voted for property tax increase because the “majority of our land is off the tax rolls and an increase in property tax unfairly places the burden on the backs of small businesses and homeowners.”

His position is that “Property tax increases should be an absolute last resort.” He has offered ideas on possible reductions in spending at public hearings.

Current Assessment: Maddox will not vote for a property tax increase. The unanswered question is will he try and persuade others to do the same.

Commissioner Gill Ziffer voted with Maddox against the tentative 23% increase on July 8th. His alternative was lower, but not zero. Since that time, Ziffer has acknowledged he would support using one time monies, like the $2 million from the BP settlement, to offset one –time expenditures, which are a significant part of the proposed tax increase.

Current Assessment: Sources tell TR that Ziffer’s leadership will be the deciding factor on if the tax increase is completely erased. Some are suspicious of Maddox’s no property tax pledge, but if Ziffer acknowledges enough new revenues and cuts to hold the line on an any increase, other Commissioners and City staff will take note.

Commissioner Nancy Miller has been a supporter of the increase and voted for the 23% increase. She has argued that the increase is not that much and is required to maintain our quality of life.

As of late, she appears open to spending cuts, however, at the most recent City Commission she said “One thing that has been clear to me is that we have just failed to communicate the need to the people. I have asked the City Manager to do that. We need to make our case better.”

But she also asked staff to consider the BP settlement money and come back “with a lower increase or none at all. “

Current Assessment: No one really knows where she will finally come down. One source called Miller “the real wild card.” Miller is obviously feeling the pressure from business supporters, but she has a history of voting in favor of City staff. She has been willing to meet and listen to different positions on the budget, but her latest comments indicate she thinks this is a public relations problem, not a spending problem.

Commissioner Curtis Richardson is new to the process and supported the 23% increase. However, since then, he has been one of the most engaged Commissioners in terms of meeting with those groups and individuals who opposed the increase.  At the August 19 Commission meeting he said “I looked at a number of the recommendations by the Budget Hawks and thought they were reasonable and should be considered by this Commission.”

Current Assessment: Commissioner Richardson, while new on the Commission, has significant ties to management staff. Sources believe that the Commissioner will listen to new ideas and understands the significance of the increase, but are not sure where he will come down.  Sources note that Richardson is up for election next year and this may play some part in his approach to making a decision.

“I look forward to talking about the positive things with our school district and my leadership. We have one of the highest performing school districts in the state of Florida, and when the recession hit, I did not complain about money, I worked hard to keep things together,” said Pons.

Pons’ decision to run has been one of the most talked about decisions among political insiders.

With the negative publicity that has hit the school district over the last year, many thought Pons would not run.

However, it appears Pons believes the facts that have come out over the last year will allow him to respond to any criticism any opponent may have.

The race sets up a huge political battle with current City Commissioner Scott Maddox, but more importantly it may require donors to choose between friends….or maybe not.

One high profile political donor told Tallahassee Reports ” I am going to give them both money. Then I am going to keep my head down and my mouth shut and hope one of them gets out before election day.”

Pons said about the showdown with Maddox, this race “could be the last for the loser, no doubt about it.”

We will have more on Pons’ decision and it’s ramifications next week.

UPDATE: Maddox responds.

City Commissioner Scott Maddox, when contacted by TR had this to say about Pons running for re-election: “Failed audits, stealing of district materials, indictments, cocaine in county vehicles, probable cause found by a federal magistrate and the FBI seizes the district server. Not a sterling record for re-election”

The Town Hall was held so that City Commissioners could provide information and take questions about the proposed tax increase.

City Commissioners Scott Maddox, Curtis Richardson, and Gil Ziffer attended.

Commissioner Nancy Miller first committed to attend, but cancelled two days prior to the meeting without explanation.

Mayor Gillum never responded to our invitation.

Also in attendance was Police Chief DeLeo and the City’s budget director, Heath Beach.

The meeting began with the City Commissioners stating their positions on the proposed tax increase.

Commissioner Maddox was clear in his opposition and vowed to try and balance the budget without an increase.

Commissioner Ziffer was also against the 27% increase, but felt that some increase would be needed.

Commissioner Richardson spoke in support of the increase.

The questions and answers lasted just over an hour and revealed a number of interesting facts.

First, those in attendance were overwhelmingly against the proposed tax increase.

The concerns of the citizens that were most often mentioned revolved around pay raises for non-public safety employees and the view that a $700 million budget could be cut by $9 million, the amount to be raised by the tax increase, without affecting services.

Commissioner Richardson responded by saying the City was very well run and that the City Manager had successfully guided the City through tough times.

Second, the current City budget process is not conducive to effective oversight by elected officials.

Commissioners Maddox and Ziffer voiced concern over their inability to get at the details in the budget and therefore make recommendations about changes.

Third, the debate about how much of the tax increase is needed for public safety was not resolved. The City staff is telling local media that close to 80% of the increase, about $8 million, is for public safety.

While Commissioner Richardson echoed those comments, Commissioner Maddox disagreed with that assessment when he said that he thought their were opportunities to find the additional $2-3 million needed for the public safety without a tax increase.

Fourth, while all three Commissioners seemed supportive of pay raises for general employees, it was an item that they seemed open to scaling back.

And finally, attendees of the Town Hall provided concrete recommendations on how to avoid a tax increase.

Ted Thomas, a local business person, recommended a small increase ($.0025 per kwh sold) in electric rates, that would end after four years, to raise the funds needed for public safety.

Barney Bishop, a member of the NEBA board, a local business group, recommended that priorities be established by requiring City department heads to detail how they would cut 10% from their budgets. This information could then be used by elected officials to make the final decisions on what gets funded.

City Commissioners will next convene on Tuesday, July 7th at 9:00 am at City Hall for a budget workshop.

Based on the Town Hall meeting, many will be watching the actions of Commissioners Scott Maddox and Gil Ziffer.