The Charter Review Committee suggested changes at the Oct. 21 Gulfport City Council meeting. A few suggestions sparked long discussions.
Photo by Trei Johnson
“Van Life” has been the main topic for multiple Gulfport Council meetings recently. However, the Oct. 21 Council meeting’s main focus was updating the language of the City’s Charter.
The Charter is a municipal constitution that establishes the powers, structure, and authority of a local government.
Updating the City Charter is a multi-step process involving a citizen-led Charter Review Committee (CRC), the City Council, and a final vote by the residents.
Gulfport Charter Review Committee’s Suggested Changes
At this meeting, the Committee updated Council on their suggestions for Sections 103, 304, 309, 314, and 501. However, discussions emerged after the Committee brought their suggestions for Sections 302, 305, and 306 to the table.
Section 302 — Terms
Both the mayor and council members will serve three-year terms and shall be limited to two terms consecutively. After serving two terms, a council member must be out of office for a minimum of two years before running for office again. There would be some exceptions.
This topic brought about a lengthy discussion. Mayor Karen Love disagreed with the Committee’s suggestion.
“I think six years is too short for the Mayor,” Love said.
“I’m not a fan of term limits,” Gulfport resident Richard Fried said during public comment. “I think they should be staggered… I don’t think six years is enough to accomplish what you want to do.”
Gulfport Charter Review Committee’s suggested changes were not all that happened at the Oct. 21 Gulfport City Council meeting. Read what we overheard.
Gulfport City Charter Review Committee Chair Joe Guenther reported to Council at the Oct. 21 meeting.
Photo by Ethan PerelsteinSection 305 — Prohibitions
Perhaps the longest discussion of the night was about inappropriate conduct by a council member in Section 305, Prohibitions (a): Appointments and removals.
This was a hot topic for two reasons: Former Ward IV Council member Ian O’Hara’s accusation, resignation, and investigation for misuse of the City’s credit card. Additionally, Vice Mayor April Thanos’ ethics complaint for inappropriate email usage.
“We all know what we’re talking about here,” Thanos said. “I was never warned that my emails were inappropriate, and I had been writing them for years, and no one said anything to me. So then to have it all of a sudden come up.”
The CRC suggested removing this paragraph in Section 305: “Any council member violating the provisions of this section, shall be guilty of a second degree misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof.“
Along with that, the Committee suggested Council vote to remove one of its members for serious misconduct or failure to perform their duties. But only after following fair procedures, and only if three-fourths of the Council agree.
[Read more below]The Gabber Newspaper? We Go ThereIn 1968, our founder, George Brann, started The Gabber Newspaper, then called the Gulfport Gabber, to hold Gulfport City Council accountable. Read more of our city council coverage, and learn about our policies on reporting, fact-checking, and funding.Section 306 — Vacancies; Filling of Vacancies
The Committee suggested rewriting the entire vacancy section. Under the new ordinance, a City Council member loses their seat if they die, resign, are legally removed, or commit an act that causes them to forfeit their position.
Charter Review Committee Chair Joe Guenther explained why the Committee wrote it that way.
“In talking with the attorney, to be convicted of misdemeanor, is going to take a year, year and a half, two years,” Guenther said. “By the time you’re there, that person’s already gone. So we’re trying to give you the ability to act more swiftly.”
City Attorney Andrew Salzman explained the nuances of the currently written law and suggested a rewrite.
“We will have an independent special magistrate who will hear this and make a determination,” Salzman said. “And their determination is final for the purposes of this issue and council will adopt their position. That could be a way that you choose to do.”
Council unanimously agreed.
City Attorney Andrew Salzman explained the nuances of the currently written law and suggested a rewrite.
Photo by Cameron HealyNext Steps
Changing the Charter was a long and confusing discussion. City Attorney Salzman interpreted, clarified, and explained the domino effects that changing the law could trigger.
While the CRC’s part of the process is complete, the Council and City Attorney have more work to do before any changes go into effect.
Salzman will make the suggested changes and re-present them to Council during the next City Council meeting.
“The next step is for the City Council to approve, by Ordinance, the allowance of the questions to be placed on the ballot for a referendum vote,” said Gulfport City Clerk Theresa Carrico.
Nov. 4: The first reading of the OrdinanceNov. 18: The second reading (if necessary)Dec. 10: City Clerk adds the ordinance, in the form of a question, to the ballot March 16: Residents will voteWe’re the calm during the storm. No hype, only help!
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