Hurry up and wait.
There is a lull in any official action on the forfeiture proceedings against Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon initiated by Commissioner Jack Clarke, but the issue is never far from the mayor’s mind.
“I spend my weekdays attending to the business of the city,” said Shearon, “but my weekends have been devoted to thinking about defending myself against these positions.”
The next special city commission meeting dealing with the forfeiture of office proceedings against the mayor is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
Included on the agenda are an opportunity for public comment, commission discussion of alternatives to the forfeiture proceedings, and possible adoption of a resolution outlining the procedures.
It is the possibility of finding alternative actions that most interests the mayor.
Noting that the complaints against him are “pretty vague,” Shearon said, “I need for them to tell me what I am doing wrong and what I need to do to correct it.
“You can’t simply say that you don’t like the job I am doing and then get rid of me in a meeting or two,” Shearon said. “If it were that easy, how many politicians would still be around?”
City attorney Ricinda Perry continues to research the forfeiture process. At the Sept. 22 meeting, she presented a 53-page analysis, and warned that the process would be “long and costly.”
Commissioner Janie Robertson, who voted against the commencement of the forfeiture process, expressed concern with the potential cost to the city.
While also defensive of the mayor’s job performance, she said that she could “not vote for anything that will cost the city that much.
“We might as well roll up our tent and get out of here,” she added.
During the city’s budget hearing, Commissioner Jan Vosburgh also referenced the city’s legal fees as an area “that needs much improvement.”
Vosburgh, who has been critical of the mayor and voted in favor of the forfeiture proceedings, added, “I’m sure that if we work together as a team, we can and must get rid of these unnecessary costs to the taxpayer.”
Shearon expressed hope that the issue soon can be put to rest. “I was elected by the people to do a job,” he said. “Until this is resolved, progress will be held up.”
Staff complaints grow
The city of Bradenton Beach has faced staffing issues since before former clerk Nora Idso took leave from her job in 2013 for health reasons. Idso died in June.
Along with the problems associated with a revolving door of administrative staff, the spouse of a public works employee has publicly claimed her husband has been continually harassed on the job, and another public works employee became embroiled in accusations of improper access to payroll documents, photographing and sharing by email two administrative employees’ pay-raise forms and a subsequent police investigation that turned up no proof of wrongdoing.
Those two employees, Christine Watson and David Higgins, filed complaints with the city Sept. 23, each alleging that the city has become a hostile work environment. Public works supervisor Tom Woodard also has submitted a complaint.
In addition to Mayor Bill Shearon, the three named Tjet Martin, the mayor’s live-in girlfriend and candidate for city commission, in their complaints.
City Attorney Ricinda Perry was consulted on the matter, which was later turned over to business litigation attorney Matthew Westerman of the St. Petersburg office of Blalock Walters P.A. for review. Westerman also is examining the city charter and codes, as well as the employee manual to determine how the matters should proceed.
According to Blalock Walters website, Westerman has significant experience defending employers in sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and retaliation and wage-hour litigation matters.
He was retained this month following an apparent breakdown by new city clerk Gia Lancaster — less than two weeks from her start date of Aug. 25 — when she addressed the commission at a Sept. 4 city meeting. The incident was followed by more than two weeks of absence and the mayor said he did not hear from her in the interim. She returned to work Sept. 22.
In the meantime, David Higgins has added libel claims to his list of grievances, citing comments made by Commissioner Janie Robertson published in the Bradenton Herald regarding the unhappiness of some city employees.
“The complaints stem from public works, where employees had credit cards with $10,000 limits,” Robertson was quoted as saying in a Sept. 23 article by reporter Mark Young. “That led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills that had no oversight from the prior administration.”
According to Higgins, this statement “is a libel remark towards myself and the other three public works employees that is a blatlant (sic) lie defaming our character.”
Shearon defended Robertson’s characterization, telling The Islander that the public works department “has operated like a kid in a candy store under the past four administrations. The employees were like kids who got to do what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it.
“And now I am like the dad who says, ‘No, you can’t do that.’”
The mayor is currently awaiting any action until after he reviews a report from Westerman regarding the complaints.
Click here to read the “attorney perry forfeiture analysis“