Mikala Graham
Micaja EtienneA 2-2 split vote stops consideration of the agenda.
The Riviera Beach City Council meeting on Oct. 7 ended before it began because council members could not agree to adopt the agenda.
Why it matters: The decision postponed the discussion of items listed on the agenda including:
- Changes to the city’s Minority Employment and Affordable Housing Opportunity Plan also known as MEAHOP.
- An update on recruitment for a new city manager and current City Manager Bill Wilkins’ status.
- A property transfer that would help allow Forest Development to move forward with the redevelopment of public land in the 1800 block of Broadway.
What happened: Vice Chair Glen Spiritis acted as chair because Chair Bruce Guyton attended the meeting remotely and could not vote.
The four council members in the room were split over which agenda items to add or remove.
Guyton asked the council to remove the discussion about the city manager and another discussion item from the agenda.
Council members Shirley Lanier and KaShama Miller-Anderson objected, noting that the items were for discussion.
“This is not for a vote,” Lanier said.
“I would prefer to be there in person during this discussion,” Guyton said. “Sometimes votes do hit the floor unexpectedly. I would like to be there in person. That’s all I’m asking.”
Council member Fercella Davis Panier also wanted to pull an agenda item on education grants.
A motion by Spiritis and Davis Panier to remove the items failed on a 2-2 vote, with Lanier and Miller-Anderson voting no.
Then, a motion by Lanier and Miller-Anderson to adopt the agenda failed on a 2-2 vote, with Spiritis and Davis Panier dissenting.
Spiritis adjourned the meeting. “Thank you all for coming,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Inside the room: After the meeting, Mayor Douglas Lawson explained to Community Voices reporters that the city charter allows the mayor to vote on certain items, but not the agenda.
“I would have broken the tie” and voted to have the meeting, he said, given that items such as the city’s Youth Council had been set for the agenda, and residents had taken time to attend.
What’s next: The City Council’s next meeting is Oct. 21.
Who wrote this story: This story was reported by Community Voices writers Mikala Graham and Micaja Etienne.
What is CV: Community Voices is a partnership between Stet News and Inlet Grove High School that trains and pays teens to cover the news. Community Voices is supported by The Pew Family Fund, the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties and the Carl A. DeSantis Foundation.
Inlet Grove’s C.B. Hanif contributed to this story.
