By Bari Auerbach

In an effort to increase voter participation and ensure the citizens of Sunny Isles Beach are fairly represented, the City Commission has approved proposed charter amendments relating to elections that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.
.
‘Redrawing Districts’

If charter amendments are passed by Sunny Isles Beach voters in the November 4 election, the city’s three voting districts would be redrawn into four districts (195th Street to 178th Street; 178th Street to 172nd Street; 172nd to 167th Street; and 167th Street to Bayview Drive).The current At Large Commission seat would also be converted to a Residential Area Seat.

The population boom in Sunny Isles Beach prompted the initiative to redraw the city’s voting districts along with the goal to avoid having more than two future elected officials residing within one area of the city.

Going forward, Commission candidates would have to live in each of the four respective districts – but the Mayor would still be able to reside in any district. Every resident would also continue to have the right to cast their vote for all four Commission candidates and the Mayor.

At the July 17 City Commission meeting, City Attorney Hans Ottinot explained, “Since 1997 when the city first incorporated, the numbers [of registered voters in each district] have changed drastically.

“To remedy the issue of population growth, [the intent is to] divide areas of the city proportionally in order to distribute the number of [existing and future] residential units in an even fashion.

“The At Large Commission seat [would be converted into a residential voting area seat…[This will help create] a geographic balance on the City Commission - prohibiting a particular area of the city from holding more than two seats on the Commission.” It was noted that on an issue relating to a special assessment for Atlantic Isle, Mayor Norman S. Edelcup and Commissioner George “Bud” Scholl had to abstain from voting because they both reside in that community. A voting quorum could not have been achieved if a third Commission member also resided in that area.

Commissioner Roslyn Brezin, who currently holds the At Large Commission seat noted, “As a Commissioner At Large, I’m very concerned about the people throughout the entire city…But each [commissioner is more familiar] with their own areas. So in all fairness, I think the best way to go is to have a commissioner in a particular district who ‘knows’ the district. “

Commissioner Gerry Goodman added, “Any citizen has a right to petition any one of the Commissioners or Mayor at any time, for any reason – it doesn’t make any difference what district it entails.”

Mayor Edelcup emphasized, “We’re trying to project for the future and come up with a balanced division of the city – each of the new [voting districts] will have approximately 4,000 potential registered voters [based on population projections].

“The other benefit that we get out of dividing into four districts is the point that today, the way we’re structured - any one of the [current] three districts could wind up with three representatives - which is unfair…It’s fairer to all Sunny Isles Beach residents to say, ‘No [one district] can have more than two [representatives].’

“[The Commission is voting in favor of this] but ultimately, [the issue of redrawing districts] still gets voted on by the residents of the city in the Nov. 4 election.”

‘Consolidating Elections’

At the July 17 City Commission meeting, an ordinance was approved serving to create a proposed amendment to the city’s charter relating to consolidating municipal and county elections. If Sunny Isles Beach residents vote in favor of the charter amendment in the Nov. 4 election, Sunny Isles Beach could substantially lower election costs and experience a rise in voter turnout.

The charter amendment proposes changing the date of the city’s general election from the second Tuesday following the first Monday in November in odd numbered years to even numbered years in conjunction with county-wide elections.

City Attorney Hans Ottitnot reported, “In order to consolidate the city s election with county-wide elections, the City Commission must amend the city charter. To accomplish this goal,, [this] ordinance provides for a charter amendment to move the city s election dates and also provides for a one year extension of existing terms of the elected officials (Commission members) to facilitate the consolidating of the city s election with county-wide elections.

“Term limits have always been the law of the city - and is still the law. In order to [consolidate elections] in a legally sufficient way, we have to extend [current Commission member’s] terms by one year [for one time only]. “

Mayor Norman S. Edelcup stated, “I support this proposal…We’ll get more voters and it will save the county as well as the city money…We shouldn’t get confused that to accomplish this, we have to extend for one time only – [Commission] terms for one year just to get on the right cycle. You, the voters, will have an opportunity to vote on this [charter amendment relating to election consolidation on Nov. 4].

Commissioner George “Bud” Scholl concurred, stating, “This [election consolidation charter amendment] will be a very good thing for enhancing voter turnout…I chaired the city’s Charter Revision Commission about six years ago and I vigorously lobbied for term limits…I can assure you that term limits are not being touched.”

During discussions, it was noted that voters in other municipalities, including the City of Aventura, have already approved similar election consolidation legislation. It was also pointed out that holding elections in the month of November helps ensure more residents are in town to make informed decisions as well as cast their vote at a polling precinct as opposed to sending in absentee ballots.

Providing further background information, City Attorney Hans Ottinot reported, “The Miami Dade County Supervisor of Elections Lester Solar and the Board of County Commissioners have requested that municipalities in Miami-Dade County consolidate their elections with county-wide elections…Miami Dade County is the only county in the State of Florida with an unconsolidated elections calendar.

“Consolidating the city’s elections with county-wide elections has several major benefits including cost savings and increased voter participation More precisely, the City Clerk has noted [Sunny Isles Beach] will save at least $38 000 annually if the city’s election is held in conjunction with county-wide elections..”

Vice Mayor Lewis Thaler observed, “If you go back and look at years when there was a presidential or senatorial election, we had substantially more people vote…So I think [consolidating elections] will create more people coming out to vote for your mayor and commissioners on an ongoing basis.”

‘Vote of Confidence’

The City of Sunny Isles Beach could be voted a “Florida City of Excellence” if selected for the prestigious honor by the Florida League of Cities.

At the July 17 City Commission meeting, the Commission approved the nomination of the City of Sunny Isles Beach per recommendation of Commissioner Roslyn Brezin.

Brezin explained, “The Florida League of Cities is seeking nominations for its fifth annual Florida Cities of Excellence Awards Program. The goal of the program is to focus public attention on the countless good things cities and individuals do to improve the quality of life in Florida.

“The Florida City of Excellence award recognizes overall excellence in city government. Criteria include excellence in governance, administration, city leadership, intergovernmental cooperation, citizen outreach and involvement, technology, innovative programs and services, and fiscal management.

“Sunny Isles Beach has major accomplishments in all of these categories including a city-wide document imaging program, GovQA, state, county and city inter-local agreements, a private partnership for the revitalization of the Newport Fishing Pier, a public partnership for the construction of a state-of-the art K 8 community school and an award-winning Budget document.”

Mayor Norman S Edelcup was also nominated for Mayor of the Year for the Florida League of Cities 5th Annual Florida Cities of Excellence Awards Program.

Brezin noted, “’Mayor of the Year’ honors a Mayor for outstanding civic commitment, leadership, public outreach and service to the city during the past year. Our Mayor exemplifies all of these virtues and characteristics. Under his leadership, the city has realized a state-of-the-art K-8 community school, planning of two additional parks, a dog park, stormwater drainage improvements and the revitalization of Sunny Isles Boulevard.”