‘A done deal.’ Bradenton City Council votes to put proposed charter changes back on ballot
Thanks to a key vote from new Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey, a referendum question that would remove power from the mayor’s office is back on the ballot — likely for good this time.
Mayor Wayne Poston vetoed a nearly identical ordinance last month. Because the Bradenton City Council voted to approve the ordinance with four votes Wednesday morning, a second veto attempt would be overruled by a 4-vote supermajority.
“There’s no reason for the mayor to veto because it’s a done deal,” said Councilman Gene Gallo, the lone vote against the proposal.
City Council’s second effort to put the police powers question on the ballot comes after members voted to put Barnebey in the Ward 2 seat, which was vacated after former Councilman Gene Brown resigned to run for mayor.
“The previous time I sat here, I worked very hard to listen to what the citizens of Bradenton wanted their community to become,” Barnebey said, referring to her prior stint as a council member between 1998 and 2012.
“I’ve always listened to the citizens and I’m not going to say they can’t vote on this,” she continued.
Councilmen Harold Byrd Jr., Bill Sanders and Patrick Roff have all been ardent supporters of the charter amendment, citing the need for broader oversight over the Bradenton Police Department. A fourth vote in Barnebey virtually guarantees that the question will make it to the ballot.
When Poston vetoed the first ordinance in June, he said he didn’t believe the changes would be in the best interest of the city. The newly proposed ordinance is nearly identical to the one that was vetoed — the only difference is the addition of an effective date, if the referendum passes.
City Council’s efforts haven’t been slowed by Police Chief Melanie Bevan’s introduction of a plan to implement a Citizen Advisory Committee. That group would provide some of the oversight officials want to see by reviewing completed internal affairs investigations, department policies and individual instances of deadly force.
But a group that only makes recommendations isn’t helpful, said Sanders.
“There’s too many holes for it to be effective,” he said. “I don’t disagree with having a board, but I disagree with a board that has no authority.”
Bevan reminded Sanders that Florida Statutes prevent these committees from issuing discipline or punishment to law enforcement officers.
Gallo said he agreed that the charter needed to be updated but felt that the decision to remove power from the mayor was entirely personal.
“I’m all for changing particular items. Does it need to be changed? Yes, but I will not support anything that becomes personal in nature. This is very personal, there’s no question in my mind,” Gallo argued.
Byrd, who also is running for mayor, took issue with the accusation of personal attacks against the mayor, noting that the effective date of the police powers changes will take effect after he leaves office.
In a last-ditch appeal, Gallo asked Barnebey to consider that the process was flawed from the beginning because council meetings are not well-attended by members of the public.
“I feel like a substitute in a poker game. I didn’t get to pick the cards. I got the cards dealt to me, Mr. Gallo,” Barnebey responded.
The only resident to speak out about the ordinance was Kurt Landefeld, who called the charter amendment process a “pretty shoddy way to do the public’s business” and a “thinly veiled attempt to discredit the police department and its chief.”
The referendum question will appear on ballot in the General Election on Nov. 3. Bradenton voters will also vote on two other referendum questions that remove archaic language from the city charter and clarify the powers of the vice mayor.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 3:10 PM.
