Daniel Figueroa IV
It comes as no shock to anyone who has watched City Council meetings over the past few years that there is often no love lost between Council members and the city staff.
Clashes with Mayor Jane Castor‘s administration range from dust-ups over legal interpretations regarding when Council members should recuse themselves from votes and how to record those recusals to who holds the power in hiring decisions.
Council members voted Thursday to hire a consultant from the University of South Florida’s Florida Institute of Government to facilitate a March 24 workshop to discuss possible reviews to the city’s charter that could shift the balance of power.
“Sometimes it seems the scale is unbalanced when it comes to interpretations or this Council’s authority and power as it relates to the administration,” Council Chair Orlando Gudes said. “The administration has a job to do. We respect that. But this Council has a job to do. We want to make sure the playing field is level to make decisions for the public and the city.”
Council Member Bill Carlson said he thinks the current administration has been more amenable, but added a more egalitarian approach to leading the city could clear up public confusion and allow the City Council to be more decisive.
“Although we have a strong mayor form of government, that doesn’t mean that the mayor does everything and makes every decision,” he said. “We have to have some balance of powers.”
One of the most recent Council versus Castor clashes playing out in the public eye surrounds her choosing Mary O’Connor as Police Chief.
The former Tampa assistant chief’s career almost ended 20 years ago when she was arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, a felony, after a traffic stop during her early years as a Tampa cop. Adjudication was withheld on the condition that she write a letter of apology, and she was fired from the department. But she was rehired a year later and, over the next few decades, ascended to the top position.
Castor selected O’Connor. over then-interim Police Chief Ruben Delgado. The public, and eventually, City Council, pushed back on choosing someone once fired over a long serving Tampa native from a minority community. Council members, including former Tampa police officer Gudes, were shocked to learn that O’Connor had taken over the role without being confirmed by the body yet. But that’s how the current charter is set up.
Gudes said he would also like to see more funds for City Council staff, including staff for City Council Attorney Martin Shelby, who he said is overburdened with the current structure.
Carlson said he would like the city to help with legal support of Council members over lawsuits and investigations related to their official duties. Multiple Council members are currently entangled in legal matters with ever-ballooning price tags.
City Council members have invited administration staff, including the legal department, to attend its workshop.
