Remarks by Steven D. Losner
633 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 23 of 26
“The answer is yes. We're not sneaking it in on anyone. And again, Lennar and DR have already signaled their concerns. There's nothing there yet.”
“And in reality, to the concerns expressed by the representative of D.R. Horton, The reality is that annexation is such a protracted process, they will very likely be completed, nearly completed, inspected with COs before the annexation is ever finished, and whatever the final plat would be. Yes, Councilwoman.”
“Well, again, that's part of our final approval of the package. that we're gonna send to the county.”
“The cost of the submission would be included in our next vote when the whole package is brought to us for approval.”
“Not very intensive info. Okay. All right, so we do have a motion and a second subject with the amended issue of bringing in those additional four existing residences. So let's have a roll call vote on taking the first step for annexation.”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“thank you so let me jump out there first and you know we we had some discussion last time you brought this up and you know i'm i'm certainly not at this point one one four year term in i i think we need to let it play out but the language that you propose is very misleading probably unintentionally so but it's very misleading because Any time the mayor has to run, whether it be a four year term or a two year term as mayor. There are three council members who are not up for election, therefore, if any one of those three who were not up for election wished to run for mayor, they would have to…”
“that they do anyway, even under a two-year term.”
“No, I didn't say balanced. That's a hold it and look, I know what's going on here. But let's cut through this.”
“I think if you're going to do this, and I don't support this, and I hope three of you will join me and see it for what it is and allow at least one more cycle of the mayor having a four-year term. Okay, so. know how about the the city charter per currently provides the mayor's elected to a four-year term shall the mayor oral term be reduced for two years period this shall not reduce the mayor's overall term limit of eight years that's transparent that's to the point all of the rest of this stuff is And look, we have brilliant and well-paid attorneys, and I'm assuming that this is something…”
“Well, it may have been reviewed, but it's not well-written.”
“It's misleading. It absolutely is misleading. Council members representing three of the city's six residential seats must resign their office to run for mayor. That is misleading because the four-year term does not create that issue. The staggered terms of council members create that issue.”
“Are you kidding me? So when I had a two year term, or when any mayor had a two year term, there were always three members who were not up for election. And if one of those members wanted to run for mayor, they would have to resign”
“the records and see who voted to put the four-year mayoral term on on the ballot and if y'all hadn't been so never mind vice mayor thank you mayor i also thought about that”
“It would probably create as many as it would alleviate.”
“I don't think there's any way to do that transition. Either you're going to have to add to somebody or take away from someone to get to the point in the future where everyone is up for election. That is not to say it can't be done.”
“Florida City is experiencing that now, where they only have one veteran member, and I came to realize this weekend at the League of Cities gala that due to term limits in Palmetto Bay, only two of the five will be returning and one is a brand new member and the other one is very controversial so you know those will be the only two with any level of experience and you'll have a lot of new new folks now look i think right now if you threw that out there to the public and said should we throw them all out they'd probably say yes”
“I'd like to hear from, we live in a bubble. As much as we like to deny it, we to a certain extent live in a political bubble. and i know that probably more so than a lot of prior councils we're out and we're we're conversing with with people but i i would tend to agree that you know i don't know what the hurry is here on this one we could put it on the the ballot next year but you know you you've brought this and i think and it deserves a vote to go a vote to go forward”
“You know, it's interesting. And I'm sure you could go find some minutes or somebody's probably given you some minutes where many years ago in charter committee when the city was much smaller and had much less going on, I was a proponent of two years for mayor. with the ability of hindsight now as we have more than doubled in size since the first time I left office and the things we have going on like sports hub and these industrial projects um you know the distraction of the perpetual you know and that was a big I think a big part of our discussion when the you know and that was a big I think…”
“in the driver's seat as to what they want to see do they want to reaffirm their choice or do they not and that's what i'm asking and that's fine but this language and look i'm not going to vote for putting this on the ballot but if you all do you need some better language some legally drawn language but councilwoman you just hold on yourself this is punitive to me a mayor who is in the last 16, 18 months of a term, and you're saying it's not fair that I ran campaigns that you didn't agree with when I wasn't on the ballot. So what you're really after is you're trying to handcuff a mayor from…”
“What's this strong council stuff? I've never heard of that form of government. So you want to diminish the mayor. You're going to make the mayor work twice as hard and twice as long You're diminishing the position of the mayor.”
“Agreeing all the time is not democracy either, is it?”
“First four years you were here, you weren't very collaborative, were you? So it's pot calling the kettle black. Okay, so we've got the other issue of... that you brought before asking the voters to give you a free ride for the first 20 months of your service on council. Because that amendment, if passed, would apply to no one else ever in the history of the world.”
“And that's just it. You got a free ride and you haven't provided for people who get elected to a partial term to get the benefit that you're going to get.”
“Well, we've got to give her her time. Okay. So.”