[November 22, 2008] Changes possible for city advisory boards Tweet Nov 22, 2008 (Florida Keys Keynoter - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Ordinances that could give voters more say in who serves on the Marathon Planning Commission and Code Compliance Board head to a showdown at Tuesday's City Council meeting. Mayor Mike Cinque said he's pushing the changes so that newly elected council members can appoint "someone who reflects their views" on both advisory boards. Currently, appointments require winning a majority vote of the entire five-member council. Terms don't expire when their sponsor's term on the council ends. "Once elected, the will of the people has been expressed," Cinque said. Former mayor Pete Worthington said he was caught off guard Friday when he heard about the two ordinances. He said the proposals would fundamentally change the way appointees are selected and how long they can serve, and might even require "firing everyone" currently serving and then reappointing them. "Why should politics be involved in the code board?" Worthington said. "Maybe there are some people [on that board] he [Cinque] doesn't like." Councilman Don Vasil said his phone has been ringing off the hook as word spread about the possible changes to Planning Commission and Code Compliance Board appointments. "My impression is the new mayor has some changes that need to be made on the makeup of the boards, but I don't know his reasoning," Vasil said. One of Vasil's appointees, Ralph Lucignano, was appointed to both the Planning Commission and Code Compliance Board, along with another Vasil supporter, Claude Halioua. Councilman Dick Ramsay said he's also getting a lot of calls about the issue, but says he wants to "sit back and listen to both sides." Ramsay said that serving on both boards creates the appearance of a "conflict of interest" and added he expects that issue will be part of the debate Tuesday night. Here are the five current Planning Commission members and when their terms expire: Morgan Hill, 2010; Larry Shaffer, 2010; Lucignano, 2010; Halioua, 2009; James Tashjian, 2009. All terms are due to expire in January of the year listed. If the ordinance passes on Tuesday, appointees' service would end with the council terms of those who appointed them, giving any new council members a chance to appoint their own nominee. Here are the seven Code Complaint Board members and when their terms expire: Mark Pierson, 2008; Jeff Coldren, 2009; Randy Botteri, 2010; Steve Pearson, 2008; Halioua, 2009; Mark Smith, 2010; Lucignano, 2008. All terms are due to expire in December of the year listed. The City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Marathon Government Center. To see more of the Keynoter, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.keysnet.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Florida Keys Keynoter, Marathon Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]