Lee charter committee eying single-member districts
Commissioners now chosen countywide
BY JEFF CULL jcull@florida-weekly.com

Single-member commission districts - in lieu of the present system of electing commissioners countywide - may be the principal issue for the Lee County Charter Review Committee.

Every four years, Lee County Commissioners form a committee of 15 area residents to take a look at the county charter, a sort of constitution, and see what changes need to be made.

The nearly year-long process is now underway. The committee meets monthly and is discussing possible charter amendments such as: creating an elected county executive or county mayor; limit commissioners terms; increase the number of elected commissioners; and make it easier for citizens to get a proposed law on the ballot.

But the hot-button issue appears to be having voters in each of the county's five county commission district vote for only the candidate in their area.

"Single member districts is the most important issue you will face," Fort Myers resident Jack Tanner told the committee at last weeks committee meeting. "Atlarge voting is not a good thing."

Currently, commissioners must live in the district they represent but every voter in Lee County can vote for every commissioner.

Supporters of the single-member district form contend that commissioners will be more in tune with and pay more attention to the needs of their constituency.

Others, such as Tom Clark of Cape Coral, spoke of the economics of singlemember districts.

"It will cost a lot less to run for commissioner and we will have more people running," he said.

Detractors point to the fact that commissioners actions affect all county residents and those elected should focus on what's best for the county as a whole not just what's best for a smaller segment.

Yet, even if the committee agrees that the issue should be brought to the voters, Lee Commissioners can refuse to place the issue on the November 2008 ballot.

In past years, commissioners have even told committee members that a particular issue will never get commission approval and therefore be placed on the ballot. That pushed the committee to scrap even discussions of a proposal that commissioners said they wouldn't favor.

But this year might be different.

"With three commissioners up for election it's not politically wise to say 'Vote for me, but I won't let you vote for any of these changes,'" said former Lee County Commissioner Charlie Bigelow. "There's never been any outside pressure on the commission to embrace change. At some point there will be."

Many on the committee favor independence from commissioners and may seek to empower future review committees with the power to directly place charter changes on the ballot.

At last week's meeting, committee members spoke of trying to become designated a commission of their own, making them the final authority on what recommended changes make it to the voting booth. However, that would require electing a charter review board, something that Sarasota County does.

"If we're going to do all this work, have all these meetings to send recommendations to the county commission where they will fall on deaf ears, what's the sense?" said Frederick Morgan, a committee member appointed by Commissioner Frank Mann.

Several citizens agreed with Morgan and urged committee members to take sound proposals to commissioners regardless of how they expect them to vote.

"Unless you go forward, you have no authority," said Virginia Split, a former charter review committee member. ¦ If you go

>>What: Lee County Charter Review Committee meeting

>>Where: Lee County Administration Building, First Floor conference room, 2115 Second St., in downtown Fort Myers

>>When: the next meeting is Thursday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m >>On the Web: www.leegov.com