Sheridan faces opposition to vote switch

Commission member Robert Sheridan said he will attempt to change his vote from a council-manager to a strong mayor form of government through a suspension of rules at Wednesday's 7 p.m. meeting. A previous attempt on Dec. 13 was unsuccessful because commission Chairwoman Nancy Kay Holmes insisted all members had to be present to vote on the rules suspension.

Fellow commission member Sharon Quinn, who was the absent member at the previous meeting, hopes to make any change as difficult as possible.

"I'm not simply going to that meeting and have a vote and it's over," she said.

The commission in October voted 6-5 to recommend a revised charter to city residents that would switch from the current strong mayor, in which the mayor and council hold almost equal positions as the administrative and legislative branches, to a council-manager. Under the latter, a professional manager would be hired by an expanded council to run the day-to-day operations of the city. The mayor's responsibilities would be greatly reduced.

"We didn't just do it frivolously," Ms. Quinn said. "We did it after a lot of research. At the time, Mr. Sheridan was adamant for change."

Ms. Quinn said she came into the process used to a strong mayor, and she originally thought the charter could simply be tweaked to fix any shortcomings. But she said it became clear through testimony from citizens that there was no faith in city government. And it was soon evident that in strong-mayor systems, the mayor can thumb his nose at charter requirements with few consequences.

"With a manager, he can be fired," she said.

Also, a professional manager would have the background necessary to run the city's $57 million business.

"We honestly felt this was the best thing for the city," Ms. Quinn said. "I have nothing to gain by this. This is our chance to turn (the distressed city) around. We are going nowhere (now). We might end up truly in bankruptcy."

Mr. Sheridan originally said he wanted to change his vote because he did not realize the controller position would be eliminated under a council-manager form. But now he says his main reason is citizens would lose the right to elect their leader.

"A city manager does not answer to the citizens," he said. "He answers to a panel of five members. A city this size needs a leader. If the shingles are broken, you do not rebuild the house. I'm one of the first to say we need change. We need a bite put in the charter."

Ms. Quinn said citizens do keep the right to elect their leaders under the council-manager form, since the manager answers to the elected officials. She also said it is possible to keep the controller's position. But Mr. Sheridan was not swayed.

"I was not ready to vote," he said. "They pushed us. I think it was rushed in. Everyone has the right to say they were wrong."

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