Citizen Advisory Committees Bug Commission, Council

As an inveterate advisor to readers of the Sun-Herald, I venture to advise our local lawmakers on the subject of advice – despite the old saw that free advice is worth what it costs.

Charlotte County commissioners and Punta Gorda councilors are at odds with their appointed, advisory committees. Problems arose when citizens -- asked by their governmentsto give advice – took the request seriously.

The Commission has at least 226 non-paid volunteers on 30 committees, boards, authorities, agencies or organizations. Type designations are arbitrary.

The Council gets along with 68 members on 9 committees.

Unfortunately, as Duke Rochefoucauld noted three centuries ago, “We may give advice, but we do not inspire conduct.”

Trouble right here in River City began when Commissioner Don Coppola opined that the Marine Advisory Committee (MAC) was too large with 21 members.

MAC members declare that water activities are very important to the local economy. Thus, every marine activity should be represented. Commissioner Adam Cummings thinks that on this basis the committee should be larger because all marine activities are not now represented.

Punta Gorda’s dust-up stems from refusal of the hybrid Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to adopt a proposal by the Downtown Revitalization Committee.

Revit’s 12 members propose to spend $100,000 in the city’s eastern section on street landscaping   – as it has done elsewhere the last several years to good effect. CRA wants the money folded into a $7.1 million public/private plan for its waterfront development.

Thus, we see the Council acting as its own grandpa. Racial and Nazi epithets were tossed around during a recent confrontation.   

CRA is partly independent and partly advisory. It has the power to take and spend property taxes generated in its area of responsibility. Five ex-officio City Council members hold a majority of seats on the CRA. Two volunteer members are appointed by the County Commission to monitor its tax interests.

Vice-mayor Marilyn Smith says staff personnel spend too much time attending advisory committee meetings. This is said to adversely affect the jobs for which they were hired. She wants the Revit, Beautification and Historic Preservation committees combined and reduced in total membership.

Philosopher Philip Dormer Stanhope observed in 1770: “Advice is seldom welcome, and those who want it most always like it the least.”

Is this true today as it was then? Consider the following tallies of appointed advisory groups and their numbers of members.

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COMMISSION

Affordable Housing, 9.

Agricultural and Natural Resources, 9.

Alligator Creek Maintenance, 5.

Beaches and Shores, 7.

Buena Vista Grass Pointe Waterway, 7.

Charlotte Harbor (town) Community Redevelopment Area, 7.

Construction Adjustments and Appeals, 7.

Code Enforcement, 7.

Construction Industry Licensing, 8.

Deep Creek Street and Drainage, 5.

Development Review, 7.

Englewood Area Planning, 7.

Englewood East Street and Drainage, 7.

Environmental Land Acquisition, 14.

Grove City Street and Drainage, 4.

Gulf Cove Street and Drainage, 5.

Gulf Cove Waterway, 6.

Harbor Heights Street and Drainage, 6.

Historic Preservation, 5 (including your writer).

Housing Finance, 5.

Indigent Health Care, number unavailable.  

Manchester Waterway, 7.

Marine Advisory, 21.

Metropolitan Planning Organization, 16.

MPO Citizens Advisory, 10.

MPO Bicycle/Pedestrian, 9.

Parks and Recreation, 7.

Planning and Zoning, 5.

Tourist Development, 9.

Zoning Appeals, 5.

COUNCIL

Beautification, 9.

Building, 7.

City Canal Maintenance, 5.

Downtown Revitalization, 12.

Historic Preservation, 7.

Punta Gorda Isles Canal Maintenance, 7.

Planning, 7 regular and 7 alternate.

Utilities, 7.

Zoning Appeals, 7.

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It is emphasized that volunteers are honorable and highly capable individuals. The general populous benefits from their time, energy, experience and thought contributed to the community.

Nonetheless, appointed boards serve “at the pleasure” of those who appoint them and must answer to voters for results.

Of the advisory groups mentioned, historic preservation boards with prescribed duties stand alone by state law. All other appointed committees can be merged, discontinued or reorganized as conditions warrant.

The optimum size of any committee is seven -- in my opinion, after a lifetime of serving on ad hoc committees. Larger committees often are representational of a range of related interests short changed by overly large agendas.   

The Marine and Environmental committees, for example, are so large and important they might be improved by smaller, separate, more focused committees.

Sure, advisory committees require a lot of staff attention. But without volunteers, elected officials would have to work even harder and take all the heat for decisions. Staff would have to be larger and more expensive.

Sure, there will be conflicts of opinion. Those who serve in advisory capacity believe in their recommendations. They are frustrated when authorities do not agree or move too slowly.

Thank goodness for representative government.  

Without commitment and debate, advice would be useless.

PARTING SHOTS

The difference between a prejudice and a conviction is that you can explain a conviction without getting mad.

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Friend J.P. is pleased that his name was among the published list of citizens with permits to carry concealed guns. Criminals can know he is armed. Now he wants to see a list of all other residents that include the criminals.

williams –advisory Sunday – july 23, 2000

6 col head and byline logo for editorial column

* Lindsey Williams is a Sun-Herald columnist*