Hometown Democracy & St. Pete Beach: Clash of the Vice Mayors - Part 3

The Debate between St. Pete Beach's Vice Mayors regarding Amendment 4 / Hometown Democracy and St. Pete Beach continues....


Click Here to see their prior emails


On August 9, 2010, former St. Pete Beach Vice Mayor Harry Metz emailed the following response to current Vice Mayor Jim Parent's August 8th email:

Let me see, were to start.

The litigation the City is in now has nothing to do with Hometown Democracy or Amendment 4, the suite [sic] against the City/slov [sic] is only about the Ballot Langue [sic] used to deceive the residents of St. Pete Beach, can we agree on that?

Harry Metz

On August 10, 2010, VM Parent emailed back the following:

Harry,
What I can agree to is that I am against Amendment 4. It is the wrong solution.

The suit against the city appears to me to be about one person’s lack of understanding about ballot language. Comprehensive plans are complex. They are difficult to understand.

Summing up a minor Comp Plan change, let alone a large change or entire Comp Plan, in 75 words will always lead to differences of opinion as to what the summary should say. Should it mention building height in one of a dozen areas? Why that area? Should it note which areas have had land use restricted? Why that area? What specific restrictions? Should it note changes in light industrial usage? Those areas getting that use? Or those areas being blocked from that use? Should it say existing use or should it say legal licensed use? How many of those few examples can be put in a 75 word ballot? Perhaps the most important thing is the new and improved beach access requirements for everyone. That is what some people may think is most important. Maybe that should be in the ballot's 75 words.

Currently a limited number of people (your elected representative officials) study and enact comp plans as part of their legislative duties. Amendment 4 REQUIRES ALL VOTERS TO VOTE ON ALL CHANGES. Clearly, more voters voting on more complex issues in more election will lead to an increase in disagreement as to what is most important. More people, more opinions. More complexity, more opinions. More referendums required, more chances to disagree. More lawsuits just like we have. Amendment 4 doesn't even exempt redevelopment projects of less than 5 parcels. At least our local plan was thoughtful enough to exempt small issues.

At the risk of repeating myself again; more referendums, more ballots, more ballot language, more voters statewide, more lack of understanding, more lawsuits. Our situation is but a miniature of what will come to be if Amendment 4 passes.
 

In my research, the only deception that I have heard about from other people and, believe it or not, have heard first hand, is talk about 20 story buildings. That is not in the Comp Plan and calling that out as if it exists seems an obvious attempt to deceive (lie to) those who have not read the entire plan.
 

I am against Amendment 4. It is the wrong solution.
.
Jim Parent
Vice Mayor, St Pete Beach

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