- May 11, 2025
Dear Editor:
Congratulations Mr. Sullivan on your appointment to the City Council. Having extensive experience serving the County Commission made you the most desired candidate. However, the process employed and the lack of “sunshine” made it a more tedious exercise than necessary.
Unlike the most recent City Manager method of selecting its five “finalists” (now two) using a quantitative method of assigning a ranking number and publicly disclosing each one’s numerical rating process, the council process was merely a qualitative vote done with non-disclosure as to “who voted for whom,” in a non-sunshine way.
This change of process contributed to the indecisive and belabored exercise in what should have been a more deliberative outcome.
Vice Mayor Ms. Pontieri seeking a solution to the “stalemate" by motioning to consider a non-finalist revealed a true test of the integrity of the process and questions her overall judgment and political savvy. Personally, this was an offensive and ill-advised motion.
To cap it off, hearing Mayor Norris’ opinionated aversion to having a Grand Haven resident on the council and then being overruled 3-1 is an example of the folly of this “green” and challenged governing body.
Politics 101 — “C’est la vie.”
D. W. Ferguson
Editor's note: Ferguson was one of three finalists to finish out the first two years of Ray Stevens' term on the Palm Coast City Council. Stevens was elected in November 2024 but resigned due to health reasons. Dave Sullivan won the appointment on April 15.
