LBTS DISTRICTS …DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND IN 2012…. NOT SO FAST …..
Dear Readers…. the candidates have not even been sworn in (should it have been done on Fri March 12th?…prev. post)…and already the topic at hand is the demise of districts in LBTS …District 1 in the north/District 2 in the south …will they be in or out in 2012?… It is a very big deal …because the process will be townwide and the candidates who become commissioner in that election without the districts could all come from one side of town….Is the town ready for that?…..A win without the districts would mean the top 2 win out of the 4 running for commission……The Mayor is already “at-large” townwide…… Below is a 2005 Town Topics article and the current info on the Town’s website…muni-codes…To this writer is looks as if the long held belief is is absolutely over in 2012 as touted by the Silverstone/Evans/Couriel campaign with their host Peanuts Wick during their Feb 22, 2010 visit to Sea Ranch Club was wrong…( I was in attendance and prev. posted their assertion)….In #5 0f Article 6…6.1 states “(5) The geographic boundary for the northern and southern districts shall be designated, prepared and identified no later than the first of September, 2004, and again in 2012 through a contract entered into by the Town with an accredited four (4) year college or university located within the state of Florida for the purpose of identifying and designating the northern and southern election districts within the Town. The Town Commission district boundaries shall be of equal population, compact, proportional, and logically related to the natural internal boundaries of the neighborhoods within the Town. The principal of nondiscrimination and one person/one vote shall be adhered to strictly.”….
It does not state they are finished in 2012…It states they must “prepared and identified no later than the first of September in 2012″….through “a contract” entered into by the Town and a 4 yr. accredited college or university in Florida …such as FAU who was used previously…(see below)… Therefore, it is my opinion that armed with this information….it is imperative for the new commission to start the ball rolling on this one ASAP….because after the last 3 municipal elections in 2006, 2008 and 2010…2012 is not the time to let these districts go….GULP!…
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Feb. 2005 Town Topics page 1….
Commission adopts proposal
creating north, south districts
“The Town Commission formally adopted a voting district plan
after a presentation was made by the Catanese Center for Urban
and Environmental Solutions at Florida Atlantic University.
FAU was asked to establish the Town’s voting districts after Lauderdale-
By-The-Sea voters approved a referendum in March to create four Town
Commission seats in two separate voting districts.
Lenore Alpert, a senior research associate with the Catanese Center,
along with senior analyst Andrew Yancey, presented five districting
options to the Commission at its Jan. 11th meeting.
The Commission selected Option 1, which divides Lauderdale-By-The-
Sea into north and south voting districts as required by the Town Charter.
District 1 includes 3,276 Town residents who live north of Gatehouse
Road in Sea Ranch Lakes. District 2 includes 3,350 residents who live
south of Gatehouse Road.
Voters Townwide can cast ballots for the District 1 candidates who run
for Commission Seats 1 and 3. Voters Townwide can also vote for the
District 2 candidates who run for Commission Seats 2 and 4. Voters can
also cast ballots for the mayor, who will still be elected Townwide.”
…………………………..
ARTICLE VI. ELECTIONS
Sec. 6.1. Mayor-Commissioner and Commissioners; term of office; election; transition.
(1) Beginning with the regular election to be held on the second Tuesday in the month of March, 2008, and every two (2) years thereafter, a Mayor-Commissioner shall be elected for a term of two (2) years until his successor is elected and qualifies.
(2) Commencing with the regular election of the Town held in March, 2006, and continuing with successive elections at intervals of four years, candidates may qualify for the offices of Town Commissioner Seat 1 and Town Commissioner Seat 2, each elected at large. Town Commission Seat 1 and Town Commission Seat 2 shall replace the two Commission seats vacated by the expiration of the term of the two Commissioners in March, 2006. The candidate for Seat 1 shall reside in the north district of the Town. The candidate for Seat 2 shall reside in the south district of the Town. The candidates receiving the most votes for each seat shall be elected, and shall serve a term of four (4) years.
(3) Commencing with the regular election of the Town held in March, 2008, and continuing with successive elections at intervals of four years, candidates may qualify for the offices of Town Commission Seat 3 and Town Commissioner Seat 4. Town Commission Seat 3 and Town Commission Seat 4 shall replace the two Commission seats vacated by the expiration of the term of two Commissioners in March of 2008. The candidate for Seat 3 shall reside in the north district of the Town. The candidate for Seat 4 shall reside in the south district of the Town. The candidates receiving the most votes for each seat shall be elected, and shall serve a term of four years.
(4) All elections for the position of Town Commissioner or Mayor-Commissioner shall be held on the second Tuesday of March of each even-numbered year, or as provided for by law.
(5) The geographic boundary for the northern and southern districts shall be designated, prepared and identified no later than the first of September, 2004, and again in 2012 through a contract entered into by the Town with an accredited four (4) year college or university located within the state of Florida for the purpose of identifying and designating the northern and southern election districts within the Town. The Town Commission district boundaries shall be of equal population, compact, proportional, and logically related to the natural internal boundaries of the neighborhoods within the Town. The principal of nondiscrimination and one person/one vote shall be adhered to strictly.
(6) In the event no candidate qualifies for election for any designated Town Commission seat within the first ten (10) calendar days of the qualifying period, then any qualified person who resides anywhere in the Town may qualify for such seat. Thereafter, if no person qualifies for such seat, a vacancy shall be declared and filled in accordance with this Charter.
(7) The Town Commission shall adopt by Ordinance the creation and establishment of the boundaries of the initial northern and southern Town Commission seat districts no later than January 1, 2005. The Ordinance shall provide for the implementation of said election districts to be effective for the elections to be held in the Town commencing in March, 2006.
http://library8.municode.com/default-test/home.htm?infobase=14431&doc_action=whatsnew
more to come….
Tags: FAU Catanese Center, Lauderdale By The Sea Voting Districts Still In Play In 2012, local government, Local Politics, Scoops
