Venice City Council ignores public input and falsely justifies their vote, stating they are following the guidance of the Supervisor of Elections

Thank you to everyone who showed up to yesterday’s City Council meeting or wrote to Council beforehand. The council chambers was at least half full (a good turnout for late May!) and Council received a number of emails from citizens concerning their rushed effort to change the city charter to eliminate annual Council elections.

Despite 100 percent of the public input being opposed to the change, at least without a more thorough process, City Council voted 5-2 to proceed. Council members have claimed they are doing this on the recommendation of Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner, but Turner refutes that in today’s Herald-Tribune. Click —>> here to read the article

Three former Venice mayors weighed in this week and urged Council not to proceed. So what is behind this rush to get a question on the ballot this fall without the usual charter review process being followed?

The next step: Council will have to vote on this once more, on June 11, and then it will get submitted as a referendum question for the November ballot.

Venice Thrives believes that this change is not in the best interests of Venice voters and will continue to keep you informed as it proceeds.