COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
The way Utility Commission Chairman Scott Stradley allowed Charlie Wilson to grandstand before the cameras Monday, as he falsely accused Commission member George Christopher of violating the Florida Sunshine Law, was an outrage.
Volunteer members of the City’s advisory boards should not be subjected to such disrespectful and uncivil treatment. Stradley owes Christopher an apology for his failure to preside over Monday’s Utility Commission meeting with some measure of judicious control.
Wilson, who continues to insist the Florida Municipal Power Agency is Vero Beach’s “enemy,” does not seem to understand that the real enemy is something in which he and Stradley are suffused – ignorance of key facts and misinformation.
Stradley allowed Wilson’s interrogation of Christopher to go on so long that City Attorney Wayne Coment finally had to step in and instruct Stradley on the limits and scope of Florida’s open government and public records laws.
But open government is not the only domain in which Wilson and Stradley are operating with limited information. For his part, Stradley seems ignorant of the fact that the one priority with which the Utility Commission has been charged is to aggressively explore ways of lowering electric rates.
Not content with this assignment, Stradley seems determined to interject himself and the Utilities Commission into the complex and delicate negotiations between the City and the FMPA, negotiations that are now at a critical point, according to sources close to the discussions.
Stradley claims the Utilities Commission has been charged with giving the City Council a recommendation on FPL’s latest proposal, which includes a $26 million surcharge on the customers of Vero Electric. Despite Stradley’s claims to the contrary, no such directive has been given.
Stradley also claims the Utilities Commission is responsible with providing a forum where the public can become more knowledgable about the sale. Not only is Stradley confusing information with misinformation, he is wasting valuable time the Commission should instead be using to exploring ways of lowering electric rates.
Wilson and Stradley seem equally uninformed about the extent to which Vero Beach’s contractual obligations to the FMPA have yet to be adequately addressed by the transactional attorneys. The fact is that the City has four contracts with the FMPA that must be modified before the sale to FPL can go forward. Each member of the FMPA power projects in which Vero Beach is a participant must approve these contract changes. For more than two years, some have argued that addressing these contract changes and seeking the necessary approvals was the logical first step, and should not have been held to the end.
Under the direction of the previous City Council, the transactional attorneys took a different approach. Instead of doing first things first, they hastily cobbled together a purchase and sale agreement with many blanks and holes in it and then put the agreement, partial though it was, before voters. Asking for voter approval last March, long before the contract was fully negotiated, was so premature another referendum will undoubtedly be necessary.
Though he is reluctant to admit it, Stradley once told me he questions the wisdom of the City’s continued ownership and operation of utilities. Given that the Utilities Commission is chaired by an advocate of “limited government,” who seems more focused on divesting the City of its utilities than he is in working toward more efficient delivery of services, the City Council may have to appoint an ad-hock committee to develop credible strategies for lowering rates.
If Stradley is going to lead the members of Utility Commission in fulfilling the charge the City Council has given them to identify ways of lowering electric rates, he is going to have to clim down off his pro-sale soap box and accept that he has not been tasked with “informing” the public about the status of the negotiations. Further, if he is going to exercise the chairmanship responsibly, Stradley needs to stop letting the likes of Charlie Wilson use public comment time to stage political theatre.
See Also: Utilities Commission is getting ahead of itself
Editor’s Note: The following is the designated purpose of the Utilities Commission, as presented on the City’s official website.
The Utilities Commission shall provide recommendations and advice to the City Council on all matters related to the administration and operation of the City’s utilities, including finances and accounting; efficient and economic operations; maintenance; expansion and contraction of service areas; rates and fees, including taxes; improvements; and other matters specifically relating to the electric, water and sewer, and solid waste enterprise funds. The Commission may seek counsel with the City Manager and the other Charter Officers from time to time, as well as City department heads and employees as the Commission finds necessary. In performing its mission, the Commission shall initiate and provide its own proposals, recommendations, and alternatives to the City Council. In addition, the Commission shall also review and constructively critique all proposals from City staff, consultants, and the public and make its own independent recommendations on such proposals in order to provide the best and most complete information possible to the City Council. Any Commission member may request the City Clerk to coordinate with the Commission Chairman to place items on the Commission agenda and/or request a Commission meeting. Meetings may also be called by the City Council to review issues prior to City Council deliberations. The Utilities Commission shall meet at least once every quarter. The Commission is expressly charged with representing and considering all utility customers of the City in its activities, including City resident and non-resident customers alike. As long as the Town of Indian River Shores receives utility services from the City of Vero Beach under a franchise, at least one (1) member of the Utilities Commission shall be a resident of the Town of Indian River Shores.
Indian River Guardian 
When learning about the latest Charlie Wilson antics, it is difficult to decide if you should laugh or cry. His recent public performance are not reflective of a person who seems to want to generate interest in a second Chamber of Commerce. If I were a business trying to decide where to do business, I would not choose Vero Beach after witnessing the juvenile actions of Charlie Wilson.
Now that the pro sale group does not have a puppet city council they have to move down the ladder to the utilities commission where they still can pull the strings. What this pro sale group does not realize is that they are showing their desperation to hang on to this terrible deal for the city now that more facts are coming to light. Arrogance that they once displayed at city council is now turning off the voters in the City of Vero Beach.
It should be apparent to all by now that Scott Stradley is using his position as chairman of the utilities commission for goals far beyond what he and the commission were tasked to accomplish. By letting Charlie Wilson rant on and on Stradley has exposed his real intensions which have more to do with his and Wilson’s political agendas and desires. Both covet seats on the city council, this is no secret. Stradley is a failure as chairman and at the very least should be removed by his fellow members as chairman. Better still remove him from the commission for the good of the city and the sale. A “no “confidence vote should be taken ASAP and then remove him. Members could boycott meetings if he refuses to step down. The council person who appointed him to the commission shoulders the responsibility to remove him if all else fails. Charlie Wilson has once again “crossed the line” with his ill tempered rants ; this is becoming more common place with each meeting he attends. Just last week he picked up the necessary papers to run for city council which tells it all.
I don’t know Mr. Christopher, but it is unlikely Charlie Wilson’s accusations bothered him too much. Why? Because we DO know Charlie Wilson and his seemingly insane outbursts for what they are – drivel. It is a shame that Mr. Stradley cannot be removed from the position of chairman. One thing is certain – the behavior of Stradley and Wilson leaves no doubt of their purpose.
In my personal opinion, it is totally inappropriate to have volunteer members of a City Commission, Council Members or concerned citizens be deemed suspect for doing due diligence regarding civic issues whether before or subsequent to their appointment or election.
Accordingly, the City Council and Commissions should be advised by the Council to not tolerate such public personal references and censure those previously committed, as well as mandate such outbursts be not countenanced or replied to in the future.
Most of those who serve as elected officials or as volunteers, focus on the viability, sustainability and future of our City, and are not subservient to other agendas.
Dealing with those who are honorable, decent and trustworthy, adversaries can resolve ensnared and complex issues. Negotiating with the disingenuous, devious and deceitful is clearly of another dimension.