COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
During recent budget workshops, the Vero Beach City Council failed to muster the political will to address the city’s artificially low tax rate and its unhealthy dependence on utility revenue.
The resolve of the City Council withered further yesterday in the face of criticism from three court jesters who regularly hijack public meetings for their own selfish purposes.
A proposal to follow the same practice as the Indian River County Commission, the Indian River Shores Town Council and the Sebastian City Council by moving general public comment later in the agenda collapsed after regular performers and attention seekers Joseph Guffanti, Mark Mucher and Charlie Wilson complained that the move was a plot to stifle criticism.
“Well, here they go trying to stifle public comment,” Mucher said.
Mucher is a member of the City’s Planning and Zoning Board.
“I am the ‘blatherer’ that this is aimed at,” Wilson said, “and I can tell you that whether you put it (general public comment) at the beginning or the end, I’m going to be here to say what I have to say because it is important.”
“I know I can be incredibly annoying,” Wilson added.
In addition to objecting to the proposal to move general public comment after the business portion of the meeting, Guffanti said he was opposed to any time limit on public comment.
Among council members, Craig Fletcher objected the strongest to changing the order of the agenda. Sounding more like a populist that the autocrat he really is, Fletcher claimed that as mayor he did not impost any time limit on public comment.
Ironically, though, Fletcher also said that as mayor he had a red light installed on the podium so that he could signal speakers when their time was up. Fletcher also reminded Mayor Richard Winger how to turn off the podium microphone to prevent speakers from being heard.
That several council members seem far more concerned with winning reelection that with doing the right thing for the public is increasing disappointing.
See: First things first: It is time to move public comment later on City Council agenda
See: That dog just can’t get enough attention
Indian River Guardian 
When Philip Katrovitz started yesterday’s meeting with a Humanist invocation, he ended it with “In gratitude and in love, in reason and in compassion, may we work together for a better Vero Beach.” He also said “…let us cherish and celebrate our shared humanness, our shared capacity for reason and compassion, our shared love for the people of our City…” Obviously, no one listens to the words spoken before the beginning of these meetings. It saddens me that no one has the guts to stand up to the bullies who constantly lash out at any and all attempts to resolve issues. And Councilman Fletcher seems to have forgotten how he handled long-winded speakers. Maybe someone should make him watch a few hours of meetings from HIS reign as Mayor.
Perhaps it is time for the COVB to consider that public comment must first be presented in writing to Tammy Vock. Then if the comment submitted is deemed to have relevance to business before the COVB that the person seeking the lime light will get their 15 minutes of fame.