County nixes Economic Development Council idea

Tempers flared at the county courthouse annex April 7 after county commissioners split 3-2 in voting down a resolution to create an economic development council.

Commissioners Smokey Parrish, Bevin Putnal and Noah Lockley voted against the plan introduced by Commissioner Pinki Jackel after consultation with County Attorney Michael Shuler. Commissioner Cheryl Sanders supported the motion.

Jackel, Parrish and County Planner Alan Pierce all said the decision to torpedo an economic development council (EDC), after a vote two months ago in favor of the idea, came as a surprise.

"I expected the vote to be 4-to-1 in favor of the resolution," said Parrish.

Michael Moron, secretary to the board of county commissioners, initially announced the vote was three for the resolution and two against, but Lockley corrected him saying, "I am opposed too."

Sanders then angrily questioned the correctness of the procedure, apparently believing that Putnal and Lockley had changed their votes after Parrish opposed the motion.

"You can't do that," she told Putnal and Lockley.

Sanders asked Shuler what should be done.

"I don't know , I've never been in this situation," he said, before suggesting Moron poll the board. Sanders said she was in favor of the measure and Parrish, Putnal and Lockley all voted no.

"I don't need to be polled," said Jackel. "My opinion was clear."

It does not appear Lockley and Putnal changed their votes, although not everyone in the meeting room heard their first statements of opposition. Several witnesses said they heard Lockley and Putnal mutter votes shortly after Parrish, and then restate them more clearly when questions were raised.

Moron said that on the recording made of the hearing, both initial no votes are clearly audible, in addition to the votes stated louder a few moments later.

What was the EDC?

According to Jackel's resolution, the EDC would have been an advisory board to the commission regarding economic development programs, projects and issues. It would have made recommendations pertaining to new legislation, or changes to existing legislation, and would have been empowered to seek state, federal and foundation grant money or corporate donations to support its projects.

Outlined in the proposal are six strategies, which include assisting existing firms in staying competitive, advancing education opportunities to help the county's work force stay competitive, attracting new employers, encouraging new business formation, enhancing participation in revolving loan funds, and increasing assistance from the public and private sectors.

"Michael (Shuler) and I started with some basic ideas and we chose what we thought would fit in with what the board wanted," said Jackel, in a telephone interview April 10. "I knew from our discussions in the board meetings that they did not want a body with all of these powers. I said from the beginning that I wanted this to be a very inclusive board, a think tank of great ideas. I tried to be as inclusive as I could be but make it as open and simple as possible."

The EDC would have comprised between 18 and 25 citizens representing major organizations across the county. All representatives would have been county residents, and each commissioner would have chosen two representatives from his or her district.

Other groups represented on the board would have included Gulf Coast Community College, Gulf Coast Workforce, Weems Memorial Hospital, the cities of Carrabelle and Apalachicola, the county's Seafood Task Force and Seafood Workers Association, Tourism Development Council, both chambers of commerce, Board of Realtors, school board, Apalachicola Riverkeeper, Apalachee Regional Planning Counsel and the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development.

The EDC was to be chaired by a non-voting liaison from the commission, a position for which Jackel was chosen at the Feb. 3 commission meeting.

She said recommendations by the EDC would have been reviewed by a five-member executive subcommittee, composed of five of the district representatives chosen by commissioners. The subcommittee would have presented recommendations to the commission. All donated funds would have been spent only with prior approval from the commission.

Jackel voiced her anger and frustration in a statement released the afternoon of the meeting regarding what she termed "the bizarre events of today's undoing of exploring economic opportunities.

"Why would the final resolution of the EDC fail at this particular meeting?" she said. "Why denied today, when the previous vote to establish the council was unanimous? It is unimaginable to think that in these economic times commissioners would vote against something that could have helped people go back to work. Especially is this true for some of those 365 people that do not have jobs and find themselves at the brink, hoping for hope."

"There is no legitimate reason for the commission to deny the formation of an economic development council. Are commissioners more concerned about their own political agendas than they are the well-being of the entire county?" Jackel asked.

She declined to speculate whether last week's move meant an end to the creation of an EDC.

"Ask the three Commissioners who voted no," she said. "Then ask these same commissioners why Franklin County is the only county in the Apalachee Region without an EDC and one of a few in the entire state of Florida which does not have an economic development council."

No funds forthcoming for executive director

Although Jackel said the board supported her unanimously during earlier discussions of the EDC, Lockley was absent from the Jan. 20 meeting due to President Obama's inauguration and did not weigh in on the idea. It was at that meeting that the commission voted 4-0 to have Jackel and Shuler "pursue the formation of an Economic Development Council," following a motion by Jackel and seconded by Sanders.

There were some early signs the commission did not fully support the creation of an EDC.

During the Feb. 3 discussion, Parrish said he was in favor of economic development in the county but warned the county would have a lot of logistical battles to overcome before forming an EDC. He cited bad economic times and lack of infrastructure in the county as hindrances to economic development.

It was also at the February meeting that Jackel said she favored hiring an executive director to head the EDC, an idea that Parrish strongly opposed. Prior to Tuesday's vote, Jackel said there would not be funds for a director at this time but that funds might be available in the future.

The conflict over the director's position surfaced again after the proposal failed. "This was not about a job for nobody," said Sanders. "It was about what is good for all of the people of Franklin County."

Jackel said this week a "false rumor" that the EDC was being created to create a job for former State Rep. Will Kendrick contributed to the defeat.

"I believe whoever was not in favor of this circulated that rumor, that this was about Will Kendrick getting a job, and that's just not true," she said. "We don't have any county funding, there's no job to be had. It's all strictly volunteer.

"I certainly did not have anyone in mind. It would have been for whoever wanted to apply," Jackel said. "It really was advisory and there's wonderful checks and balances all along the way."

On April 7, when the EDC resolution was introduced for approval, Putnal said he did not trust committees, an opinion he repeated when Sanders questioned his no vote later.

In an interview after the Tuesday meeting, Parrish pointed out that while he had seen several drafts of the three-page EDC proposal, changes were made to it on Monday, the day before the meeting. He said that the mission statement had been removed and that he did not feel comfortable voting on the proposal with such a short time to review it, but added that he probably would have voted against it anyway.

When asked about the changes to the proposal, Jackel said she was unhappy with the mission statement and felt the EDC members should have the opportunity to write their own mission statement. She also said she did not believe any of the commissioners had reviewed the document before the morning of the meeting.