Ms. Beth Sweeny was hired tonight (February 28, 2022) by 3-1 vote over the other finalist, lawyer Virginia Morgan, as the temporary new St. Augustine Beach Commissioner, to serve until the November election.
She was then given an agenda book for her first meeting, which is next Monday, March 7.
There was a field of seven applicants, all thoughtful and qualified.
On her best behavior, ex-Mayor, Angry ANDREA SAMUELS received only one (1) vote and was eliminated from further consideration. SAMUELS was endorsed in a letter signed by disgraced former Mayors RICHARD BURTT O'BRIEN, who resigned under a cloud. SAMUELS was also endorsed by my friend, former St Augustine Beach Mayor Sherman Gary Snodgrass.
St. Augustine Beach Commissioner Undine Celeste Pawlowski George asked SAMUELS labor-baiting free speech hating ways. SAMUELS orchestrated a 3-2 vote to fire some seventeen SABPD police officers in retaliation for their First Amendment and whistleblower protected activity.
Triggered, ex-Mayor SAMUELS brandished animus (or "aminus" as Jeremiah Blocker would mispronounce it). SAMUELS said the eleven courageous SABPD police officers broke "the chain of command." She said, "That was a long time ago. Sometimes I think we should look into the future and not the past."
The officers, members of a union at the time, were strung along for 2.5 years without the City agreeing to a collective bargaining agreement. City officials had long falsely told that they could not complain about anything to City Commissioners.
So they rightly reported then Chief Hedges to FDLE.
Commissioners withdrew the 2012 firing vote after public outrage at SAMUELS' retaliation.
I informed Commissioner Sherman Gary Snodgrass that Commissioners would be held by federal courts to have showed illegal animus toward First Amendment protected activity and would lose lawsuits if the officers filed First Amendment lawsuits. Commissioner Snodgrass was a former Human Resources executive for U.S. Gypsum and Excelon (formerly Commonwealth Edison of Chicago), serving on Excleon's board of directors. He was the switch in time that saved some 17 jobs.
Voters had damn good reasons when.they rightly defeated SAMUELS in 2016, electing Maggie Kostka.
The City of St. Augutine Beach does this process of filling Commission vacancies so much better than the Governor of Florida or the City of St. Augustine!
When St, Augustine's beloved three-time elected Mayor Nancy Shaver resigned after suffering a stroke, the Establishment wanted "their" city back. City Manager John Patrick Regan & Co.orchestrated a coup.
On March 4, 2019, the other twin itty-bitty city, the City of St. Augustine committed a sin a crime and a tort.
It inflicted on its citizens the "triple-crown of lawbreaking" when it duked in local law firm scion TRACY WILSON UPCHURCH, a third generation state legislator, as Mayor Ad Interim, violating the First Amendment, Open Records and Sunshine laws (F.S. 119 and F.S. 286), with Assistant City Attorney John Cary falsely stating that no current Commissioner could apply for the job because of the resign-to-run law, while refusing to reveal the names of candidates who applied until after closing public comment.
Kudos to St, Augustine Beach Mayor Donald Samora and the Commission for getting it right, once again. I favor "open covenants openly arrived at, in the words of President Woodrow Wilson .