Vote ‘yes’ on the charter amendment about appointment of City of Tampa department heads

City council has moved to clarify language about mayoral appointments for department heads. Tampa voters would likely not be talking about this charter change if Mayor Jane Castor’s police chief search and selection weren’t done in secret—or ended with the selection of an unpopular selection who flamed out in less than a year.

The change would mean that any interim department head could only be vacant 180 days. Opponents say that it places an unfair timeline on the mayor. But we’ve all seen council approve extensions for department head residency requirements—and we don’t doubt that the body could find a way to give a mayor more time to find a department head if they needed one.

There’s nothing wrong with making the mayor work a little harder. Vote yes on the charter amendment about appointment of City of Tampa department heads.

See the ballot language below.

Amendment to Tampa Charter Section 6.03 Regarding the Appointment of City Department Heads

Shall the amendment to section 6.03 of the Tampa Charter, providing the mayor’s nominations for heads of departments and other city employees as set out in section 6.03, must be approved by four votes of the city council and providing for interim appointments of existing city employees by the mayor for a maximum of 180 days, as set out and proposed by City of Tampa Ordinance No. 2023-2, be ratified and approved:

See all of CL’s endorsements and charter amendment recommendations here.

This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2023.