Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn's compromised vision of the police civilian review board, revealed this week to be a 5-4 split in appointees between the Mayor and City Council with Buckhorn also naming two alternates, was approved by City Council late Thursday evening with a 5-2 vote.
The compromise caps a summer-long of debate and a conspicuous divide arising between the city's executive and legislative branches.
Council Chair Frank Reddick and Councilwoman Yvonne "Yolie" Capin were the two dissenting votes, citing concerns with the council's inability for each member to have an appointee to the board under Buckorn's vision as the major roadblock.
“My position has always been that each member of this council should have the ability to appoint one person,” said Reddick before the vote. “I thought a compromise would be to expand an 11-member board to a 15-member board, with each member of council appointing one member and the Mayor appointing eight ... I will continue to maintain that position. If we pose anything here tonight that don't give each member an opportunity to appoint, I will not support it.”
Capin's counter proposal of a 13-member review board, with the council having seven appointees to the mayor's six and control of two alternates, gained little traction.
“The problem I have with council having more members appointed than the mayor is that the mayor also is elected just like we are,” said Councilman Mike Suarez explaining his support. "I think that we should give some fairness to that aspect of it. We are not the only elected board and we are not the only elected officials that represent this city.”
Other members pointed to the council's ability to have regular oversight checks on the board and the necessity to have something to start the process of a police review among its reasons for accepting the compromise.
The public opposition that has been a constant during council meetings on was loud and clear on the mayor's new proposal. More than 20 speakers urged the council to vote it down.
“This ordinance is exactly the same thing as the Mayor's executive order,” said Laila Abdelaziz of the Council on America-Islamic Relations Florida. “If we were happy with the executive order, we would not have been coming to council for the past several weeks, for the past several months. What you have in front of you is exactly what the Mayor created. It is exactly what the community is telling you they do not want.”
Others insinuated the council's support for the mayor's board will taint their future political endeavors.
“Many of you have aspirations of running for mayor, some of you would like to go to the Senate,” said community advocate Michelle B. Patty. “But the community will not have a short remembrance when you come back asking us to vote for you for whatever office you choose. We will remember that you were cowards, that you did not stand up to the mayor, you did not do your due diligence as legislators to do your job. So why in the world would we vote for you in any other office when you can't do this one?”
