The Miami Lakes Charter Revision Commission began its work on Jan. 8.
The commission convenes every 10 years to review the charter and creates a list of changes that may be presented to voters.
The agenda that night included the preamble and first articles. The town’s council-manager form of government drew much of the discussion.
Commissioner David Bennett proposed that the town manager run for election rather than being hired by the council.
“We would morph the town manager’s position to more of a controller or comptroller,” Bennett said. “The only difference would be is the manager is directly elected to the position [by voters]. … It allows for the town manager to be removed from the politics of the town.”
Deputy Town Attorney Lorenzo Cobiella said that he had never heard of that form of government in South Florida.
Describing the strong mayor role that will be further discussed at the next meeting, Cobiella said that position is “not necessarily beholden to a council,” and would run a municipality’s day-to-day operations without voting on items.
“In my personal opinion, I think just because a person is elected it doesn’t pull the politics out of anything,” Commission Chair Javier Ley-Soto said. “It actually makes it more of politics because you’re asking him to respond to everybody in the community and in the electoral process.”
Ley-Soto also said he didn’t believe a town manager is pressured, or that they’d knowingly do anything illegal and there were safeguards such as state attorney’s offices or inspector generals.
He added that if Bennett is seeking a strong mayor discussion, it can happen at the next meeting. Commissioner Tony Fernandez said he also wanted to have that discussion.
The commission agreed that proposed charter changes will not be formalized for a ballot until the final meetings are held in the spring.
They’ll next meet at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 in Town Hall, 6601 Main St.
The Charter Revision Commission met Jan. 8 at Miami Lakes Town Hall.
Shown from left: Members David Bennett, Hector Abad and Tony Fernandez; Vice Chair Ramiro Inguanzo; Councilman Juan Carlos Fernandez, a non-voting member; Chair Javier Ley-Soto; Members Marilyn Ruano and Lynn Matos; Deputy Town Attorney Lorenzo Cobiella; Town Manager Edward Pidermann and Town Clerk Gina Inguanzo.