The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 243

SE3 The Orlando Sentinel, Thursday, November 1 1 990 1-15 Voters to decide about hiring manager for city 1 (-ijtK By Ines Davis Parrish OF THE SENTINEL STAFF EATONVILLE It's a safe bet that the political squabbling in this town won't end no matter what voters say about a proposed charter amendment that would strip the mayor of her power. Voters will decide Tuesday if they want to amend the charter to create a council-manager government and add a seventh member to the council. If approved, Mayor Ada Sims would become the town's ceremonial leader but no longer would have authority to run the town. Some residents, such as former mayor Abraham Gordon, question the soundness of the amendment because it was developed "during an emotionally traumatic time. No doubt, the political upheaval provided some of the motivation for this proposal." Sims and four council members have been locked in a power struggle over town policy and procedures and have gone to court, with a January trial scheduled to resolve some of their differences.

In addition, a group of residents has launched a recall effort against the mayor. If voters turn down the amendment, the old charter which most agree is outdated, vague and the source of a lot of the town's problems will stand and Sims will remain in power. With that scenario, it's likely the fights between Sims and council members will continue until the trial or until the recall issue is resolved. If the charter wins, some critics of Sims say she will fight the results in court. Sims had no comment.

Charter review committee member Mary Rainey said she fears people don't understand how a council-manager government would work and the amendment will fail because of those misunderstandings. Another resident said an informal campaign of misinformation is under way that "puts the needs of the town second to the needs of one elected official." Maye John-son-St. Julien wouldn't say if she thought Sims was leading the anti-charter amendment drive. Gordon agreed that too few people truly understand the proposal. But he has reservations about the timing of the amendment.

He said a town manager is a good idea, but the town is not politically or economically sound enough to do it right. Sims, who once favored a council-manager government, has said the system would be too political. She hasn't elaborated on why she changed her mind. Sims' critics, including Rainey, said Sims just doesn't want to be stripped of her power now that she's in the mayor's seat. And already there are rumblings that a legal challenge to the charter amendment may be filed because procedure wasn't followed.

A lot of people have heard the rumors, including the mayor and her lawyer, Andrew Thomas. Thomas said people have talked with him, but nothing definite has come of it. Sims would only say she's heard there are questions but she's not involved. Some members of the charter review committee are certain this is another political ploy because they made sure they did everything by the book. They even went so far as to have four, instead of the required two, public hearings for the ordinance to create the referendum.

Thomas said even if the referendum is quashed, a challenge still could be filed after the election. The proposal that voters will decide on is whether the town should hire a town manager who would handle all the day-to-day affairs. A seventh council member would be added and the mayor would remain a voting member of the council. A town manager, the committee said, would be able to handle the demands of the town and the increasing complexities of state laws that affect municipalities. The council would hire and fire the manager, who would recommend policy to the council based on research and staff recommendations.

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