Yes? No? Maybe? Riviera council members spar on who should be city's new council chair
The Riviera Beach City Council on Wednesday will consider yet again who should chair its meetings, a role that's usually held for a year.
On March 20, Glen Spiritis was elected chairman by his new colleagues on the council — much to his surprise. Not even an hour had passed since he had been sworn in as the council's newest member when he was handed the gavel, a fall-back choice after the fractious five-person council failed to back any of the three members who nominated themselves for the position.
Two days later, however, one of those council members — former chairman Douglas Lawson — wanted the government equivalent of takesies-backsies.
"While he's a well-accomplished previous city manager and has been involved in New York politics for over 30 years, I want to offer him the grace required to familiarize yourself with the responsibilities of being a council member of Riviera Beach," Lawson said of Spiritis. "In hindsight, I realize I rushed to appoint a new board chair without considering Mr. Spiritis' inexperience. It may not have been the best course of action."
The ensuing debate, which took place during a March 22 special meeting many believed had been called to begin the process of firing City Manager Jonathan Evans for a second time, was a baptism by fire for Spiritis in the acrimony that has typified the council. It also underscored the tenuous hold Evans has on his position, despite the long list of infrastructure projects the city has moved forward on after years of inaction.
Lawson and another council member, Tradrick McCoy, sniped at each other, an echo of the physical altercation the men had after a meeting in January.
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The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office determined that there was probable cause to seek a charge of simple battery against each man but declined to move forward after both decided not to pursue that course.
That doesn't mean they're on each other's Christmas card list.
McCoy, who has long questioned Evans' pay and actions as manager, sought the special meeting to call attention to what he described as problems with the city's bid solicitation process. Those problems, he argued, are illustrative of a city administration that doesn't have its act together.
A previous council fired Evans in 2017 after he had been on the job for only seven months. Two years later, a new board re-hired Evans, who, in recent years, had the backing of council members KaShamba Miller-Anderson, Julia Botel and Shirley Lanier.
Botel, however, was unable to mount a bid for re-election after an appellate court determined she did not follow state law in becoming a qualified candidate. That left the seat to Spiritis, a former city manager in Long Beach, N.Y., who now works as a developer of affordable housing.
Where does the council now stand with a new chairman?
Spiritis has not said if he wants Evans replaced. His backing could be key for Evans, particularly if Lawson decides the city needs a new manager.
Lawson was sharply critical of Evans for an absence of security on the night of the physical altercation. He has also blasted Evans for failing to keep the board informed about ongoing issues with the city's drinking water.
The votes of Spiritis, Lawson and McCoy would be enough to fire Evans a second time.
After McCoy moved to have that March 22 special meeting called, many of Evans' supporters thought his firing could be imminent.
Botel was among the city residents who pointed out the many projects underway during Evans' tenure in urging council members not to fire him.
After McCoy laid out his complaints, the council took no action. Indeed, several council members questioned whether the special meeting was necessary.
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But with the meeting hastily scheduled, Lawson decided to add another item for discussion — whether the council should reconsider having Spiritis as chairman.
Spiritis and McCoy said Robert's Rules of Order, the ground rules that govern city meetings, do not permit a reconsideration. City Attorney Dawn Wynn, however, said the city's charter spells out that council chairs serve at the pleasure of the council, meaning a majority of its members could change the chair.
Wynn did advise that the council wait until a regularly scheduled meeting to consider such a change.
Lawson said he was OK with that.
McCoy, however, argued for getting on with the decision, likening Lawson to a drum major who always wants to be out front.
"Mr. Lawson, this isn't about anybody else but your desire," McCoy said in personal terms that are atypical for council discussion in other cities but not in Riviera Beach. "Doug Lawson, I think you should just be direct and say you don't want him to be the chair. You can disguise it any way you like, but this is glad-handling at its best. Let's go ahead and cut this short and save everyone else the rest of the evening."
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Lawson fired back.
"This is a special meeting," he said. "If my attorney is saying wait until the meeting in April at our first regular meeting, I have no problem with that. I'm not going to rush the process, and I'm not going to bully anyone as you're trying to do tonight, councilman."
McCoy, whose colleagues have sought his suspension or removal by Gov. Ron DeSantis, responded: "It doesn't matter. Shows how much you don't know, Mr. Lawson."
Before temperatures could rise higher, Lanier moved to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded and approved, sending council members on their separate ways.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lawson, McCoy spar as Riviera Beach considers chairmanship position
