Voters in South Miami will two charter amendments on their ballots that could be more important to the future of the small city than the presidential or Miami-Dade mayoral elections. That’s because it could change not only future development projects but also the election of all future electeds.
If approved, one of the charter changes will move the election date from February to November, to be held with the general election (like many municipalities). This has been debated for a long time as way to get more voters engaged and increase turnout. Coral Gables should follow suit.
It would also save the city money because they can piggy back on the state elections ever even year, starting in 2022. Of course, this also means that Mayor Sally Philips and Commissioners Luis Gil and Walter Harris would get an extra nine months tacked on to the end of their term in 2022 because they would serve until November instead of February.
The last two elections saw 28% turnout, according to the Miami-Dade County Elections Department. Of the 7,838 registered voters, only 2,175 voted this February. Philips won with 33% (there are no runoffs) and a 243 vote difference. A whole 739 people voted for her.
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That’s more than Commissioner Gil. He was elected in 2018 by 605 voters, 168 more than the next candidate. Five more people voted for Levy Kelly in February, but he lost to Commissioner Josh “Phone It In” Liebman.
This question is an obvious yes. It is worth keeping Phillips in another nine months to have future elections that will engage residents more and increase voter participation.
The second question is a little more complicated. This charter amendment would change the voting requirements to make citywide land use and development regulations less restrictive from a unanimous 5 out of 5votes to a super majority of 4 out of 5.
What brought this to the ballot? What is wrong with unanimous consent? Especially when it comes to waiving development land use and zoning rules? It’s not like there’s 13 of them, like at the county. There are five. If a developer can’t get five people to agree, should it be allowed?
Commissioner Liebman — elected by a whopping 1,136 voters — thinks so. He sponsored the charter change because he says it’s undemocratic to let one person basically hold a project hostage. He compared it to a veto power that cannot be overridden.
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But the real question is what recent project didn’t pass on a narrow vote?
There have been controversial development projects brought lately, including the redevelopment of Sunset Place and the Winn-Dixie property. Residents who are against this change — and Commissioner Harris — worry that losing the majority vote will bring unwanted development to the city.
Maybe voters should split the difference. Approve the change of the election date and wait to change the development requirements after the mayor and commissioners are put in the position to approve projects by more than a few hundred people.
Two ballot questions for South Miami voters could change the city’s future added by Ladra on
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