NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Despite pleas from citizens led by Bouchelle Island resident William Kolesczar for the immediate hiring of outside counsel to invalidate the longstanding waterfront lease of city-owned waterfront property with the Angler's Club, commissioners led by the mayor Tuesday night said at least one more meeting should be held.
That didn't sit right with Kolssczar who pointed out that "between Jan. 5 and tonight, there have been eight city commission meetings, including a secret meeting, with staff. It's time to bring this out in the open to the public." And Kolesczar also believed a public purpose requirement for such a lease was not being met.
Last month, NSBNEWS.net asked Mayor Sally Mackay and the commissioners to consider holding any meetings with the Angler's Club in public session, but instead, City Attorney Frank Gummey and Inerim City Manager Khalid Resheidat were authorized to meet privately with representatives of the Angler's Club. City Commissioner Lynne Plaskett also was authorized to attend so long as she did not speak during the private session.
At Tuesday night's meeting, Plakett said, "I'm still not very pleased with what I heard at that meeting."
No one from the Angler's Club spoke at Tuesday night's meeting nor has anyone from the organization publicly addressed the issue since January. And city elders, who say they know members of the organization, have not said any names, except that of Michael Brewer, an attorney, who also has not come before the commission.
City Commissioner Randy Richenberg said he remains concerned about the potential of discriminatory practices, both past and present by the private Angler's Club, which reportedly is comprised of dozens of white men and no women. He suggested the city could save money on outside by asking the American Civil Liberties Union to investigate. Decades ago, the Angler's Club charter included a clause that stated membership was only open to white men over the age of 21.
Plaskett said from what she was privy to at the private meeting she attended, "discrimination is not something they are going to address." She then added, an outside attorney should be retained to determine "is that lease valid or not."
Mayor Mackay said she believes an outside attorney needs to be hired, but she wants to hold another meeting where that issue is alone on the agenda and one of six prospective attorneys can be selected to go on a fact-finding mission. Te other commissioners, with the exception of James Hathaway agreed, though no meeting date was set. Hathaway reiterarated his stance that outside counsel is a waste of money.
""Hiring an attorney is a foolish expense," Hathaway said. "If we told the city attorney to terminate the lease, that is what he would do. If that is what you want, then let's do it."
But the mayor disagreed, saying, ""The taxpayers deserve a review from an outside counsel and this has not been done."