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SOCIAL MEDIA AT CENTER OF CONTROVERSY

Evelyn Foxx, President, Alachua County Branch of NAACP (at podiuim) cals for the firing of Assistant City Manager of Archer, John Mayberr.

ARCHER – A relatively short agenda for Archer's first city commission meeting of 2015 ended up in a 2 1/2-hour. battle to get to and stay on agenda items. At every juncture, citizens brought up issues relating to firing the assistant city manager or questions as to the exact city process that had been used to make commission or city government decisions. In particular, realtor Laurie Costello stood up on each issue to condemn the city for their actions, which she characterized as irresponsible, not proper procedure, not transparent or just plain wrong.

The focus of much of the meeting surrounded comments made by Evelyn Foxx, President, Alachua County Branch of NAACP. Foxx addressed commissioners early in the evening to further her request for the City to fire Assistant City Manager John Mayberry for comments she deemed “racist” on Mayberry's personal social media site.

Foxx had made her initial request at the last commission meeting in 2014 and was back to see what the commission had decided.

She indicated that although she knew only the city manager could actually fire Mayberry, she also knew that City Manager Grieshaber served at the pleasure of the commission. She was hopeful that commissioners had directed Grieshaber to fire Mayberry. In addition, Foxx requested Mayberry publicly apologize to the citizens of Archer and remove the comments on his social media page.

Since Mayberry was sitting directly behind the podium as she spoke, it was clear he had not been fired, which dismayed Foxx and many of the citizens who were seated and overflowed into the commission lobby listening to the proceedings.

The large crowd appeared due to Foxx's invitation to a “mass meeting” of 50-60 people earlier in the evening at a local church. She confirmed later that many residents of Holly Hill subdivision showed up to that meeting. Several members of the press had also been invited. Approximately 15 minutes before the commission meeting was to begin, the group followed Foxx to City Hall.

The City was prepared with a statement after listening to Foxx's second request to dismiss Mayberry.

“The City of Archer stands with the NAACP to ensure political educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. Likewise, Archer stands with the NAACP to educate persons as to their constitutional rights and to take all lawful action to secure and allow the exercise of them.

“In the U.S. where we have the first amendment, the remedy for speech with which we disagree or find offensive is not censorship. The remedy instead is counter speech to add more speech to the marketplace of ideas. There is no democracy without words printed or uttered. Silence is the end of freedom.

“The U.S. Supreme Court noted that 'the fact that the society might find speech offensive is not a sufficient reason for suppressing it. Indeed, if it is the speaker’s opinion that gives offense, that consequence is a reason for according it constitutional protection.'”

City Attorney Scott Walker also was prepared with several cases indicating decisions that had been made by the courts in similar circumstances which supported Mayberry's right to free speech when he was expressing his personal opinion separate from the city government.

Foxx said she understood Mayberry had not broken any laws, but felt that Mayberry's social media comments showed his true feelings about African-Americans and others and may be responsible for why the residents of Holly Hills felt they were being neglected by the city. Foxx said later the Holly Hills residents commented to her that in earlier times, their part of town was not neglected, but that had now changed.

When asked why she did not accept the invitations by the City to sit down and talk about this after it was brought up at the 2014 meeting, she responded, “This is not 1963 where white men call in a few blacks behind closed doors and discuss things. Things need to be transparent. What are you going to talk about behind closed doors that you can't discuss in public?”

In a later interview, Foxx also pointed to comments made by Commissioner Fletcher Hope indicating he had not seen the City's statement until just before the meeting and he felt the comments reflected the opinion of Mayor Frank Ogdon. He said he personally agreed with the first paragraph of the statement, but not the rest.

Foxx said that statement by Commissioner Hope indicated to her there had been a meeting “out of the sunshine” if everyone else knew about the statement except Commissioner Hope.

Hearing that the city was not planning to fire Mayberry, Foxx left the podium indicating that the full force of the NAACP would be focused on the City of Archer. “We don't want to have another Ferguson,” she said. Later she said, “Commissioners are angry. Citizens are angry. When both sides are as angry as they are, there's no telling what might happen.”

In a later interview, Ogdon said, “I'm saddened by the statement by Ms. Foxx that we are going to have another Ferguson on our hands in Archer. Are we to expect violent unrest, looting, burning and total mayhem because we live in a city, state and country that protects Mr. Mayberry's right to free speech? Ms. Foxx said she realized Mr. Mayberry's action were not illegal, but she thought we should fire him anyway because his freedom of speech offended her and some others. I am sorry people are offended by Mr. Mayberry, but I am offended Ms. Foxx would threaten the City with another Ferguson-type response. I am also sorry Ms. Foxx did not choose to meet with city officials to help resolve this issue earlier, as the City requested, rather than further divide our community by her threats.”

In a subsequent interview, Foxx indicated she would have to talk to the NAACP's state conference president as to how to proceed. “If we have to do something drastic, it will be through the national organization. I am not going to stop just because they [the city] want[s] me to,” she said.

Foxx said a rally would be held on Monday, Jan. 19, at around 2 or 3 p.m., which will include a voter registration drive. “The only way that things change is through the ballot box,” she said. She said their focus would probably be on unregistered voters in the Holly Hills neighborhood, but details had not been worked out yet.

“The controversy that has been brought to our attention stems from postings, albeit insensitive to one or another, were expressions by an individual as are opinions of others that the postings were offensive,” commented Grieshaber. “Free speech is about fair debate and comment. It is not about censorship.”

He also confirmed that he and the city attorney are in the process of crafting a policy to address social media. Once it has been completed, it will be put before the commission for a vote. If it is approved, it will be added to the City of Archer Personnel Policy and Employee Handbook.

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ALACHUA – The annual Cleather Hathcock Community Center Senior Fashion Show was held Saturday, Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. at Mebane Middle School Auditorium. Wal-Mart Distribution Center and the City of Alachua donated Christmas gifts to give out to seniors, children and other members of the audience.

Bill Rodgers entertained with contemporary jazz music while Wilma Rodgers emceed the colorful event on stage. The State of Florida recognized the dancing group from the community center Cha’s Cha’s. The senior dancers performed three numbers while Alachua Police Department Major Assistant Chief Chad Scott and community center volunteers Rose Brown and Retha Peterson gave out the gifts to the adults and children.

Over 20 seniors took to the runway on stage under the lights escorted by area residents. Damon Messina and Sam Markowitz from the City of Alachua Recreation Department along with the City Manager Traci Cain and Mayor Gib Coerper welcome the audience and the fashion show participants.

City of Alachua Commissioner Shirley Green Brown participated on stage with the ladies and men and was a highlight of the Fashion Show.

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HIGH SPRINGS – Michael Allen Stinnett, 419 S.E. Happy Valley Glen, High Springs, was arrested on Dec. 26 following a high-speed rampage through High Springs and into Columbia County. Multiple calls to the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) alerted authorities that a vehicle was traveling recklessly through the city and was running vehicles off of the road with speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Officer Ethan Presnell was able to catch up to the vehicle in the vicinity of Winn Dixie and NW U.S. Hwy. 441 and signaled the driver to stop with the officer's emergency lights flashing and siren sounding. The suspect vehicle increased speed. The driver refused to stop and continued northbound on U.S. 441 into Columbia County as HSPD backup units were en route.

After approximately another two miles, the suspect vehicle came to a sudden halt when faced with heavy traffic. Backup officers were on the scene by this time as the driver was ordered out of the vehicle. The driver was identified by his driver's license as 47-year-old Michael Alan Stinnett.

Officers determined Stinnett was intoxicated and he was arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Felony Fleeing and Eluding Law Enforcement Officers. Although HSPD made the arrest, Stinnett was taken to Columbia County Jail because the arrest was made in Columbia County.

“Suspects are usually jailed in the county where they are arrested,” said HSPD Acting Chief Antoine Sheppard. “Procedurally, we will file charges against the suspect in Alachua County and Columbia County will drop their charges so the suspect can be tried in our county since we actually made the arrest,” he said.

Sheppard was quick to point out that citizens who called HSPD about the driver helped the department get the suspect off of the streets before he hurt himself or others.

“Those calls led to our ability to respond quickly to the problem,” said Sheppard. “Our citizens are a valuable asset to this city.”

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HIGH SPRINGS – The High Springs Police Department (HSPD) took possession of five fully-equipped police vehicles from the City of Waldo on Dec. 10. The total cost for all five vehicles was $38,000. The purchase was announced by Acting Police Chief Antoine Sheppard during the Dec. 11 High Springs City Commission meeting.

Prior to this purchase, HSPD had been limping along with vehicles that were in constant need of repair or were in the shop waiting to be repaired. While money was budgeted last year to do some of the repairs, the vehicles were so extensively used that maintaining them had become a costly balancing act.

At the end of the last fiscal year, HSPD had saved enough money from their budget to be able to buy one sorely needed new vehicle.

Commissioners had budgeted funds to buy another new vehicle in this fiscal year's budget, which began Oct. 1. Instead of buying one new car, those budgeted funds were used to buy the five used Waldo Police Department vehicles.

Since HSPD's vehicles were used non-stop shift-after-shift, often for 24-48 hours straight, their mileage was high and the cars wore out faster, said Sheppard.

“Their [Waldo's] used cars are in much better condition than ours,” he said. “They had 12 cars for five to six officers and each officer had his own car, which was taken home at the end of the shift instead of being used by the next shift. That helped keep each car's mileage down,” he said.

Sheppard bought two 2010 Ford Crown Victorias at $7,000 and $8,000; one 2008 Crown Victoria at $5,000; a 2007 Chevy Tahoe at $6,000; and a second 2009 Chevy Tahoe in near perfect condition at $12,000.

Before making his choice, Sheppard reviewed the maintenance records of each vehicle and found they were consistently well maintained by the dealership.

“The equipment included in the cars was excellent,” said Sheppard. “It would have cost us an average of $15,000 - $20,000 to equip the cars. There is high level radar in these cars, which would have cost around $3,000. They also have front and rear antennas. We now have a camera in every car,” he said.

The small city of Waldo was able to purchase some of these cars and much of the high-quality equipment they owned through grants and competitions with other policing agencies of comparable size, explained Sheppard. “Chief Szabo wrote grants for whatever equipment was needed. In addition, the Waldo Police Department would compete in ‘Click It or Ticket’ competitions where they would do quite well. Through those competitions, the winning departments were able to obtain more and better equipment for their city,” said Sheppard.

The cars cannot be sold to the public with all of the included equipment. The cost of removing all of the police equipment in order to sell the cars to the public makes it prohibitive. Instead, the remaining vehicles can be purchased by other police agencies, including the sheriff's department, at reasonable prices.

“We will be taking some vehicles offline because of this new purchase,” said Sheppard. All are Crown Victorias. A 2002 with between 170,000-180,000 miles will be retired. A 2004 with transmission issues and a 2003 with engine problems will also be removed from the fleet.

HSPD has recently hired two new police officers and will have a total of 14 when the newly hired police chief comes on board later this month.

The fleet will be left with 16 usable vehicles, 14 of which will be used by the officers. The nearly perfect 2009 Chevy Tahoe is earmarked for the new chief of police. One will be used for reserve officers, whenever one of them is on duty, and one will be a spare car for use when a car is being serviced or repaired.

The current contract agreement between the police union and the city allows the officers to take their vehicles home with them at the end of their shift.

“The city is delighted Chief Sheppard was able to negotiate the purchase of these cars for our police department,” said High Springs City Manager Ed Booth. “We think this is a win-win for both High Springs and Waldo.”

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HIGH SPRINGS – A stolen Chevy Trailblazer and a car load of food, electronics and fire arms, which had been purchased using stolen credit cards, were recovered by the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) following a traffic stop on Jan. 6.

The 34-year-old driver, James D. Uyanna, 240 Park Hill Ave., Staten Island, New York, was pulled over by HSPD Officer Ethan Presnell for exceeding the speed limit in a school zone. Uyanna initially pulled over but sped off at a high rate as Officer Presnell got out of his car to approach the vehicle. Officers pursued a short distance. Uyanna stopped the vehicle, jumped out and fled on foot in the vicinity of CVS Pharmacy, located at 220 NW. Santa Fe Blvd. Officers gave chase on foot a short distance and Uyanna was apprehended by Presnell using a Taser.

The vehicle, which had been stolen in North Carolina, contained several different vehicle plates, which had also been reported as stolen, and the screwdriver that was apparently use to change them.

“The suspect was released just before the holidays after serving time for breaking into a vehicle and stealing credit cards in North Carolina,” said HSPD Acting Chief Antoine Sheppard.

Uyanna was booked at the Alachua County Jail on multiple charges, which included Petit Theft (second offense), Grand Theft, Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Weapon by a Felon, Possession of Not More than 20 Grams of Marijuana, Resisting an Officer Without Violence, Fleeing/Eluding a Police Order to Stop, Driving on a Permanently Revoked Driver's License, Grand Theft of a Firearm and Larceny of Credit Cards.

No bail had been set as of press time.

Sheppard stressed that even in small towns where people feel more comfortable, vehicles and homes should be secured to deter a quick grab by someone passing by. “Valuables should be concealed or taken with you when you're shopping and running errands,” he said. “Firearms, purses and small items easy for a thief to conceal are targets for theft, as well as shopping bags and packages.”

Uyanna had a number of stolen electronics and stolen groceries in his vehicle. As HSPD was unable to verify ownership of the stolen groceries, they were photographed and then donated to a local ministry with the approval of the State Attorney's Office.

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HIGH SPRINGS – While High Springs City Manager Ed Booth has been acting in the capacity of Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Executive Director for more than a year, he says he is “delighted” to now turn over the day-to-day administrative duties. Amanda Rodriguez joined the staff on Dec. 8 and was introduced to the public formally at the Dec. 11 City Commission meeting.

The mother of three is approximately half-way through a Masters Degree program in Public Administration at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myer where she has maintained a 4.0 GPA. She is married to Sammy Rodriguez, the Director of Food Services at Camp Kulaqua for the past five years, and mother to two daughters, ages 10 and 13, and her 8-year-old son.

Much of her experience has been in marketing development and public relations for Sung Adventist Academy and as Community Development Coordinator for Partnership for Strong Families, both located in Gainesville. While she and her family currently live in Gainesville, they are actively looking for a home in the High Springs area. “I look forward to both my husband and I working in the same city,” she said.

In her previous positions Rodriguez has written and managed grants, created marketing materials, newsletters, brochures, etc. and directed development of commercials and information videos. She has also been a fundraiser and event organizer.

When she applied for the position, Rodriguez was looking for a challenge. “I was intrigued by the fact that I would be starting at the ground floor at a time when there are a lot of changes being made. I am really excited that I will be in a position to help the CRA District's property owners to determine how they want to develop their district and to assist them in achieving their goals,” she said.

“One of Rodriguez' initial duties will be to review the CRA District's residential and business facade grant applications and make recommendations for improvements,” said former CRA Board Chair and current High Springs Mayor, Sue Weller. “She will also create a checklist for people applying for those grants to help streamline the application process.”

She is reviewing the CRA Board's goals for the next two years and starting to gather information and materials to help the Board achieve those goals.

Rodriguez is also expected to meet individually with CRA District property owners and create a database to facilitate efficient communication with them. She is to develop materials to explain what the CRA District is and what programs are available to aid property owners within the District. She is also expected to develop a CRA website, which will include the different projects underway and/or projects and support are available to District property owners.

Rodriguez says she will be organizing community meetings and working directly with Alachua County as a liaison to develop a plan for the CRA District for the next 10 years. The plan will include grants for property owners within the District, she says. Upon the plan's completion and approval by Alachua County and the City of High Springs, Rodriguez says, “It will be implemented for the 2016/2017 fiscal year.

This is a tall order for a full-time Executive Director, but Rodriguez is part-time at 20 hours a week with a salary of $25,000 per year. Rodriguez says, “My door is always open. I welcome any ideas for improving the District that anyone would want to share.”

Her office hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., and by appointment. The CRA office is located in the same building as the High Springs Building Department, 245 NW 2^nd St., Unit 2. She can be reached by telephone at 386-292-3921.

Getting back to the topic of her education, Rodriguez volunteered that it is “very likely I will use High Springs and the CRA as part of my Master's thesis.”

"I am really excited about the opportunity to help High Springs develop their Downtown District," said Rodriguez. "I think it's going to be fun."

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