Link sworn in as new councilmember, Safford named vice chair
Rebecca Link took her seat on Monday as the newest Town of Fort Myers Beach councilmember following the Nov. 4 election in which Councilmember Karen Woodson was recalled.
Link was the highest vote-getter in the recall election in which voters elected to recall Councilman John King and Woodson. The vote to recall King has been stayed by a county judge pending an appellate court ruling on a challenge from former Councilman Bill Veach to the decision from the court to invalidate King’s recall petitions.
If an appellate court were to overturn the ruling, Tom Brady would be in line to replace King as the next-highest vote getter.
Fort Myers Beach Councilman Jim Atterholt preemptively said he would not accept another nomination to be vice mayor after three years of serving in that capacity.
“I always like to reduce the drama and create a nice and smooth transition for everyone,” Atterholt said at a council meeting last month in which he stated he would not serve another term as vice mayor.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers moved to appoint Scott Safford as the town’s next vice mayor, which was unanimously approved.
Atterholt said “it’s just time to pass the baton and give somebody else time to serve in that position.”
Allers was unanimously reappointed as mayor.
Johnson challenges King, Woodson issues farewell statement
At Monday’s meeting, town resident Steve Johnson said it was “not fair” for King to remain in his seat on a technicality after 63% of voters had elected to recall King.
Under an order from Lee County Judge Kyle Cohen, King can remain in his seat unless an appellate court overturns Cohen’s decision to invalidate the recall petitions for King’s seat.
“I think the people have spoken,” Johnson said. “”I don’t think it’s fair really that you continue to sit in the seat and to represent the electorate. I think they have come out in a landslide and a mandate to suggest otherwise.”
Johnson said “it’s not our homegrown democracy in action” and called it “an injustice” for King to remain in office.
Johnson also criticized King for voting against setting the qualifying period for candidates to run in the recall election (which was ultimately bypassed after Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle set the dates) and for the establishment of a political action committee that supported King’s candidacy.
In response, King issued a statement saying
“People can pretty much say what they want during public comment. However they embarrass themselves when they try to pontificate on things they know nothing about. The judge throwing out the recall petition against me is not a “technicality”, It’s the law! It appears the committee went one lie too far. If the wheels of justice didn’t move so slowly I would not have been on the ballot. The ruling came four months after our initial filing. As to the PAC statement, if he’d have checked with the Supervisor of Elections that was the only way we were allowed to accept contributions as we were not candidates. Finally, regarding my conflict of interest on voting against setting the candidate qualifying period. The Town Attorney stated it was up to me whether it was a conflict. The Supervisor of Elections is under contract to run Fort Myers Beach elections. The Supervisor of Elections had the ability all along to set the candidate qualifying period homes and did so the next day. That qualifying period was actually longer than the shortened schedule we were provided,” King said.
Woodson abstained from a vote on Monday certifying the results of the recall election. King voted with the majority of the town council to accept the results.
In a prepared statement on Monday, Woodson called the recall process “ill-founded.”
Woodson said “this recalls as rooted in misinformation and political opportunism but we meant it with integrity, facts and hope. I am proud of that.”
King and Woodson faced allegations that they violated the Sunshine Law and aspects of the town charter, all of which they denied. King and Woodson have filed a defamation suit against Veach and former Mayor Ray Murphy over the allegations in the recall.
In other business, Town of Fort Myers Beach McKannay announced a joint meeting will be held with the Local Planning Agency and town council meeting Nov. 25 at 9 a.m. to discuss updating the comprehensive plan.