It's not rocket science.
Mayor Badley Bean has said RYAM building a bioethanol plant in the city is "a no brainer." Bean works at RYAM.
The decision on whether to issue RYAM any building permits rests solely with the next city manager -- not the city commission or city attorney.
The city will hire a city manager on Thursday. Among the four remaining finalists for the city manager position is Sarah Campbell, town manager of Orange Park. Campbell's husband is Congressman Aaron Bean's district director. Aaron Bean is the mayor's father.
If hired, Campbell would then be tasked to make the decision on whether to issue or deny RYAM's bioethanol building permit applications.
As city manager, Campbell and her husband's combined household income of more than $300,000 yearly will be dependent on the Bean father-son tandem.
City Attorney Tammi Bach is reassuring commissioners and the public that the city has a trump card to thwart RYAM. Fernandina Beach has an outside opinion from a land use expert that RYAM's bioethanol plant is not allowed under the city's Land Development Code. The key to the decision was the determination that "bioethanol is chemical manufacturing and processing" which is specifically prohibited in the LDC.
All of this is based on opinions.
At Tuesday night's city commission meeting, RYAM management showed up and told commissioners that bioethanol was not chemical manufacturing. They said they would argue that case before city planning and building department staff.
Under the Land Development Code, the city manager has sole authority to grant or deny RYAM's permit application even if the city attorney and city staff disagree. Again, the city commission has no say in the permit process. It will be based on the city manager's opinion.
Connect the dots, it's plain to see how Bean has the power to manipulate the outcome of the bioethanol issue.
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