Archconservative News-Leader Columnist Steve Nicklas is advocating a harebrained idea -- let's throw out professional city management experts and instead turn the reins of our intricate city to a local businessman or businesswoman.
Nicklas espouses the belief that if you can run a successful business, why hell yes, then running Fernandina Beach would be a piece of cake.
That's pure poppycock and disasterous thinking. Here's why.
Nicklas' approach is based on reducing spending and hence lowering taxes. His agrument is that a businessman is trained to minimize spending and maximize profits. The foundation is that “efficiency” trumps all else in the business world and would do as well in city government.
But Fernandina Beach is not a business. The goal of the city is not to make a profit.
The city is a public agency that in exchange for collecting tax revenue provides its citizens with valued services. Providing those services is the City's primary reason for existing.
The profit model argument would necessitate that the city be ready to shut down all city functions that do not earn a profit, regardless of their contributions to citizens well being. And, if Fernandina Beach is being managed properly, that would mean every single function that is not self sustaining. Of course essential services like police, fire protection and emergency services would not apply.
That means a businessman turned City Manager would sell the debt ridden marina that requires $1 million in dredging every other year. The City's 27-hole golf course, another big money pit, would also be shuttered. Just let the land return to nature at little cost to the city.
Atlantic Recreation Center, which generates a mere $15,000 in revenue per year would be history. The building is going to require hundreds of thousands in tax dollars to repair. A businessman would get it off the city ledger.
The 30-plus beach walkovers, which cost $300,000 each to replace, are not self sustaining. Demolish them and ease the burden on taxpayers.
How about the lighthouse? It generates no revenue and is going to require expensive repairs. In a business model it's outta here! The list of revenue sucking city facilities is endless.
As is apparent, the business model of profitability, is a total failure in application to the purpose of a city. A business has customers, a city has citizens.
Fernandina Beach has an obligation to serve all its residents equally, regardless of their ability to pay. A business-oriented managed approach could prioritize the interests of wealthier citizens or areas, leaving the city's poorer neighborhoods underserved. Fernandina Beach has a duty to promote social welfare and equity, which may be at odds with a business-oriented approach.
Then there's the myth that Fernandina Beach is a small town of 13,000 people. It is, but it's not located in the Kansas plains. It's on a resort island that attracts 1.2 million visitors a year. All those tourists are using city infrastructure and services. It's complicated.
Hiring a local business leader would require on-the-job training. How do you deal with FEMA after a hurricane? How about the requirements of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the FAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, Nassau County Government and a myriad federal/state laws, restrictions and grant opportunities.
Do we have the luxury at this crucial point in time to wait until a business person gets up to speed? The answer is no. Even a seasoned City Manager coming into Fernandina Beach will have a period of learning the community.
It makes sense that some principles of business management, such as efficiency and innovation, can be valuable in Fernandina Beach city management. But it shouldn't overide the City mission to prioritize the public interest and ensure that decisions are made with the long-term well-being of Fernandina Beach and its citizens in mind.