Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/207831
Sarasota News Leader November 8, 2013 OPINION Page 90 Our concern is that Government in the Barwin does not like Sunshine was meant The commission must consider the to prevent elected the Sunshine laws and is refusing to comply underlying cause of this rash of litigation officials from meeting with them. One law- over legal requirements so simple that a in private to discuss third-grader would have no difficulty important matters suit stemmed from his understanding the limitations imposed by organizing an ad hoc without public notice Government in the Sunshine. committee, against or the keeping of the advice of the city minutes, then the attorney, which held Sunshine laws were private meetings in violation of the law. wrong. That was a rather disingenuous stateSettlement of that case cost the city taxpay- ment for one who is also a licensed attorney ers more than $20,000. in the State of Florida. The most recent violation got around ignoring legal advice, because Barwin simply did not consult City Attorney Robert Fournier when making plans for commissioners and staff to meet with downtown businessmen. Fournier only learned of the meeting a week later, just days before the lawsuit was filed. Since then she has backtracked on that claim and offered a variety of dissembling rationalizations for her personal role in the city's latest Sunshine misstep. Unfortunately, her public remarks have called into question her legal expertise at best, and her veracity and qualifications as a city commissioner at worst. Her continued denials insult the intelligence At least Barwin has a defender in the current of all Sarasotans. imbroglio: Commissioner Susan Chapman. Chapman, along with Commissioner Suzanne We realize that Government in the Sunshine Atwell, was in attendance at the private meet- laws apply not only to the City Commission ing in question. She subsequently wrote an but to all of the many advisory boards and email praising the meeting and urging more committees, which makes compliance more like it. Perhaps that is why Chapman and difficult. Frankly, we believe there are too Atwell were individually named as co-defen- many of these boards, and much of their work dants in the suit, which asks that the court is ignored by the powers that be … but that require them to pay any penalties for their is a discussion for another time. Regardless, violations out of their personal funds, not city the city and all of its subsidiary deliberative tax revenue. bodies must adhere to the law. Chapman has vociferously defended her We also realize that Barwin came to us actions, claiming at one point that, if from Illinois, a state with a reputation for