Florence mayor, city council need to fix rift

Major differences between Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela and city council members have created an open rift that needs resolution.

Wukela’s critics sought an opinion from Attorney General Henry McMaster about the legality of replacing the first-term mayor as council chairman. State law does not require the mayor to serve as chairman in a city manager-council form of government.

“As such, we do not find any provision of state law discussing who should preside over city council meetings under a council-manager form of municipal government,” McMaster wrote. “Therefore, finding no conflict with state law, we believe the city may amend its code of ordinances to allow a city council member other than the mayor to preside over its meetings.”

After McMaster’s ruling, an ordinance was introduced at last week’s council meeting to allow council members to pick their own chairman, not necessarily the mayor.

The disagreements between Wukela, a liberal, and conservative-leaning council members Buddy Brand, Bill Bradham and Steve Powers have been routine. Wukela, who was elected as a reformer, has locked horns with the council on elections, downtown development and tax increases.

The driving issue has been over elections and whether the city should have nonpartisan instead of partisan elections. Some on council want to put the question on the ballot for Florence voters to resolve.

At the council meeting, members voted to pass an ordinance on first reading that would give council the authority to choose its own presiding officer, even though state law already allows it.

“The key to this action, without a doubt, is a vote of no confidence in the mayor,” Brand said in an interview with the Morning News. “Five council members voted for it. What we’re saying in essence is we don’t feel like we’re being led in the right direction.

“This ordinance would have never come to be if we felt like council was being run in accordance with normal rules and regulations. Council is being run as a courtroom, not as a council chamber. This is a peoples’ venue, not the Supreme Court, Congress or anything else.”

Wukela said he considered council’s vote to be an intimidation tactic to push him to support nonpartisan elections.

Even though Florence has a manager-council form of government, the mayor’s ceremonial role always has been important. He should have the ability to speak for the city, representing the council’s official views as well as his own.

If Wukela is removed as the presiding officer over meetings, his prestige will be undermined. When he calls or writes on behalf of the city, he needs to know he has the backing of the council, as well as the people who voted him into the office.

If Council passes the ordinance on second reading, with the votes to pick another chairman, any momentum Wukela has made on projects could be stopped.

When Wukela ran for mayor last year, we endorsed his opponents, former Mayor Frank Willis in the primary and former Mayor Rocky Pearce in the general election. Despite our opposition, we respect Wukela, his office and his victory. In less than a year, the council conceivably could push him aside. Some members think putting Wukela in another chair would improve the city’s and elected council’s performance.

It is the responsibility of council to make decisions in the best interest of Florence’s citizens. A majority of members feel strongly about the possibility of removing the mayor as the council’s presiding officer. They felt so strongly about it, they asked the attorney general for an opinion and introduced an ordinance to allow council to elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson.
We believe the city council, like Florence County Council, should have the ability to elect its leaders and support passage of this ordinance.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).