After Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala proposed a countywide mayor position, he’s now backing off that.
Latvala suggested creating the position in April, saying they would be able to make bigger decisions.
But after some discussion during a May 15 workshop, he said he’s open to new ideas.
Commissioner Kathleen Peters said there could be several issues with an elected mayor for Pinellas County.
She said it could turn the decision-making process into a political game, rather than keeping the people’s best interests in mind.
But one of her main concerns was the difficulty the board would face trying to get rid of a corrupt elected mayor.
“What I like most about the form of government we have is that, when we have a bad administrator – and we’ve had a couple – we could fire them,” Peters said.
Latvala said expanding the responsibilities of the county chairperson could accomplish the same thing he thought a mayor would.
“Maybe we look at having a chair have a two-year term,” he suggested.
Currently, the county chairperson serves in that position for one year.
Peters agreed with the idea, but said the board would have to formally propose and approve it.
Latvala’s proposal would have seen the mayor make day-to-day decisions and be accountable to voters.
While the position would have taken over many of County Administrator Barry Burton’s responsibilities, Latvala said his proposal had nothing to do with Burton’s performance.
“Mr. Burton is a dear, good friend of mine,” Latvala said.
