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10.05.06
Safety Harbor City Employee Unionization Effort Fails
An effort to form a union among Safety Harbor city employees failed by
a nearly 2-1 margin with nearly a third of the employees eligible to
vote not even bothering to cast a ballot, according to a report this
afternoon from Tallahassee where tabulation was conducted under state
supervision.
Of 132 eligible employees, only 75 cast votes. There were 27 votes favoring the union and 48 against.
City employees were given across the board pay raises in the 2006-2007
budget that received final approval on Monday, Sept. 18. Most received
approximately a 4% increase with additional merit increases available.
The most significant casualty of the unionization effort was City
Manager Wayne Logan, who was given a vote of no confidence by the city
commission in June after commissioners learned that Logan had known
about unionization efforts for more than a month before bringing it to
their attention. Logan submitted his resignation, which is not
effective until November 15. However, he is entitled to accrued sick
leave and vacation time, making his actual last day in office Monday,
October 23. Newly hired city manager Billy Beckett will take office
that day.
09.09.06
Kara Bauer emailed city hall Thursday, Sept. 7 with the following information.
Subject: Important News
Change, when it comes, cracks everything open. - Dorothy Allison
My husband Mark has accepted a tremendous opportunity with a company located in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. With great regret, I will be resigning my position as Safety Harbor Commissioner/Vice Mayor in the near future.
Although Mark has already gone on to Texas, the girls and I will stay here until our home is sold. Once a closing date is selected, I will give you a date certain for my departure.
By giving you this early notice, I hope that you will have more time to conduct the search for an interim commission member. In the meantime, I will continue to represent Safety Harbor residents, and to work with the Commission and City Staff with the same level of service and commitment I've demonstrated this last year and a half.
Kara
10.04.06 Kara Bauer UPDATE
Kara Bauer set a date for departure at the
Safety Harbor City Commission meeting Tuesday, Oct. 3. Saying she
doubted the stories about a real estate slump, she said her home in
Safety Harbor’s Rainbow Farms subdivision sold in one day. She soon
will be joining her husband in Texas, where he has taken a new job.
Bauer, who announced her intention to resign in the email above, said
she now officially has submitted her resignation effective Friday, Oct.
20. She will attend her last meeting as a member of the city commission
on Monday, Oct. 16.
Meanwhile, with word widespread about her
intention to resign, interim Mayor Andy Steingold said five letters of
intent have been received from city residents interested in filling the
position until the next city elections in March. Commissioners set a
deadline of Friday, Oct. 27 for additional applications from city
residents. They will review applications and conduct interviews on the
morning of Saturday, Nov. 4 and select another interim commissioner in
a special meeting at 1 p.m. that afternoon. The new commissioner will
be expected to attend the next meeting of the commission on Monday,
Nov. 6.
Click NEWSFLASH in blue content box on left side of page or click below to download Safety Harbor Seafood Festival Applications for the March 2007 event.
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