City of Pensacola City Council Seats Elimination Amendment Question (June 2013)
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A City of Pensacola City Council Seats Elimination Amendment ballot question was approved on the June 11, 2013, election ballot in Escambia County, which is in Florida.
This measure authorized the City of Pensacola to amend its city charter to decrease the number of City Council Members from 9 to 7 through eliminating the two at-large positions.[1]
This measure was placed on the ballot as a referendum with a strongly divided 5-4 vote from the city council. The amendment was the first change to the new city charter adopted by voters in 2009.[2]
Election results
| Pensacola City Amendment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 5,110 | 59.77% | ||
| No | 3,439 | 40.23% | ||
- These final, certified results are from the Escambia County elections office.
Text of measure
Question on the ballot:
| “ | Shall the City of Pensacola amend its current Charter to provide for the elimination of two (2) at-large City Council seats upon the completion of the current terms that will reduce the number of Council members from the current nine (9) members to seven (7) members?[1][3] | ” |
Support
Supporters argued that fewer council members will make the governance of the city more efficient and effective.[2]
Councilman Larry B Johnson said, "We're just too large for a city of 52,000."[2]
Opposition
Opponents of the measure argued that the at-large city council members are necessary to give the council a wider more general perspective and to provide proper representation.[2]
Councilwoman Megan Pratt, who held one of the positions that was eliminated by this measure, said, "It reduces an individual's representation and their say in the local government. It's valuable to have council members who have that broader view of the city."[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Escambia County June 11 sample ballot
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 City Council size goes up for vote
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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