The Oct. 28 Pahokee City Commission meeting was another all-around embarrassment. An embarrassment by the commission, an embarrassment from some of the public commenters during general public comment, and an embarrassment to the world’s eyes and ears.

The meeting began with the Interim Manager pulling Resolution 2025-66, A Resolution Approving A Purchasing Card Policy from the agenda. Bussey’s reasoning was to get more familiar with the topic which is quite intriguing since she is responsible for setting the agenda. She followed it up with retracting her call for an audit.

Much of the meeting was discussions on many topics that the novice commissioners place on every agenda. McPherson once again sought to suspend the advertisement for the permanent city manager position put out by HR and bring back the qualification for commission review. Mayor Babb rightfully pointed out that the permanent manager qualifications are the exact same ones for interim manager (which were used to hire Bussey).

It is clear by the hire of Bussey who has neither the education or experience (under qualifications needed for Interim or Permanent Manager) that all the first term commissioners do not care about the advertisement anyway. The only reason to withdraw the job posting is to deter qualified applicants from applying. The last interim manager interview and selection meeting was simply performative since the novice commissioners already had Bussey as their only choice before the meeting ever happened. So, McPherson’s request is completely unwarranted. It is clear to me that McPherson and Cowan simply love to hear themselves talk. They have accomplished nothing in their first term.

Scott made a motion for department heads to come to commission meetings to give reports to the dais. I find this unnecessary since that is the job of the manager. The department heads report to the manager and the manager reports to the commission.

Another laughable moment was when McDonald suggested Pahokee should have single member districts so commissioners can be responsible for sections of Pahokee. Pahokee is only 5 square miles and has a population of 5,829 (2024) making SMDs improbable. During general public comment, two agitators began questioning the City Attorney and attacking Mayor Babb. One was the son of the Interim Manager Bussey. His public comments were questionable since he has never been to a prior meeting or spoken before his mother became a city official. The other was a well-known meeting disrupter.

This Commission’s obsession with micromanaging the city along with their constant need to over discuss matters are what is making Pahokee look like a joke. They obviously do not trust staff and the administration since they must see every piece of documentation, proof, or process. This group of Commissioners apart from Mayor Babb have not once called out the disruptors at the public podium or in the audience. Their silence speaks volumes and makes them part of the problem. Last night’s meeting ended with 129 views online. As of this writing, the total views are now 322. That is 193 views overnight. It is beyond clear that this 1 hour and 49-minute meeting will join the lengthy list of the city’s humiliating meetings.

David Joseph Ruiz
Advocate For Pahokee