Letter to the Editor: City Commissioner Phillip Walker

Written by Roxane Towner

On May 27th, former City Commissioner Phillip Walker resigned his position to pursue a state-wide political position after serving 13 years on the Commission. According to State Law, this resignation is irrevocable.

As a result of Mr. Walker’s midterm resignation, the City of Lakeland announced a process to fill the vacancy on the City Commission for the remainder of the term, after which the position would be placed on the ballot for citizens to decide his permanent replacement. The process was presumably agreed upon by all the appropriate city officials. Namely, the Commission, the City Attorney, the City Clerk, and the City Manager, prior to being announced publicly by the City and prior to being printed in the Lakeland Ledger.

Several patriotic citizens stepped up to complete the process outlined by the City. Phillip Walker, campaigning for a different position, did not take any action to participate in this process. At least eight well-qualified citizens applied to fill the vacancy left by Phillip Walker’s resignation.

After losing his State race, Phillip Walker took the unprecedented action of sending a simple, single-page email to the City of Lakeland, requesting that he be reinstated to his old position. City Charter changes in November of 2019, tightened term limits for commissioners to a maximum of 12 years. Having already served 13 years, Mr. Walker is not eligible, according to Charter Amendment One approved in 2021, to be appointed or elected to any additional term. The 2021 Charter Amendment specifically read, “…interim commissioners appointed by the commission to fill a vacancy in a district seat until the next regular election resides in the same district as the vacant seat; and prohibiting the interim appointment of individuals otherwise precluded by term limits from serving on the commission.”

A few questions must be answered by the City immediately:

Does the City’s attorney believe it is acceptable that the eight citizens who applied for the vacancy according to his approved process, be disenfranchised because the City reneged on its process mid-stream?

Why would the city wrap itself into a pretzel by ditching its publicly announced process and by ignoring submission deadlines for someone who is already term-limited out, and no longer eligible to be a commissioner, and has submitted an irrevocable resignation?

Shouldn’t the City of Lakeland have to show that NONE of the applicants are qualified before considering anyone other than those who’ve applied?

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City of Lakeland Charter references:

“No individual otherwise precluded by length of previous service from holding the office of city commissioner, or mayor in the case of a vacancy in the office of mayor, may be appointed by the city commission to fill a vacancy in such office.”

Since Mr. Walker was in office when term limits were modified this also applies:

“Members in office upon the effective date of this Section, shall not serve more than twelve (12) consecutive years or three complete terms in the singular position of Mayor or Commissioner or more than sixteen (16) consecutive years, or four (4) complete terms, in any combination of Mayor or Commissioner. Note: the 16 years ONLY applies if you’ve been both commissioner AND mayor hence the word “combination”.