Monday, city commissioners will hear from the eight candidates for up to 15 minutes each starting at 8 a.m. in the commission conference room at City Hall.
Typically, City Commission gatherings are broadcast live on the city’s website and cable channels, but City Attorney Palmer Davis suggested that the broadcast of the applicant presentations be delayed so that the various applicants can’t benefit from what those who come before them say, according to City Communications Director Kevin Cook.
Cook said he will announce later when the interviews will be available on the city’s LakelandGov TV page and on cable: Spectrum Channel 643 / FiOS Channel 43. Replays of the interview will also be available.
Commissioners submitted questions for the applicants to Davis, who compiled them. In all, 16 questions were submitted. The initial plan was to decide which questions would be forwarded to the eight applicants, but no such decisions were made on Monday, when commissioners discussed the interview procedures, so all 16 will be forwarded.
The process
The 16 questions are being forwarded to all eight applicants by City Clerk Kelly Koos. The applicants will be given the option of answering them in writing and returning their answers by Friday to Koos, who will then distribute them to the commissioners.
On Monday, each applicant will have up to 15 minutes to discuss the questions they feel are most pertinent to their candidacy.
The applicants will appear in alphabetical order. Koos explained that’s the order their names would be displayed on a ballot had there been an election.
The applicants
See a map of commission districts. The seat holder is required to have lived in the district for at least one year before taking office. The applicants are:
- Lolita Berrien
- Tracy Faison
- Daryl Forehand
- Guy LaLonde Jr
- Veronica Rountree
- Ricky Shirah.
- Samuel Simmons
- Saga Stevin
The commissioners’ questions
Questions were submitted by five of the seven commissioners. Palmer Davis compilated but did not note which commissioner asked which questions. Commissioner Chad McLeod noted there is duplication between the sets of questions, so the applicants can decide which to answer. The questions, edited for style:
First set
1) What’s your vision for Lakeland moving forward, especially your northwest district representation?
2) Timing … there are other board and committee assignments. Are you able to devote time to attend?
3) What’s the largest budget amount or oversight you have approved?
Second set
1) Do you have the time to do this job? In addition to our four meetings each month, you will be taking over the committees Mr. Walker was on.
- The legislative committee chairman includes trips to Tallahassee several times per year.
- Transportation Planning Organization board meetings in Bartow.
- Utility Committee (Lakeland Electric)
- Lakeland Area Mass Transit District
- Lakeland Police Department Community Engagement Committee
- Time for e-mails
2) What do you see as an area the city needs to address?
3) What do you bring to the commission and why should we select you?
Third set
1) Why would you like to serve on the commission?
2) What assets will you bring?
3) What is the most challenging issue you have had to work through professionally and how could that experience apply to serving in this role?
4) What do you know about infrastructure and how it works?
Fourth set
1) Describe how your skill sets best fit the needs for representing citizen interests from the northwest district and the city overall.
2) In particular, what is (are) your area(s) of passion for the city?
3) In reviewing what has been accomplished in the last five by the commission’s governance, what is the most significant unaddressed gap, you’d like to see addressed?
Fifth set
1) Why do you want to serve as the interim commissioner for the northwest district?
2) What’s a unique perspective you think you would bring to the current commission?
3) What’s an issue that the City Commission deals with that you would find most interesting and why?