Archive for the ‘Sam Hall’ Category
Sam Hall, Pensacola City Councilman for District 2, has filed to run for the At-Large B seat this November. The move comes just after a current at-large Council member, Diane Mack, filed to run for mayor.
Some have speculated that Mr. Hall may be trying to move to an at-large race in order to raise his profile, hoping that it will improve his chances to win a seat on the Consolidated Government’s Council if consolidation is approved in November. In a statement to the News Journal…
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A few items we wanted to highlight today:
Hall calls out P. C. City Councilman Sam Hall calls out fellow Councilman P. C. Wu for his negative comments regarding the City’s new charter. Indeed, Councilman Wu did make several such comments during Monday’s Council committee meetings. Councilman Wu has long been involved with the Florida League of Cities and his opposition to the new charter seemed genuinely philosophical. That said, the voters have spoken; we will have a mayor-council government…
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It’s been awhile since we highlighted our City Council attendance tracker, so here’s the latest:
Council members Wu and Townsend, who both advocated against the new charter, were absent for the special November 25 meeting to certify the referendum results.
There are no longer any Council members with perfect attendance. Mayor Mike Wiggins, the last holdout, was absent for the November 12 special CRA meeting and now stands in a tie…
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Pensacola City Council members Sam Hall and Diane Mack have both posted about their trip earlier this week to St. Louis. The two were part of a delegation of local government and business officials who travelled to St. Louis to meet with McCormack Baron Salazar, a nationally-acclaiming housing redevelopment firm. Local leaders have bee trying to lure the firm to Pensacola to create a mixed-income housing development.
Councilman Hall: What did I take away from the trip? I should manage my expectations…
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Pineglades resident Courtney Peterson has filed to run for the District 2 seat on the Pensacola City Council in 2010. Councilman Sam Hall, who currently holds the seat, has not yet filed for reelection.
Mr. Peterson, 30, is a member of the Pensacola Young Professionals and currently serves on the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment. He is a registered Republican, though he has in the past donated to the Libertarian Party.
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Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall waded into the charter debate today with a post on his blog titled “Mayor-Council: Who has the power?”
Councilman Hall argues that under the proposed Mayor-Council government, both the mayor and City Council would have “the power,” and that they would have to work with one another to get things done. Anti-charter advocated No Boss Mayor argue that power would be consolidated in the “strong” mayor, who would dominate the Council…
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A few items we wanted to highlight today:
Lewis-Hall-Wu drama. Jamie Page of the News Journal reports on his blog that Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall asked past mayoral candidate C. J. Lewis to run against District 1 Councilman P. C. Wu instead of for mayor. Mr. Lewis claims that Councilman Hall wanted to clear the field in the mayor’s race for Brian Spencer to run. Mr. Spencer, who is the husband of Charter Review Commission chair Crystal Spencer, recently told Jamie…
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A few items I wanted to highlight today:
Airport coverage. The Sunday News Journal has two stories concerning the City-owned Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport. The first deals with the push to bring Southwest Airlines to Pensacola; the second is a profile of the airport and its expansion efforts under the leadership of interim director Melinda Crawford. Those who want to help out with the efforts to bring Southwest to Pensacola can check out the Chamber of Commerce’s web site or join the cause on Facebook…
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As a footnote to the whole tree ordinance debate, we are disappointed that several members of the Pensacola City Council failed to, at a minimum, disclose ties with Sacred Heart Health System. Whether or not these ties present conflicts of interest, we certainly feel that it is information which merits disclosure, if only for appearance’s sake. However, no Council member took it upon him or herself to do so.
Without making any judgements, we have published below a list…
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A few items I wanted to highlight today:
On attracting Southwest Airlines. PNJ business reporter Carlton Proctor says “the game is on” regarding the Airport’s campaign to attract Southwest Airlines. As we’ve said, Southwest would be a colossal win for Pensacola and the Airport, and would likely secure the Airport’s place as the dominant regional airport for some time to come.
O’Brien covers Council’s caving on tree ordinance. PNJ columnist Mark O’Brien lets Council members…
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Progressive Pensacola wishes Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall a happy birthday! “Old Man Hall” is 52!
Sure, Old Man Hall gets a little yokely and rambly sometimes, but he’s usually pretty sharp. Mr. Hall ran successfully for Council in 2006, becoming the wee babe on a Council full of old, entrenched incumbents. Like him or not, he got his foot in the door and started making waves. His election to Council helped pave the way for last year’s mini-revolution in which four new Council…
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State attorney Bill Eddins has found that Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall and Escambia County Commissioner did not violate Florida Sunshine laws at a meeting in April of this year. Commissioner Valentino, however, did violate Sunshine laws by withholding public records requested by Perdido Key residents. Mr. Valentino will appear in court on August 27; he faces a $500 maximum fine.
Commissioner Valentino refutes the charge, releasing the following statement:
“I am pleased the State Attorney’s Office found…”
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A few items I wanted to highlight today:
Sam Hall responds to Mark O’Brien’s charter criticisms. Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall has posted a line-by-line response to PNJ columnist Mark O’Brien’s recent criticisms of the City’s proposed charter revisions. Councilman Hall reiterates some of his own criticisms, saying that the charter has “serious flaws,” but counters some of Mr. O’Brien’s complaints.
Mark O’Brien doesn’t like residency requirements…
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A few items I wanted to highlight today:
Mark O’Brien says charter has “serious flaws.” In a post on his PNJ blog, Mark O’Brien says that in his opinion, the Charter Review Commission’s proposed charter has “serious flaws,” taking issue with the strong mayor structure, the elimination of at-large Council seats, and the potential for more expensive election campaigns.
Mr. O’Brien raises some valid concerns. Look for our comprehensive commentary later this week…
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As many of you know, Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino and Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall are being investigated by the State Attorney’s office for a possible Sunshine violation. The investigation centers on a meeting the two had on April 28. Rick Outzen and Co. have covered the details, so I won’t rehash them here.
Councilman Hall made some newsworthy comments at yesterday’s meeting of the PEDC. News Journal reporter Jamie Page quoted Hall as saying during the meeting that he had “unwittingly broken the Sunshine law.”
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A few items I wanted to highlight today:
Pensacola News Journal:
“Escambia fuel tax fails”
The Escambia County Commission declined to pass a proposed three-cent increase to the gas tax…
Rick’s Blog: “Crist visits Pensacola”
Sam Hall:
“To tree or not to tree” and “Certainty”
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Pensacola City Councilwoman Megan Pratt has raised the idea of closing Bayfront Parkway on weekends to create a venue for public access to the waterfront. She cites the example of Memorial Drive in Boston, which is closed to vehicular traffic each Sunday from April to November and opened up to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Fellow Council member Sam Hall has chimed in with his support, posting a video of the Ciclovía in Bogota, Colombia, in which main streets are opened up to bicyclists, and events like free aerobics lessons are staged in the city’s parks. Both the Boston and Bogota events have been successful year after year…
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Lots of good stuff today:
Council meeting roundups
Both the Pensacola News Journal and Rick’s Blog round up last night’s Pensacola City Council meeting:
Sam Hall: “Coffee with the mayor”
Mayor Wiggins is planning a monthly session called “Coffee with the mayor”…
Rick’s Blog: Legislative delegation update
The Buzz: “Zapata files cigarette tax hike”
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Megan Pratt: “Natural Playgrounds”
The Pensacola City Councilwoman proposes rather than buying some boring plastic playground equipment, we turn Bryan Park at the new Tryon Library into a “natural playground”:
Sam Hall:
“Staff/council communication”
Fellow Council member Sam Hall does just that, attempting to set up a meeting between City staff and the Broadview Farms Neighbourhood Association to discuss Pratt’s park idea.
President Obama visits Fort Myers
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Slow news day. A few things I want to highlight:
Sarasota Herald-Tribune:
“Question: ‘Morning Joe’ or Sen. Joe?”
Rick’s Blog:
“Who will greet the King and Queen?”
Mark O’Brien:
“Blogs offer Pensacola new views”
Krispy Kreme in danger?
Celebrate Pensacola lectures
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Councilman Sam Hall will also opt out of the Florida Retirement System, following newly-elected Councilwomen Maren DeWeese and Diane Mack. Public records show Councilman Hall inquired about opting out of FRS last year, but was incorrectly advised that he was not able to do so.
Better late than never.
Three Council members down, seven to go. Call or email your Council members and ask them to follow suit by opting out of the Florida Retirement System pension…
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Sean Boone of the Independent News has an interview with lame duck Councilman Jack Nobles up on Rick’s Blog.
Councilman Nobles has tempered his rhetoric. After the meeting last Thursday, I overheard Nobles describing Councilman Hall’s early exit as “just about the lowest thing” he’d seen in his political career.
Now he’s calling it “unfortunate,” although he [...]
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A few area posts I want to highlight today:
Troy Moon: “Thou shalt sin no more, say Holy 3″
The PNJ’s Troy Moon offers up some cute news commentary on the recent decision by the Escambia County Commission to not allow poker at the greyhound track:
A Moral Majority of elders from The First Church of the Hardened [...]
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Update: O’Brien has rewritten his piece with Councilman Hall’s side of the story; he’s now calling it “Tale of two smells.”
PNJ columnist Mark O’Brien roasted Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall in a piece today in response to Hall’s early exit from last Thursday night’s Council meeting. The story is peppered with quality quotes from Mike Pate [...]
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Tonight’s City Council was not the marathon of excitement the last one was, but it had its moments.
Absent were Mayor John Fogg, Councilman Mike DeSorbo, and for most of the meeting, Councilman Sam Hall. Mayor Fogg had a death in the family, and Councilman DeSorbo is recovering from surgery. Councilman Hall was present at the [...]
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Following up on the previous post, here’s the video of Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall questioning Frank Miller about the misplaced appraisals at last Thursday’s Council meeting:
Transcript of the good part (starts around 1:10 into the video):
Hall: Regardless of what staff thought they understood about rental car agreements, hotel agreements, if an appraisal comes in, [...]
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Update: I want to clarify that while the below post offers my thoughts on Frank Miller and the comments Councilman Hall has made, it should be noted that Councilman Hall did not single out Miller, and indeed advocates the dismissal of any member of City staff, whether Miller, his subordinates, or superiors, whom was grossly [...]
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Mark O’Brien has a post up lambasting Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall, both for his call for resignations or firings Wednesday of those responsible for the Airport appraisal error and for Hall’s rebuke of Airport Director Miller last night at Council.
The appraisal error, according to Mr. Miller, was due to the fact that the latter [...]
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District 2 City Councilman Sam Hall has an interesting post on the over-reliance of Council on City staff, and the power which that gives to said staff.
Currently, we have ten part-time Council members who often show up to meetings with minimal or no familiarity with issues. They rely on City staff to vet and analyse [...]
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Progressive Pensacola endorses Sam Hall for Pensacola City Council, District 2.
Put very simply, Councilman Hall is the one incumbent we need to keep.
Councilman Hall is a voice for change, and the first such voice Council has seen in a long while. Since his ascension to Council two years ago, Hall has brought countless things [...]
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Following up on my post “To be clear”, Councilman Sam Hall has offered a direct answer to his opponent’s question on this blog.
Mr. Saccomanno:
I KNOW YOU LOVE SAM HALL BUT HAS HE DONE ANYTHING FOR DISTRICT 2.
See Councilman Hall’s response on his blog.
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Just wanted to highlight the coverage of the race for Pensacola City Council, District 2 over at the PNJ, where the terrible headline writers are working overtime:
PNJ: “Congeniality is contentious in Dist. 2 race”
Saccomanno says Councilman Hall is too contentious with other members of Council, which I find beyond amusing. Councilman Hall is one of [...]
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Heading up to the general election on November 4, we’ll be featuring a brief look at the various races. Some races we’ll cover more extensively than others, because some races are more important or more competitive than others. Today, we’ll look at the race for Pensacola City Council, District 2.
The Office
Races for seats [...]
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As I mentioned last week, City Council will vote on appointments to the Zoning Board of Adjustment at their committee meetings this afternoon (3:15 PM, Hagler-Mason Room, Second Floor, City Hall). They will choose two of three candidates to fill the available seats. One of those candidates is Richard Terhaar, son of Tony [...]
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Anyone who hasn’t should read Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall’s latest blog post:
During my campaign interview with the Pensacola News Journal, my opponent for re-election said he had been told by some City Council members that they voted against my measures because they don’t like me.
What? ????
If true, and I believe it is, how [...]
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Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall has come out in favour of full City-County unification:
I like the Jacksonville model.
My hope is that the Century, ECUA, Escambia County, and Pensacola governments agree to come under one authority.
I’m all for consolidation of certain departments and services; but I much prefer City expansion to the kind of full [...]
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District 2 Councilman Sam Hall posted today on the proposed Automatic Aid Response Agreement which I railed against last week. It’s worthwhile reading.
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This year, the Realtors PAC of Florida has given $7,000 to candidates for local office, comprised of $500 donations to 14 different candidates. Who do they like? Who likes their money?
Joe Buehler
for Pensacola City Council, At-Large 8
Megan Benson Pratt
for Pensacola City Council, At-Large 9
Malcolm Thomas
for Escambia Superintendent of Schools
LuTimothy May
for Escambia County School [...]
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Progressive Pensacola wishes Pensacola City Council member Sam Hall a happy birthday.
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In an article about current Pensacola city manager Tom Bonfield taking over at neighbouring Durham:
“We are the poorest urban area in the state and are falling even further behind,” [Pensacola Councilman Sam] Hall said Monday. “Economic development is almost nonexistent.”
But Hall said that’s not for lack of effort on Bonfield’s part. He said council members [...]
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As Rick Outzen is reporting, Alan Scott, Republican candidate for Escambia County Superintendent of Schools, is going to be leaving the race shortly. I’ve known about this but have not spoken about it at the behest of a friend. In any case, you’ll be seeing his name in the newspaper in the coming [...]
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