Mayor falls on his sword

St. Augustine Mayor Joseph L. Boles, Jr., a vocal proponent of the cultural exchange program between St. Augustine and Aviles, Spain, including what some residents look on as expense-paid “vacations” or “junkets” for city commissioners and city staffers, tonight admitted his influence may have gone too far.

Accepting full responsibility and offering an apology to commissioners Jones, Crichlow and Freeman for dragging them into the recent quagmire, Boles recognized in the regular city commission meeting Monday night that any criticism for overreaching into areas that would likely violate Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law should be directed at him and no one else.

Boles has been at the epicenter of controversy since he announced two weeks ago that the city was going to pay to fly four city commissioners, the city manager, and two other staff members to Aviles, Spain, for a two week out-of-the-sunshine mix of ceremonies and negotiations.

Among other things Boles pointed out, he intended to work out a joint investment between the city and Aviles for the construction of a pavilion in connection with the 450th Commemoration. Boles acknowledged that with Jones, Crichlow and Freeman in tow, he now realizes that such negotiations would violate the open meeting provisions of the Sunshine Law.

The Aviles trips have been a sore spot with critics over the past several years, but, the decision to send seven participants from the city for a two-week excursion covering four ports-of-call was far enough over-the-top to attract attention from a substantial number of residents and news media alike.

News forums, Internet blogs, radio and television interviews all drew disbelief and anger from everyday citizens and taxpayers fed up with waste in government. Many say they saw Boles announcement as arrogant in the current economy. Don Crichlow has already announced that he is not seeking re-election in November, yet he was going on the Spain trip and reported to be taking his daughter — for the second time.

Anthony and Judith Seraphin, Edward A. Slavin, Jr., and other outspoken Boles critics had threatened a lawsuit to stop the trip altogether.

Crichlow and Freeman stepped down after an account in a local newspaper announced that Boles had decided to stay home — but, nonetheless, still wanted the others to go. Errol Jones is still going to Spain, but, he will be the only elected official and he will be joined by the city manager and finance director only. Three representatives of the city is more along the lines of the size of delegations sent by Spain to St. Augustine under the Sister Cities program.

Photo credits: © 2010 Historic City News staff photographer