Lake City: Bringing Back Civility to City Hall. Will the Police Barrier Be Coming Down? Trustee Carter Doesn’t Like It.
December 4, 2024 11:55 am | 4 min read
LAKE CITY, FL – After almost three long hours of Monday’s December 2 Council meeting, Trustee James Carter brought up the elephant in the room: the police barrier cutting off access to the City Clerk, City Manager, and Council members. Mr. Carter, along with just about everyone in Lake City, does not like it.
At two hours and fifty-six minutes into Monday’s meeting, Mr. Carter told the Council:
“This has been brought up before. I think with the New Council, it may be relevant again. I don't like these tables. I don't like the look of it. I don't care for it. If it were the will of a new Council, I’d like to see that opened back up. That’s something we could bring back as some sort of a resolution or something like that. I don’t know. I don’t think it was put there by resolution, so it may just be – we’ll talk about it."
Glennel Bowden addresses the City Council in
September 2023. Four armed police were in
attendance: one to the left, one to the right,
and two in the back of the room.
Background
It is difficult to determine the exact point when Lake City began becoming unhinged and going sideways. However, in and around 2019, the public undercutting of then City Manager Joe Helfenberger, a manager who wanted to do things by the book, by then City Attorney Fred Koberlein (now Circuit Court Judge) portended an ill wind blowing in Lake City.
See: City Attorney Koberlein vs. City Manager Helfenberger
The under-current of Lake City City Attorney issues continued with the resignation of City Attorney Todd Kennon of RKK, and the new issues with the current City Attorney Clay Martin of Folds & Walker, who allowed the City Clerk’s civil rights to be violated, can’t get his work done on time, and most recently exhibited confusion and a lack of knowledge regarding agenda preparation and City Code Enforcement liens.
By September of 2022, Mayor Witt was losing control of both the meetings and general governmental administration oversight.
See: Part II: Lake City, Out of Control, a YouTube Star.
By November of 2022, Mayor Witt was involved in a City Manager appointment coup and coverup regarding City Manager Paul "This is where I want to live" Dyal.
All the while, Community Activist Sylvester Warren began ‘activating on steroids’, disrupting Council meetings, arguing with Council members, having discussions from the audience, and ignoring speaker’s time limits.
Adding fuel to the fire, Mayor Witt ignored Mr. Warren’s antics despite calls from the City Council to get the meetings under control.
Mayor Witt acknowledged the downfall of civility at Council meetings by announcing that Lake City had become the “laughing stock of Florida.”
Who Put the Barrier Up?
No one in the City has admitted responsibility for the barrier of tables and ropes keeping the public away from the dais at Council meetings.
The police barrier in City Hall appeared out of
no where. Image via YouTube
It was never mentioned who put up the barrier. The barrier suddenly appeared on January 30, 2024, during a Special Magistrate hearing.
The public became aware of the barrier, which was a police “do not cross line” on February 7, 2024, when they showed up for the evening’s City Council meeting.
Another view of the police barrier is here. Note the red circle where officers have been stationed in full flack gear.
City Attorney Clay Martin wrote a statement for Mayor Witt, which the Mayor read at the opening of the February 7 meeting.
Mayor Witt explained, “The room has been arranged differently. This new layout is for the convenience of those who may be addressing the City Council, to accommodate those who may not be able to stand at the podium to address the Council and may find it easier to sit when speaking to the Council, and to maintain appropriate personal space between those speaking to the Council and those seated at the dais.”
Mayor Witt continued, explaining that the ‘police’ barrier was installed to help the disabled and those needing someplace to lay their papers. The draped tables were not accessible to the wheelchair-bound.
Mayor Witt then gave the real reason for the barrier, “The tables help maintain an appropriate distance between those addressing the Council and those at the dais. If a speaker is too close to the Council, not everyone on the dais can see the speaker or any exhibits they may have to show. The tables are intended to create a comfortable space between those addressing the Council and those at the dais to enhance communications during public comment.”
LCPD's Sgt. Johns, one of the officers keeping
his eye on things during a Lake City City
Council meeting.
Sgt. Johns is in the red circle
referenced here.
Mayor Witt continued, “Everyone is asked to observe the limitations created by the placement of the tables to the left and right of the speaker’s lectern. Those not observing these limitations and stepping in the prohibited area will be given a verbal reminder to adhere to the instructions provided on the table signage. Thereafter, a person who continues to enter into the prohibited area beyond the limitations created by the tables may be escorted from the room by law enforcement for repeated entry into a prohibited area.”
For a while after the police barrier was installed, four armed police officers, at least two in uniform, sat watch over the proceedings.
The only person who walked up to the Mayor before the installation of the barriers during meetings was Activist Warren, who, when he asked the Mayor for permission, was granted permission.
Epilogue
Before the meeting and after the meetings, before the barriers, folks would walk up to their representatives and exchange pleasantries. This congeniality happens all over, from the FL legislature committee meetings to many local governments and quasi-governmental agencies.
Councilman Carter is looking to bring the Lake City meeting space back into the civilized world.
The City’s new Mayor, Noah Walker, is not thrilled with the setup. He chose not to comment for this article.
The Council next meets on December 16. Stay tuned.
