High Springs City Commission to hold special meeting after resignation of Steven Tapanes due to Form 6
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. – The City of High Springs will hold a special commission meeting this Thursday, January 4, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the process of moving forward with the current vacant commission seat, following the resignation of Commissioner Steve Tapanes.
Tapanes told Alachua Chronicle that he, along with many city council members from small towns around Florida, felt he had to resign because of a new law that requires certain municipal officials to disclose more financial details than the previous Form 1, including their net worth and information about any clients that contributed over 10% of the gross income of any business owned by the official.
Tapanes said, “I filled out the Form 1 when I filed to be a candidate, but nobody told me a Form 6 would be required by December 31. A Form 6 requires disclosure of my full financial situation, including listing identifying information for any customer that provides over 10% of my business. All of the customers in my glass business make up over 10% of my business, and I have contracts with them that prohibit me from disclosing their information. I don’t think the legislature really thought this out before requiring all city commissioners and other officials to file this form. The citizens of High Springs voted for me 2-1 over the incumbent, and this thwarts the will of the voters.”
Tim Marden, Chair of the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee, said, “City Commissioners are largely part-time or even volunteer positions. Their businesses should not be subject to disclosure because they want to basically volunteer and help their communities. It’s unfortunate the State Legislature did not foresee these kind of problems arising. Or if they did, why they still moved forward. I hope the legislature fixes it, or more good people will choose to stay home and not get involved in politics.”
Hopefully they will fix it or as Mr. Marden stated, “good people will choose to stay home and not get involved in politics.”
That or they’ll do like most politicians do – they’ll just lie about it.
Good peeps and good clients shouldn’t worry. It’s the bad ones who should.
Steve Tapanes is an exceptionally honorable individual who finds himself entangled in the profoundly problematic legislative bill.
He triumphed over a three-time adversary and advocated for much-needed reforms in High Springs. His absence will undoubtedly be felt on this new Commission.
Please continue to actively participate, Steve, as your community relies on your presence.
Any neutral tool can be misused or abused. A commissioner may lose clients in their main income, should the clients know they’d be exposed. But is that good or bad? If all the above actually do *good* for (_________ fill in blank: selves, family, community), then they shouldn’t worry.
But if a politician’s income comes from nefarious deeds, even if it helps their own family buy a nice house and send their kids to college, the public has to know what nefarious income that is. They— like lawyer-makers would make policy harmful to everybody else— so they keep getting rich. That’s what’s really happening nationwide, especially in DC. 🤡👹🍦🍦🍦🍦
That may be the case in many situations at a higher level, but, as previously stated, these are largely part-time or volunteer positions being held by people who want to get involved and support their community.
Good ole Ronnie does it again! Sign into law a bill that punishes the wrong people.
Think what he’ll do if elected president? Waiting to see what the county & city commission does. Their will be some pressure there for sure.
If you want to run for office and be a politician you should fill out form six so we can weed out the crooks!😎
On one hand, I sympathize with those who feel some disclosure forms are too invasive, especially for largely volunteer positions in the smaller municipalities.
On the other hand, voters need to be able to make informed decisions. Elected officials handle large amounts of our tax money. They make budgetary decisions that by their very nature will benefit or not benefit various people. They approve grants to nonprofits, award bids to government contractors, determine locations of new roads, and approve land use or zoning changes.
I agree. For example, a commissioner’s business could be under contract with a large housing developer. What’s to stop them from bribing the commissioner to sway the vote that approves a zoning change or some other change that would benefit the developer?
This isn’t new for officials elected to higher office; it simply makes the rule the same for anyone.
I think transparency is a good thing, regardless of party affiliation, etc.
The outrage is also ironic, considering our governor is loved by many (including the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee, who made a non-party affiliated race their business by slandering devoted civil servants in their e-mail blasts, in order to help Miller/Tapanes).
Having personally met each of the commissioners and seen their record, none of them remotely qualifies as a Marxist (as ACREC accused them of being).
As a fellow Republican, I thought that was unfortunate. But I digress. I think this law is a good thing.
If you want to wield influence and power that can impact a city for generations to come, you need to be willing to be transparent.
It is also your personal responsibility to stay informed on what’s required or going to be required of you.
So you only have 9 customers and the glass business is real hush, hush? GTFOOH with that bs!