Commissioner Barnes Gained’t Lose Job for Attending Conferences Remotely in Miramar

MIRAMAR, Fla. (AP) — A 73-year-old metropolis commissioner will preserve his job after a colleague withdrew a movement to oust him for attending conferences remotely throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Miramar Commissioner Winston Barnes had attended conferences nearly since Might 20, 2020, earlier than returning to the chambers in October, when he shared his medical circumstances and mentioned a member of the family stays hospitalized in a coma, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.

Earlier than withdrawing his movement to oust his colleague, Commissioner Maxwell Chambers mentioned workers had tried their finest to offer a secure setting, together with plexiglass shields and masks necessities within the chamber.

“Whenever you’re right here to do the folks’s enterprise, you need to be accountable, that’s why we’re right here … All of us got here again, workers got here again, and there’s no excuse,” Chambers mentioned.

Barnes, in the meantime, filed a movement to fireplace Metropolis Legal professional Burnadette Norris-Weeks after asking for her authorized opinion on whether or not commissioners should attend conferences in individual and never on-line. Her ensuing memo mentioned {that a} failure to attend for 3 consecutive months can justify eradicating the individual from workplace.

A letter from Barnes’ lawyer mentioned he had been marked “current” within the minutes for every assembly he logged into from Might 20, 2020, via Sept. 1, 2021, and that he was by no means instructed he could also be violating town constitution for taking part nearly.

Barnes mentioned Monday that town lawyer “actually set me up” by not telling him he wanted to bodily be within the chambers.

The commissioners finally determined Norris-Weeks ought to stay in her function, and Chambers withdrew his movement.

Maxwell Chambers and Winston Barnes had been two of three Commissioners of Jamaican descent who had been re-elected for a brand new time period of workplace this previous March. Barnes, who has been serving as a metropolis commissioner in Miramar since 2003, had a commanding lead over his three challengers with 60.56 p.c of the votes.