Daytona Beach, FL – The Daytona Beach City Commission is moving on to the next step with the Riverfront Master Plan. Commission members heard from a number of Beach Street business owners and from Hyatt Brown on why they wanted the changes. They also heard from business owners who are opposed. Mayor Derrick Henry said it seems that those that are for the project are adamantly for it. He said that he thinks the Commission needs to give those opposed an adequate plan to assuage their fear that things might change and not for the better.
After more than an hour of discussion from business owners, members of the audience and the Commission members, Henry deemed that discussion the longest ever of his tenure. Zone 3 Commissioner Quanita May, who is out of town but participated in Wednesday’s meeting by phone, said Riverfront Park is in her district and she is in favor of anything that will bring up the entire area as one project.
Mayor Henry asked for a motion to direct City Manager Jim Chisholm to put forth an RFP, Request for Proposal, on the Riverfront Master Plan. The motion was approved 4-3 with Commissioners Ruth Trager, Aaron Delgado and Rob Gilliland opposed.
Commissioners then heard a presentation on adding an engraved plaque to a monument for former Daytona Beach Mayor Edward Armstrong. National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors Daytona Beach Chapter President Randy Jaye, who is spearheading the drive to put the plaque on the Edward H. Strong Monument at Oceanfront Park, gave a history of Armstrong and why there should be a plaque on the monument.
Zone 1 Commissioner Ruth Trager made it clear that she totally disagrees with the idea and so did Zone 4 Commissioner Rob Gilliland. He said, “In this day and age, and what we know about this man, the way that he conducted business … Yes, it was a different time. Yes, there were some good things that came out when he was Mayor but, I can’t in good conscience support memorializing this guy in the way that is being proposed.”
Trager made a motion to say “No” to the plaque. She, Gilliland and May voted no to the plaque. Mayor Henry, Zone 5 Commissioner Dannette Henry and Zone 6 Commissioner Paula Reed voted yes. This brought the vote to a tie. It will be brought up for a vote again at the next meeting on December 3, 2019, when Zone 2 Commissioner Aaron Delgado will be there to break the tie.
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Source:: News Daytona Beach