A pivotal moment can change everything. I hope the June 3 Commissioners meeting is such a moment.
It was a pleasure to watch the meeting on June 3. It was uplifting. It was positive. It was hopeful.
There was no tension. There was minimal name calling, and that was drowned out by positive comments. Testimonials about St Johns County were plentiful and detailed the transparency, responsiveness, collaboration, active involvement, commitment to solutions and accessibility of the County Administrator, Joy Andrews. But the comments extended beyond Joy, to the responsiveness and transparency of the County staff under Joy’s leadership.
Many speakers made note of the inherent difficulty of the Administrator’s job, including the diversity of departments, the demands of the diverse region, and many commented that this behavior of transparency and responsiveness was something that had been missing from St. Johns County over past years.
Testimonials were given by community leaders and residents alike. Many spoke of Joy’s calm authority, even when being berated by residents at public meetings. Several spoke of her commitment to finding a solution, even when one wasn’t obvious.
Joy Andrews’ role came into question when two Commissioners expressed no confidence in her, but the motion was rejected. Joy then applied for an Administrator position elsewhere but withdrew to remain in St. Johns County. For stability concerns, Commissioners included this discussion in today’s agenda.
About 36 residents spoke for over an hour in support of Joy as County Administrator. They criticized a social media campaign aimed at tarnishing Joy’s reputation and backing the no-confidence vote, calling it unfair and divisive.
Ultimately, the Board of Commissioners voted 3 to 2 to extend Ms. Andrews’ contract by 3 years, to a total of 4.5 years.
What was said
While almost all commenters spoke eloquently in support of Ms. Andrews, some stood out, including (paraphrased):
- When you ask for a meeting, you get a meeting.
- I don’t even know what her politics are, because politics never enters the conversation.
- She has brought humanity back to the County.
- She didn’t just apply for the job; she had proven herself over 17 years with the County.
- She has demonstrated grace under public attack.
- She has built solid relationships with the state and Federal government.
- She doesn’t let go of a problem unless a solution is found.
- She took immediate steps upon hire to be more transparent, saying she was “pulling back the curtain on county operations.” The speaker suggested the Commissioners bring back the performance report that Joy implemented which was discontinued.
- The communications at the County now are so good that no one should be able to complain that they didn’t know something.
- Given the duties of her job, were she in the private sector, her salary would be seven figures.
- Her car allowance is actually saving money, should the county have to reimburse mileage at the current tax rate.
Two special statements
Two speakers made comments that are so significant that everyone should hear directly.
- Rick Rumrell spoke about how important it is to bring the community together to define and create the best place for St Johns County to be. He mentioned that the negative social media campaign was terrible for building community. His remarks are at this link: https://stjohnscountyfl.new.swagit.com/videos/344502?ts=14257
- Willie Cooper remarked about comments made by one commissioner about Joy’s less than adequate performance. He basically said that if she failed, you all have to look around and ask how you failed to support her. His outstanding statement is here: https://stjohnscountyfl.new.swagit.com/videos/344502?ts=14493
A Pivotal Moment?
St. Johns County can build on today’s momentum by working together as a community. This will involve concessions, considering all stakeholders. Solutions may require compromise. Joy’s community outreach allows her to relay public concerns to the Commissioners, who then need to listen.
But everyone has to work together. That will be the pivotal moment. Maybe it’s time for all of us to speak out about divisive behavior.
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