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Lake Worth Beach shuts down discussion about replacing Omari Hardy on city commission

Lake Worth Beach commissioners won't discuss filling Omari Hardy's seat until, at least, December. Commissioner Herman Robinson called it 'incomprehensible.'

Jorge Milian
Palm Beach Post
Omari Hardy (left) and Herman Robinson

LAKE WORTH BEACH – Omari Hardy may be gone, but the enmity that has marked relations on the Lake Worth Beach city commission for months appears to be lingering.

Unsurprisingly, the latest dispute on the dais centers on Hardy, who resigned his position on the commission this month to run for a District 88 seat in the state House of Representatives. That's left a vacancy in District 2, the city's northwest quadrant.

So how does the commission go about replacing Hardy?

More:Lake Worth Beach commissioner Hardy resigns... with some parting words

Commissioner Herman Robinson said he tried to find out by officially requesting that a discussion of the issue be placed on the board's agenda last Tuesday.

But Robinson said the city's staff rejected his request. And when he attempted to  bring up the subject at the beginning Tuesday's meeting, he was shot down and his microphone muted by Mayor Pam Triolo.

Omari Hardy

City Clerk Deborah Andrea said Thursday in an email that Robinson's proposed item was "removed" from the agenda by city officials because it ran "contrary" to a previous commission decision pushing off discussion on Hardy's replacement until, at least, mid-December.

Under the city's charter, the commission must appoint a replacement because Hardy resigned within six months of elections in March. That's about all the direction the charter provides.

Will candidates be interviewed? Will the person appointed be allowed to run for the seat in the March election? With the commission down to four votes, what happens if it deadlocks 2-2 on a candidate?

More:Election 2020: Hardy is the favorite in District 88, but how will he play in Tallahassee?

"Nobody knows because they don't want to talk about it," said Robinson, referring to his colleagues. "It's incomprehensible. It goes to transparency of government."

Lake Worth Commissioner Herman Robinson

The topic of how to fill the vacancy was first brought up by Hardy on Sept. 15, his last official meeting on the board.

But Commissioner Scott Maxwell motioned – seconded by Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso – to table the item, ending debate before it began. Maxwell also moved to postpone discussion until after qualifying period for elections ends on Dec. 8.

The city commission's first meeting after qualifying concludes is scheduled for Dec. 15, which means a minimum of seven more weeks before a new board member is selected.

Robinson said that's too long.

"District 2 has the possibility of five months with no representation if we continue to kick this down the road," Robinson told commissioners Tuesday. "The public and District 2 deserves a conversation about why we're not appointing sooner rather than later."

More:PBSO IDs Lake Worth-area boy, 15, as victim in Oct. 10 fatal shooting near Palm Beach State College

Maxwell, Amoroso and Triolo, who also voted to push back a decision until December, have not said why they chose to postpone an appointment until after qualifying.

The majority trio has been at odds with Hardy, and to a lesser extent Robinson, since a March 19 meeting over utility shutoffs turned ugly and went viral.

In the ensuing months, Maxwell, Amoroso and Triolo voted in lockstep against Hardy and Robinson, snuffing out every issue or agenda item they presented. Instead of thoughtful discourse, conversation on the dais regularly turned vicious, with commissioners trading insults, accusations and mockery.

Robinson said fallout from those encounters continues to seep into the commission's work. 

The big losers, Robinson said, are the residents of District 2 and the eventual appointee, who will be out months of potential on-the-job experience as the commission takes the go-slow approach.

Boca Raton's city council offers a comparison. Deputy Mayor Jeremy Rodgers told colleagues on Oct. 14 that he was stepping down after being called up for active duty in the U.S. Navy. The city said it will appoint a replacement by Oct. 27.

"If we’re going to choose somebody, why not choose them now?" Robinson said. "It just doesn’t make sense.”

jmilian@pbpost.com

@caneswatch