There was history this evening at the Flagler County Commission: Sworn-in on the silver spine of a Hebrew Bible, Kim Carney and Pam Richardson joined Leann Pennington, who was elected two years ago, to form the first majority-woman commission in the county’s 107-year history.
There was acclamation: For the first time since the end of Jim Darby’s 15-year consecutive years as chairman in 2007–a reign more imperiously assumed than granted by colleagues–Andy Dance was unanimously re-elected chair for a second consecutive year as fellow-commissioners endorsed the reasoned, drama-free leadership he reflects.
And there was brevity: The County Commission meeting lasted all of 10 minutes, enough time for County Judge Melissa Distler to swear in the three candidates (yes, Dance among them: he did win re-election in that primary in August, also by acclamation), the elections of chair and vice-chair taking two of those 10 minutes. After a few words of thanks Dance called an end to the meeting and turned the business over to pictures, cake and embraces and handshakes in a jovial chamber.
There was a special round of picture-taking with two suffragettes–Kim Medley and Kathy Reichard Elavsky of the Flagler County and Palm Coast Historical Societies. They’d who’d dressed up in authentic 1920s costume to mark what Medley described as a “historic night.”
“It’s been amazing to see where we’ve gone from 1920 to now,” Medley said. “Leanne started a wonderful end of an era that flies or should never return to.” Medley was referring to the former commissioner Pennington defeated two years ago, whose four-year tenure had been among the commission’s least savory, and who is now running for a congressional seat.
Pennington had been vice-chair and would customarily been the nominee to chair the commission the next 12 months. She pre-empted the nomination. ” “I really enjoyed our camaraderie and the decorum we’ve had this year, and I know I am vice chair,” she told her colleagues after the swearings-in, “but I wish not to be considered for chair this year.” She nominated Dance. There was no other nomination, no opposition, not even from Commissioner Greg Hansen, who’s been chair twice before but might’ve had his eyes on the gavel for at least one more round.
Carney nominated Pennington for vice chair, and that, too, was unopposed.
“The importance of being a back-to-back chair is not lost on me,” Dance said. “Is is rare, and I just want to say that I think we’ve done great work, and look forward to continuing to lead us as we make positive change here in Flagler County. So thank you.” His mother Nancy Dance, who had herself had a storied tenure on the School Board, stood by him during his swearing in.
Dance added a few thoughts after the meeting:
“You know, my first two years were a mess,” Dance said. “I couldn’t get anything done and couldn’t get consensus or more or less positive traction. So with Commissioner Pennington winning her election, we were able to stabilize and and coalesce, I think, behind a singular mission of making sure we’re–the Commissioner O’Brien talked about it last night–effective, but boring government. And so we need to continue on that path where we work on our strategic plan and start knocking off a lot of our to do list.”
Richardson’s Hebrew Bible did triple duty for all three commissioners. The silver-encased volume had been a 40th wedding anniversary gift to her grandparents, eventually handed down to her.
“I’m thrilled to bring some common sense and reason to our commission. I’m hoping to serve every resident with care and respect and love,” Richardson said after the meeting. He thanked Donald O’Brien and Dave Sullivan, his former colleagues, and Pennington and Hansen for electing him chair last year.
The County Commission is not lacking in experience. Carney served nine years as a Flagler Beach city commissioner until 2020, when she attempted her first run for the County Commission. Richardson served five years on the Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board and three years on the county’s planning board. Dance has not lost an election since winning a seat on the School Board in 2008. Hansen hasn’t lost one since his appointment to the commission in 2017.
“I do miss it,” Carney said of serving as an elected official. “I wouldn’t have run if I didn’t miss it, but I felt, still do feel that Flagler Beach needs representation on the board.” Flagler Beach hasn’t had that representation since 2016, when Dave Sullivan replaced Barbara Revels. “Dave was a very good representative, but I believe that Flagler Beach should have a seat.” All four other commissioners live in Palm Coast.
The post-meeting County Commission celebrations could last only so long: the School Board’s own swearing-in was scheduled for 6 p.m. So one crowd thinned as another thickened between 4:30 and 5:30.
But the commission meeting had been in marked contrast with Palm Coast’s swearing-in and first meeting this morning of a city council with three new members. The ceremonial part went cheerily enough. But then Theresa Pontieri, the senior member of the council, emerged bruised and stunned with a nomination for vice-mayor that should have been hers by necessity, if not by right, being the only non-rookie among her colleagues. Two council members opposed her bluntly and without explanation. Mayor Mike Norris then stunned city staffers by by polling them en masse about an administrative matter that falls under the city manager’s purview before the city attorney finally stepped in.
It was a new day in Pam Coast and the county.
