Atwell, Chapman say goodbye to commission

On Monday night, as the City Commission held its first meeting since two new members joined the board, Suzanne Atwell was walking across the John Ringling Causeway.

Atwell got some pleasure from the freedom to forego a commission meeting at City Hall for the first time in eight years. Still, the moment was bittersweet.

“I thrived on this job,” Atwell said, reflecting on her service as a commissioner. “I have the kind of personality that thrives on a challenge like bringing the city together.”

Atwell’s last day on the commission was Friday, as Hagen Brody and Jen Ahearn-Koch filled the seats she and Susan Chapman left behind. Although Atwell declined to seek re-election after serving two terms, it wasn’t an easy decision to walk away.

She said it was time, and she’s hopeful Brody and Ahearn-Koch will add a new dynamic to city government. But despite Atwell’s optimistic outlook regarding the city’s recent growth, she became increasingly frustrated about how the commission handled its business.

Atwell took pride in her position as an at-large commissioner — someone representing the entire city. She said the board’s actions often failed to acknowledge the interests of all of her constituents, instead bending to the will of a few City Hall regulars who knew how to work the system.

“I think we ought to have more people participate,” Atwell said. “The governing has benefited smaller groups of people that often upend certain votes.”

There are many points of pride from her time on the commission. She embraced the role of mayor during her two yearlong stints in the ceremonial role, eagerly attending events and making her presence known in neighborhoods throughout the city.

She helped create a downtown economic development coordinator position, which helped track and encourage growth in the heart of the city. The creation of the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, the hiring of Police Chief Bernadette DiPino and the dedication of the playground at Payne Park are among the highlights she lists.

“I think I’m most proud of that I was the commissioner who looked for, ‘How does it happen?’ rather than, ‘How do you put sand in the machinery?’” Atwell said.

That’s why she was disappointed when the board rejected the Woman’s Exchange’s plans for expansion, which saw the commission overruling city staff’s decision. Her preference was to defer to the professionals, placing faith in their capacity to act in the best interest of the city.

Even more disheartening was the commission’s lack of interest in authorizing a referendum to potentially move municipal elections from spring to fall, when voter turnout is traditionally higher. She wants the city to look for a way to broaden the conversation, and for people who don’t usually speak out about local issues to start getting involved.

Although she’s leaving the commission, she doesn’t plan to stop engaging. She teases her involvement in a forthcoming multimedia venture regarding local issues, and she said she’ll be eager to comment on topics of interest to her on the city’s agenda.

Her frustration may have led to her decision to leave the commission, but she’s still got a sunny outlook on the city’s future. She said the City Commission is in need of a shake-up, and she’s hopeful new members will help make that happen.

“I don’t want people to say, in five months, ‘It’s just like it was,’” Atwell said. “‘It’s like Susan and Suzanne back on the board.’ I don’t want to hear that.”

Stepping back

Despite seeking re-election, outgoing commissioner Susan Chapman is keener on taking the opportunity to step away from city government.

“I’m going to do the things that I needed to do that I had to defer,” Chapman said.

She never saw herself as a natural politician. Despite her involvement in civic affairs and as a neighborhood leader, she thought of herself as the person who encouraged other people to run — until, leading up to the 2013 election, she was the one people were encouraging to run.

She felt a strong sense of obligation to the people she represented. That’s why, despite some misgivings, she ran again this spring, falling 55 votes short of the three-person runoff in the first election.

On the commission, Chapman has been the target of outspoken criticism — and a three-year lawsuit accusing her of violating the Sunshine Law that concluded just before she left office. She called the timing of the final ruling in her favor “miraculous.”

She may not have shown it publicly, but the negative comments took their toll on her. She feels like she’s lost her identity during her four years on the board. Although people are still counting on her to help them pursue the causes they’re interested in, Chapman is looking forward to the opportunity to assess what she’s genuinely passionate about doing.

“I can tell you the most important thing to do when there is a transition is to accept it and to relish the transition,” Chapman said.

That’s not to say she views her time on the commission as a burden. She’s proud the city has embraced an effective model for fighting homelessness, that it has prioritized community policing, that its sewer infrastructure is being improved. And although critics said her actions tended to favor those same special interests Atwell decried, Chapman said she engaged with all constituents.

“When people said you’re the only one who returns my emails, my calls, who speaks up for me — that was important,” she said.

Unlike Atwell, Chapman doesn’t see the commission shifting too radically. But she also sees reason to be optimistic about the direction the city is heading. As she left the board, it gave her an opportunity to assess how much has actually changed since she joined it.

In the moment, it often didn’t feel that significant. Looking back, though, she’s proud of what she helped achieve.

“These things — you don’t really notice when they’re happening, but it’s gradual and incremental,” Chapman said. “It’s dramatic.”