Brenner resigns from Longboat Key's Charter Review Committee

Dave Brenner has resigned from the Charter Review Committee.

Brenner, a former vice mayor and co-founder of the Longboat Key Foundation, told Mayor Terry Gans in an email on Tuesday that his decision comes because of health issues.

“My reluctance to serve is because of my uncertainty to be able to perform,” Brenner wrote. “I feel badly about my conclusion, but I’d rather you have a vacancy on the committee than a non-performer.”

Gans accepted Brenner’s resignation. The mayor said he is saddened that Brenner’s “insights and wisdom” will not be part of the review process, but he fully supports Brenner’s need to take care of his health.

“Please continue to supply your valued guidance to me and the Commission as you feel fit,” Gans wrote. “And, be well.”

Brenner, along with six other applicants, was approved by the Town Commission March 22 to serve on the Charter Review Committee. Read about their selection here.

Remaining members of the committee are former vice mayor Phill Younger, former commissioners Pat Zunz and Randy Claire, and newcomers to Longboat Key governance Bill Cook, Ted Salisbury and Alan Pryor.

The Charter Review Committee can include up to seven members.

Town Manager Dave Bullock said an advertisement will be placed to fill the vacancy left by Brenner, though it will ultimately be left up to the Town Commission to decide whether to fill the vacancy or not.

The committee will consider refining portions of the town’s charter, a document that serves as a basic framework under which the municipality operates, much like the constitution of a state.

Those changes can be small, like tweaking language or deleting sections already covered by state statutes, or large, such as altering Election Day or Town Commission term limits or districts.

The town begins the process of selecting the panel once every ten years, and Key voters will ultimately decide whether the committee’s suggestions are implemented or not.

Upon being appointed to his position on the Charter Review Committee, Brenner said he hoped to explore revisions to the charter to encourage an increase in voter turnout on the Key. 

In order to have revisions put before voters in the March 2018 election, Bullock said it would be ideal if the committee can finish its work by October 2017.