Pensacola News Journal Editorial Board

We’re asking Pensacola City Council President Charles Bare to back off a proposal for the city to take over many of the duties assigned to the Downtown Improvement Board.

Frankly, we’re not sure the City Council is able to manage what has become a successful part of Pensacola’s ongoing rebirth as an entertainment destination.

Earlier this month, Bare told our municipal government reporter Will Isern he’d like to see the city take over downtown parking and other DIB functions.

“As we look at trying to minimize the footprint and cost of government, DIB is paying for an executive director, they’re paying for staff, they’re paying rent,” Bare said in a story Isern wrote. “I’m not convinced that we couldn’t do it in a more streamlined and efficient manner without the DIB.”

Council president, DIB chief at odds

While it’s certainly noble to look at the cost of local government, particularly when it comes to staff, legal fees and other expenses, we’re not convinced the DIB’s budget is out of whack. City hall would likely have to hire someone to oversee DIB-related activities so that seems spurious. If someone at city hall can absorb that job, perhaps he or she has too little to do now.

Besides, the city tends to be its own worst enemy when it comes to decision-making.

We only have to look no further to see how the City Council failed for more than three years to address the role of food trucks downtown. We’ve chronicled the failed attempts — ordinances, amendments, debate, alternative amendments, public input, more debate and last-minute vote delays — over the years and can only wonder how that indecision would impact the popular weekly Palafox Market, monthly Gallery Nights and the annual Pelican Drop that has become an unquestioned success.

This year’s holiday experience was improved vastly by the festive lighting along Palafox. It made the downtown attractive and picturesque, thanks to the leadership of the DIB. We can’t help but wonder if the lighting scheme had to be decided by the City Council, whether it would be in place for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Factions would likely form over the fact the lights are all one color or whether they should be looped clockwise or counterclockwise around the trees.

We’ve offered near-unqualified support for what has happened downtown — during the sale of our former offices, we looked long and hard to find a place where we could be a part of the evolution, which has been impressive.

Also, a troubling aspect of the debate included an idea hatched by Bare that council members be given immunity from getting parking tickets. It’s absurd and elitist to think that the eight members of the City Council be given preferential treatment with parking while the people they represent feed meters or pay $10 or $20 to park in a lot.

The city is moving forward, despite some misguided officials’ efforts to toss up last-minute roadblocks to food trucks, tax breaks, multi-million dollar developments or leases at the Community Maritime Park. That momentum should not be slowed with a change from the DIB’s control to the City Council.