The County Commission looked poised to vote down Mark Bogen’s proposal to name the Ceremonial Courtroom after Jack Tuter, when Tim Ryan kept the item alive by asking for a postponement for Tuter to seek a JEAC opinion as to whether the proposed honor for a sitting judge would run afoul of judicial canons.
Steve Geller took the initiative to remove the item off the Consent Agenda. If it had stayed on Consent, it was a done deal. Geller, however, wanted discussion, and was soon joined by Dale Holness, Mike Udine, and Nan Rich in voicing strong concerns against the precedent of naming something for a relatively young and healthy person.
Geller, referencing Alcee Hastings and others who have received honors while living, stated:
We have made exceptions when people appear to be close to dying … perhaps if he were retiring …
And from Dale Holness:
The entire community knew (Hastings’) health condition …
In response to Mark Bogen’s spurious argument that precedent had also been set via the County Commission dedication plaques that adorn most large public building projects, Nan Rich stated:
The plaque that goes up on a building is not the same … I just have a problem naming parts of buildings for people who are living …
In any event, the whole thing is now set off until the next County Commission meeting in August, pending the aforementioned JEAC opinion. Ryan and the county attorney discussed the possibilities of motions to disqualify Tuter and other legal issues if the naming goes through, echoing concerns we’ve heard regarding Tuter presiding over cases involving Broward County.
Will Tuter seek the opinion, or, recognizing today’s political winds, potential ethical quagmires, and the thoughts raised in Sounds About White and elsewhere, does he withdraw his name from consideration? Does he seek the opinion, and the JEAC puts the issue to bed? Does it still pass, despite today’s on-the-record strong concerns of four commissioners? Does it go down in flames on a vote in August, or does it quietly die on the vine in face-saving fashion before the next meeting, without coming up for a vote?
WAIT AND SEE …
