Mark Shantzis was not a happy camper when he spoke at the county commissioners meeting March 21. A resident of South Beaches, Shantzis informed the commission of his displeasure that newly elected District 3 Commissioner John Tobia moved the district office from its longtime location on New Haven Avenue just off the 192 Causeway in Melbourne to the county complex in Viera 20 miles away, with the stated intention of saving the county money.
Shantzis requested the commission pass an ordinance requiring commissioners to maintain their offices within their district itself, Commissioner Tobia included. Several other speakers echoed the same sentiment.
Rather than pass such an ordinance, the commission voted to have county staff draw up a law, one that would give the commissioner 60 days to complete the move back from Viera to his original district office. To show no hard feelings, Tobia cast a vote with the rest of the commissioners in support of the measure.
“If you do not have an office in the district, why have districts? That is a big question,” Shantzis said. For him, it’s about access and the cost of such access for those on beachside who would have to travel an extra 40 miles roundtrip to meet with Tobia rather than take a short jaunt over the causeway.
Shantzis displayed a cost analysis, including paying for the empty building on New Haven Avenue. According to the clerk of the court office, the state owns the parking lot adjacent to the former district office and the county owns the building. Maintenance on the building runs around $12,000 to $15,000 a year, unless there are repairs.
“The old office was perfectly situated. The Viera office is completely inaccessible,” Shantzis said.
Nancy Higgs, of South Melbourne Beach, cited a charter requirement that commissioners live in the district they represent. “It makes sense you should work there too,” she said in support of an ordinance.
Randy Foster, of Palm Bay, called it taxation without representation. “When you run for office you represent the people in the district,” he said. “The office belongs to the residents, not the commissioner.”
He posed a hypothetical comparison in which a Congressman closed all the local offices so constituents had to travel to Washington to meet with the elected official.
Pamela Acevedo, of Melbourne Beach, said it takes her more than an hour to drive to the county complex parking lot, let alone walk to the office itself. “If you voted for John Tobia you expect him to be in the district. I question why he moved the office further away.”
To save money, Tobia said at the time of the move. Selling the New Haven Avenue building would get the property off non-tax rolls. “There are no additional costs associated with [using] space in the county office [in Viera],” Tobia said. “I only ask that you use realistic numbers. The analysis was sophomoric at best.”
The issue of an office out of the district surfaced at last month’s ethics workshop as veteran Commissioners Jim Barfield and Chair Curt Smith expressed criticism of Tobia’s move to Viera. But no action was planned until Shantzis made his pitch.
“I was told that the only method to exact change like this was through a citizens’ request for a hearing,” he said. “The impetus came from the public to move this forward. But it was the commissioners’ job to police themselves and not depend on us.”
At the March 21 meeting, Commission Vice-Chair Rita Pritchett said Shantzis opened her eyes. “It got me thinking. I support a motion for an office in the district policy,” she said.
Barfield agreed with the change. “I know how it is in our district. It’s important we have a face in the district. Constituents should have as easy an access as possible.”
Commissioner Kristine Isnardi had her doubts about micromanaging office location, but voted in support of the measure. “I hesitate that it’s not in my power to tell Commissioner Tobia where to be. Originally all five commissioners were supposed to be in Viera.”
Smith said it came down to two choices. “The decision is to go forward with all offices in their district or have commissioners decide helter skelter where they want to be.”
Tobia said many constituent concerns can be resolved through the phone or email without face to face interaction. He also added relocating back to New Haven Avenue will entail a $4,000 moving cost.
“But I will leave this to the discretion of the board,” he said.
