A seven-person Islamorada Charter Review Committee is recommending the council send a ballot initiative to voters asking whether they support staggering terms and slightly increasing years in office.
Currently, village council members serve two years per term in office. In total, they can serve up to eight years, if re-elected by the village voters. The charter review committee backed increasing the years in office from two to three years at a Feb. 18 meeting. It was reaffirmed at a Feb. 25 meeting, when committee members voted to recommend three-year terms — and staggering them — so all seats aren’t up for election at the same time.
The recommendation would go to the village council for consideration and approval in order to ask voters in the November election.
Committee member Lorie LaLonde noted that 90% of municipalities across the Sunshine State stagger terms. Member Joe Roth said staggering terms would mean the village wouldn’t experience four or five seats turning over at the same time. He said the move would retain “some semblance of institutional knowledge.”
Committee member Craig McBay said he spoke to a Marathon council member who liked the three-year terms.
“It takes time to get up to speed, and with two years it doesn’t seem to be enough time to get up to speed and then get things done,” he said. “Three years definitely seems to be helping that.”
Vice chair Susan Raffanello said three-year staggered terms disrupt the continuity, which could be positive or negative. Chair Ty Harris said three-year staggered terms are the way to go, especially for voters who are concerned about not being able to speak with their vote every two years.
“It may not be a perfect system, but at least you get a shot in the next election cycle, if you don’t like who’s in,” he said.
Specifics are still being sorted on how the seats would be staggered, but – if voters approved the change at the 2026 election – three seats could receive three-year terms in 2028, while the other two would get two-year terms, which would become three-year terms the following election.
Councilman Steve Friedman spoke during public comment before the committee’s vote. He urged the group to come at it from a perspective of not what voters might do, but what is right for the village.
In other matters, committee members elected not to change the process by which the council selects the mayor and vice mayor. Some members noted the position is more ceremonial and the decision should be left to the council members.
Discussions over recommending a potential pay increase for council members was tabled to the March 4 meeting, pending more information on what other local municipalities pay. McBay, who brought forth the topic, said the council should be getting paid more. He said it may help attract better candidates. Council members currently receive $1,000 a month.
“Whatever we agree upon here, if it actually goes through council and goes to vote, it’s going to be up to a lot of us to cheerlead everything to try to get things passed,” he said.
Raffanello fears a pay raise won’t attract qualified candidates. She said the village wants people who are civic-minded who want to be in the positions because they want to see what’s best for Islamorada occur.
“The higher you go, I think the higher it skews the motivation and desire,” she said.
