Issue # 8 / 2005
Meet non-resident,
City Manager-for-life, Bill Harriss
Editorial by Ed Slavin
Meet non-resident, City
Manager-for-life, Bill Harriss
Controversial St. Augustine City
Manager William B. Harris does not live in
the City of St. Augustine. Harriss, who
was long the Assistant City Manager
under William Pomar, became City
Manager pursuant to a controversial contract
that forces the City to pay him two
years pay if he is ever removed from
office. Harriss is most noted for his hostility
to First Amendment exercises of artists
and entertainers on St. George Street.
In a more recent First Amendment
case, Harriss thrice vetoed Gay Pride
Flags on the Bridge of Lions, only to be
TKOed by a TRO (temporary restraining
order) from a United States District Judge
on June 7th. A member of his household,
Ms. Phyllis Harriss, confirmed July 1,
2005 to The Collective Press that the Harriss residence is not even in the City.
A telephone message left for William
Harris has never been returned.
We will publish any response.
Speakers at St. Augustine City
Commission meetings have been queried
about their residences and forced to tell
their addresses on live television.
Members of Boards and Commissions are
limited to City residents, with a recent
exception made for the Historical
Architectural Review Board (HARB),
whose Chair lives in South Ponte Vedra.
Many cities require City Managers to be
residents. In this case, St. Augustine's City
Manager does not live in the City, does not
receive City services and pays no City
taxes.His "service," such as it is, should
no longer be required.