BRADENTON BEACH –City Commission candidate Tjet Martin and her partner, Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon, are the subject of an extensive records request submitted last week by Sarasota-based legal consultant Michael Barfield.
Barfield’s request arrived 10 days after Martin submitted a public records request pertaining to the e-mail accounts of her Ward 4 opponent, incumbent Commissioner Jan Vosburgh. Martin also requested the e-mail records of Vice Mayor Jack Clarke.
Last week, the city also received a lengthy letter from a citizen expressing concerns about Martin and Shearon.
In his July 24 e-mail to Shearon, Barfield submitted the following request:
• “Detailed billing for any cell phone utilized to conduct city business for the time period beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
• All e-mails or Facebook messages sent or received on any non-governmental account to which you have access that relates to city business, including, but not limited to, any matter reasonably foreseeable to come before the city commission; lawsuits or litigation involving the city of Bradenton Beach; the office of the city clerk; the office of the city attorney; and e-mails sent or received from the e-mail address tjet2@hotmail.com or tjet.swpc@gmail.com.”
Martin uses the SWPC account as co-chair of the city’s Scenic Waves advisory board.
When contacted Monday morning, Barfield said, “There are a lot of reports of activity and goings-on in the city of Bradenton Beach, and I intend to get to the bottom of it.”
He said his request had nothing to do with Martin’s July 14 request regarding Vosburgh and Clarke.
As a consultant for attorney Andrea Flynn Mogensen, Barfield has contributed research to successful Sunshine-related lawsuits filed against the city of Sarasota and the city of Venice.
In 2013, Barfield reviewed city-related e-mails regarding Shearon’s role as a former planning and zoning board member. In 2010, Barfield’s records investigations revealed violations committed by then-Anna Maria Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus.
Timing questioned
Vosburgh was vacationing in Utah when Martin requested her e-mail records.
When asked about Martin’s actions, Vosburgh said, “I think it was very insensitive of Tjet to do this while I’m on vacation.”
Clarke said, “While there’s no apparent reason to ask for my e-mail records, I willingly comply. The motives for requesting Commissioner Vosburgh’s records are obviously linked to the election campaign.”
Martin also spent time recently trying to determine if Vosburgh’s long-term rental properties are subject to the same state law she and Shearon violated when they operated the Linger Longer resort without a state-issued public lodging license.
To date, Vosburgh has not been cited for any violations, and she maintains that her annual rentals do not require a state license.
Letter critical
Martin and Shearon are the subjects of a five-page letter Laurie Higgins sent to the mayor and commissioners last week. Higgins is the wife of public works employee David Higgins, and she requested that her letter be read into record at the Aug. 7 commission meeting.
In her July 23 letter, Higgins questioned Martin’s efforts to displace Public Works Superintendent Tom Woodard and Police Chief Sam Speciale. She also accused Martin and Shearon of creating a “hostile work place.”
Higgins addressed the frequency of Martin’s city hall visits and the impact they have on city staff.
“As a concerned citizen, and wife, I formally request that Tjet Martin not be allowed on city property unless it is for official business, not to berate people, or ‘stir things up’ as she likes to call it. She does not work for the city, and she has no business there other than on the committee she volunteers for. You have several employees ready to band together for a class action suit because Tjet Martin and the mayor have made the workplace so hostile.”
Higgins’ issues with Martin date back to Martin and Shearon’s alleged roles in seeking discipline against her husband when he was observed by a former city employee on the other side of the Cortez Bridge, outside the city limits, in a city vehicle during work hours. He was on break at the time looking at a property in the vicinity and received a warning from Woodard for his actions. On the day the city received Higgins’ letter, Shearon felt the need to apologize to temporary staff member Karen Perry for the manner in which he treated her earlier in the day.
When asked about the work environment under Shearon’s leadership, one longtime employee recently said, “The mayor is an equal opportunity bully.”
Another said, “The morale here is terrible.”
Monday, Mayor Shearon was heard loudly asking City Attorney Ricinda Perry to leave his office because she was performing legal work at the request of other elected officials.