HOLMES BEACH – Longtime City Commissioner Pat Morton has resigned and recent city commission candidate and current Planning Commissioner Steve Oelfke is expected to serve in that role until the next city election in November.
Morton joined the commission in 2003 and he announced his resignation during the city commission work session that followed the city commission meeting on Feb. 11.
At the start of the regular meeting, Morton noted he’d been gone for about six weeks. He spent two weeks near Asheville, N.C. assisting hurricane-related flood victims before visiting family members in West Virginia. He briefly mentioned the social media criticism the city of Holmes Beach received for its hurricane cleanup and debris removal efforts and he later returned to that topic when announcing his resignation.
“I’ve been on the city commission for 22 years. I’ve always said when I become not happy with serving on the commission, not enjoying it, I was going to resign. We got chastised. It’s been shameful what people said about us on social media. We tried to keep everything safe for the citizens of Holmes Beach,” he said during the work session.
He also mentioned the vacation rental management companies that publicly opposed the city’s short-lived, hurricane recovery-related vacation rental moratorium.
“I don’t appreciate that,” he said.
“We’ve got some very fine residents that live in Holmes Beach and I’ve met a lot of them. I call them my ‘extra family.’ That being said, I will resign from the city commission as of today. I’ve enjoyed 21 and a half years. It’s done,” he said.
After praising the city commission, Police Chief Bill Tokajer and the Holmes Beach Police Department, Morton said, “We have an awesome group running our city. It’s horrible what they were saying about us. How they wanted to get rid of us.”
During the initial cleanup and debris removal efforts, Morton defended the city on Facebook, which prompted criticism aimed at him too. He also made inaccurate Facebook statements alleging the city of Anna Maria was not following FEMA debris removal requirements and would not qualify for FEMA reimbursement.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy publicly disputed and dispelled those allegations and he and the Anna Maria Commission suggested Morton focus on Holmes Beach.
COMMISSION REACTS
After Morton’s announcement, Commission Chair Dan Diggins said, “Pat, we’re really sorry to see you go; sorry it affected you this way.”
He later said, “People’s perspective on things doesn’t mean it’s accurate.”
Commissioner Terry Schaefer said, “Anyone who devotes, on a volunteer basis, 21-and-a-half active years of their life to any municipality is owed a debt of gratitude. I’ve had the pleasure of working with you at the commission level for six years and I’ve always respected your down-to-earth approach to city governance. It’s always a practical, logical approach, not a political approach. You were the voice of many people in our community. You brought that sense of reason to our deliberations.”
The following day, Schaefer told planning commissioners that Morton is moving to West Virginia.
During the work session, Commissioner Carol Soustek said, “Pat was from the old regime. Twelve years ago, the new regime showed up and Pat joined in. We took a city that was facing bankruptcy and turned it around.”
Soustek said Morton’s longtime employment at the Ace Hardware store in Holmes Beach and his interactions with customers there gave him a great feel for the pulse of the city.
“They felt comfortable bringing him their problems. He was a conduit to a lot of things we did up here,” Soustek said. “When you lose a person of his quality in public service, you’re losing a very important part of your city government. It is hard for people to understand what you give up when you come up here. You are a target, but what you do with what you have been given is so important.”
Before returning to the city commission late last year after a long tenure as a county commissioner, Commissioner Carol Whitmore served for many years as a Holmes Beach commissioner and as mayor.
“I’ve been with him since day one. He’s a good guy,” she said, noting Morton did a “wonderful job” as the city commission’s Waste Pro liaison.
Mayor Judy Titsworth said, “If you looked up the definition of ‘civic duty,’ you would see Pat’s picture. I hope the community understands just how important it is to get people up there that are only here for civic duty. They’re not here for a political climb. They’re not here for the power. They’re here for their civic duty because they love this city so much. That’s Pat; that’s all of us here.”
Tokajer said, “You’ve been a champion for the police department since I got here. I appreciate you and all the love you’ve shown to my officers over the last 12 years.”
Diggins then raised the topic of appointing Morton’s successor.
Citing the city charter, City Attorney Erica Augello said, “A vacancy on the commission shall be filled by appointment of the commission. Such appointment shall receive the approval of the majority of the remaining members and shall be for a term expiring at the end of the next city general election. The unexpired term, if any, shall be filled by election.”
Titsworth referenced the 2024 election in which Diggins and Whitmore won the two open commission seats. Oelfke finished third with 20.6% of the votes and Bill Romberger finished fourth with 11%. Titsworth said the city could solicit applications or defer to the recent election results. Soustek said that’s how she originally became a commissioner after losing a close election.
“We already know who that is. He happens to be here,” Whitmore said of Oelfke’s presence.
She asked if the vacancy could be filled without advertising the open position. Augello said there’s nothing in the charter or state election law that requires a vacant seat to be advertised but the commission can’t take an official action during a work session.
Oelfke is expected to be appointed on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and serve what remains of Morton’s two-year term that expires in November.
An farewell reception for Morton will be held Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 4:30–5:30 p.m. in the Doctor’s Garden at The Doctor’s Office in Holmes Beach, 5312 Holmes Blvd. The reception will begin with a plaque presentation, followed by an informal gathering with refreshments served. The city extends an open invitation to all residents.
