Ocoee City Commission appoints mayor pro tem, board liaisons

Among the 11 approved items on the consent agenda at the Tuesday, April 16, Ocoee City Commission meeting was the appointment of a new mayor pro tem. 

In his first term on the commission, District 1 Commissioner Scott Kennedy has been appointed to the position. Kennedy will take over the post from District 2 Commissioner Rosemary Wilsen, who served in the role for the 2023-24 term. 

As mayor pro tem, Kennedy is designated to serve as mayor in the case of absence or disability of the sitting mayor for the 2024-25 term.

Since 2021, the commission has rotated the title and responsibility among its four commissioners, going in order based on district. Although Wilsen represents District 2, the original designee for 2023-24 was the District 4 commissioner. 

However, because the District 4 seat was vacant at the time of appointing a mayor pro tem, Wilsen was appointed to the role. 

Commission liaisons

Along with Kennedy’s appointment, the commission also appointed its members as liaisons to the city’s various boards. These liaison appointments represent the commissioner who will be responsible for facilitating the connection, communication and cooperation between their respective boards and the commission. 

The appointments include: Wilsen (Parks and Recreation Board, Tri-County League of Cities); Kennedy (Citizens Advisory Board, MetroPlan Orlando Municipal Advisory Committee); Richard Firstner (Citizens Advisory Board for the Fire Department); Mayor Rusty Johnson (Human Relations Diversity Board, Personnel Board); George Oliver III (Education Incentive Board); and Robert Frank (West Orange Chamber of Commerce, until retirement. Assistant City Manager Craig Shadrix was named successor).

In other news

• Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson read two proclamations at the meeting.  The first declared the month of April 2024 as National Donate Life Month, which is an effort by the city “to encourage all residents to consider giving life through organ donation and to sign up on Florida’s organ and tissue donor registry or when renewing their driver license or state identification card.” The second proclamation dedicated the week of April 21 to 27, 2024, as Volunteer Appreciation Week in Ocoee. The city encourages all officials and residents to extend their appreciation to the volunteers who serve the Ocoee community.

• The commission heard a presentation from representatives of accounting firm Purvis Gray on the results of an audit of the city’s 2023 fiscal year. The audit found the city was in an excellent financial state, issuing an unmodified auditor’s opinion — or a clean opinion, the highest level of assurance that you can have from audit results — on the financial statements and notes, while also reporting that there were no material weaknesses or instances of non-compliance under government auditing standards. The audit also found the city complied with all requirements for local government investment, there were no instances of deteriorating financial conditions and there were no noted instances of non-compliance with contracts or grants. 

• The commission voted to authorize staff to proceed forward with an ordinance that allows the city the option of installing cameras in school zones to help enforcement.