Earlier this month we reported that a rejiggered Diamondhead expansion proposal was kicked back to the LPA by the Town Council in a vote of 2-1 because it included a major change. It was that 2-1 vote that caused an issue for the Town Council that should’ve been caught by the town’s attorney but was not.
Why, when there are 5 members of the Town Council, were there only 3 votes on this item? Mayor Dan Allers recused himself because he has a golf cart contract with Diamondhead. Vice Mayor Scott Safford recused himself because his wife Jacki Liszak, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, is hosting the upcoming Sandsculpting Championships on the Diamondhead property.
What the town attorney did not advise the council at the time of the October 5th vote was that the town’s charter calls for an affirmative vote by 3 members of the council for a vote to be valid. With council member John King voting against remanding the issue back to the LPA, the final vote was 2-1. That detail was discovered by the Diamondhead team who reached out to the town to object…