DELTONA, Fla. – In a scathing four-page letter, Deltona city Commissioner Brian Soukup announced that he is resigning immediately, citing several issues with the city manager and how the commission operates as well as his refusal to "play politics."
Soukup tendered his resignation Monday afternoon and asked that it be read at the commission meeting scheduled later that night.
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"The recent actions of this commission, as well as the continued unprofessional actions of City Manager, Jane
Shang, through the withholding and continuous misrepresentation and manipulating of critical information,
have alienated me as an elected official and has essentially disenfranchised the people of my district," Soukup wrote in the letter.
Soukup listed six reasons for his resignation: The inability to receive public records without significant cost; the inability for commissioners to place items on the meeting agenda without prior approval; the policy change dictating that commissioners only deliver short, positive statements during comment time; important decision-making with "a wink and a nod" at workshops, rather than meetings; the mayor "picking and choosing" who can speak with citizens during public comment; and what he calls the misrepresentation of financial information.
"The citizens have lost complete trust in this elected body as well as the top management of this city and yet we do nothing to correct that perception. Instead, we double down on the lies, the confusion, and the distortion of facts," Soukup wrote.
He ended the resignation letter by thanking his colleagues and adding that he will continue to do everything in his power to better the Deltona community.
Soukup was elected to District 5 in November 2014. His term was set to expire in 2018.
Shang released a statement Monday evening about the resignation.
"The Commission will not be the same without Commissioner Soukup. Commissioner Soukup’s absence will be noticeable. I will continue to work with all Commissioners to move Deltona forward as always," Shang said.