Mayor to step down from TPO

MILTON — Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay has announced her intent to step down as the city's representative on the Transportation Planning Organization following her appointment as Pensacola's new assistant city attorney.

Lindsay said she had already decided to step down from the TPO after consulting with Susan Wolfe, city attorney for Pensacola, but had not made her decision public until now. She said her decision was not made out of any fear that she would have a conflict of interest.

"I'm going to vote for Milton everyday of the week," Lindsay said.

Lindsay said she decided it would be best to step down to avoid the possibility of any awkward situations with members of Pensacola's council who serve on the TPO.

Lindsay said that she had raised the question of the "perceived conflict of interest," a concern that was also raised by Councilwoman Shannon Rice, Councilman Jeff Snow and Wolfe at the May 14 Milton City Council meeting, prior to making her decision.

"These were questions I raised weeks ago folks," Lindsay said. "Ya'll can trust I have my eye on the ball."

On Monday, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson held a press conference where he said he did not perceive a conflict of interest with Lindsay staying on the TPO. He said his expectation was that when she was at the meetings she was there to represent her city. 

“She is not there as part of Pensacola, she is there as a part of Milton," Robinson said.

Traditionally, Milton’s mayor has appointed members of the council to serve as representative to special committees, including the Tourist Development Council and TPO. Lindsay said she is looking into who will take her place as the TPO representative for the city.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Mayor to step down from TPO