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PAC aims at August ballot for referendum on creating Naples ethics panel

City of Naples seal

A Naples political action committee is now eyeing the August ballot for a referendum to poll voters on the creation of a local ethics commission to govern the conduct of public officials.

But the newly formed Naples Ethics PAC still is collecting signatures on its petition to establish a volunteer ethics board and an Office of Ethics and Government Integrity.

The commission, which would be the first in Naples history, would have the power to investigate complaints against local officials and oversee sweeping changes to Naples ethics ordinances.

The PAC has collected 360 signatures since its effort began Nov. 1, said John Lehmann, vice president of the PAC.

More:Naples PAC lobbies for ballot question on local ethics commission

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More:Naples Council still seeks answers on ethics complaints

To qualify its petition for a ballot question, the group must collect signatures from at least 10 percent of the city’s registered voters. For the 2016 election, there were roughly 14,500 registered voters, which would require about 1,450 signatures.

The PAC must collect those signatures by May 15 to get a referendum on the August primary ballot, Lehmann said.

“I have no doubt we’ll meet the deadline,” he said.

The PAC initially aimed to have the ballot question as part of February’s municipal election, but Lehmann said his group didn’t have enough time to collect signatures.

In the meantime, the PAC has pitched its proposal to local officials.

“We would love to get on the February ballot, but we’ve got a much better document now, because we’ve gotten a lot of input,” Lehmann said.

According to the PAC’s proposal, the five members of the ethics board would be appointed by the City Council, the Naples representative on the Collier County Commission, the Collier sheriff, the public defender’s office and the state attorney’s office.

Individuals from each of those groups already have agreed to the arrangement, Lehmann said.

The council considered establishing an ethics commission last year but ultimately rejected the idea. Councilwoman Linda Penniman had called for stricter enforcement of ethics after the Naples Daily News reported on a potential conflict of interest involving Councilman Sam Saad.

Saad in May 2016 joined the council in voting to approve a redevelopment at a property overseen by his business partner for a company that has hired Saad for legal work, the Daily News reported.

Penniman in April filed a complaint against Saad with the Florida Commission on Ethics. The complaint is pending.