Palm Coast Vice Mayor Ed Danko received a rather unpleasant parting gift on Tuesday, in what was his last full meeting as a member of the Palm Coast City Council. The Council voted to censure him for his alleged efforts to support a lawsuit against the city for a borrowing amendment which ultimately failed on the general election ballot. The vote was 3-1, with Danko himself having departed the meeting early.
The dishonor of being censured was the first time the City Council had made such a move in its 25-year existence, and so it marked a rebuke of Danko’s behavior that is entirely unprecedented. The majority vote to censure him was composed of Mayor David Alfin, along with Council members Nick Klufas and Theresa Carli Pontieri. Dissenting was Charles Gambaro.
Anatomy of a Censure
A censure in government does not carry formal consequences, but rather declares in the strongest language that a member’s colleagues condemn their words or actions. It’s often used when members are alleged to have spoken inappropriately, or acted in such a way that’s clearly and flagrantly unbecoming of their office. Danko, in various comments since the censure took place, essentially painted the action as sour grapes on Pontieri’s part.
The referendum Danko opposed would’ve granted the City Council expanded power to borrow money without needing the approval of voters. The language of the ballot measure drew intense scrutiny, with even initial supporters of the idea later coming to admit it was worded vaguely. In the absence of uniform support even from the body which it would empower, the amendment did not pass on the November election ballot.
The motion to censure Danko was made by Councilwoman Pontieri, calling Danko’s actions “disconcerting behavior”, and accusing him of placing himself into a conflict of interest by working to help associates sue the city. A lawsuit was filed by Alan Lowe, a four-time Palm Coast candidate and friend of Danko’s. It was later dropped in light of the referendum’s rejection by Palm Coast’s voters.
A Long-Strained City Council
Also mentioned by Pontieri in her motion was Danko’s rough criticisms of Mayor Alfin on social media in recent weeks. The postings included a series of disparaging deepfakes of Alfin, manipulating photos of him to have him lip-sync various unseemly quotations. He also shared a door-hanger ad before Election Day with a photo of Alfin edited to make him appear to oppose the referendum, with no quick way to tell the image was satire for those unfamiliar with Alfin’s face or the history behind the measure.
Danko has long been a political opponent of Alfin’s, dating back to the 2021 special mayoral election when Danko fervently backed Lowe’s campaign. He frequently levied harsh criticisms of him then, which continued after Alfin won the election. Their working relationship largely cooled over time, save for the occasional shouting match on hotbed issues. The severity of recent public sparring indicates the two are leaving the Council as estranged as ever. Klufas also ripped Danko on Tuesday, saying that he failed to act as an adult in his role as Vice Mayor.
Of the current Council, only Pontieri will still be a member of the City Council when the body takes up its business next week. Mayor Alfin was voted out in favor of incoming mayor Mike Norris, while Danko opted to run for County Commission and Klufas was forced out by term limits. Klufas also chose to run for County Commission, and both he and Danko were defeated in their Republican primaries back in August.
