Commissioner Rufus Borom Honored with 2023 Home Rule Hero Award
Palatka City Commissioner Rufus Borom stands with Rebecca O’Hara, Florida League of Cities Deputy General Counsel, during an award ceremony in June where he was given a 2023 Home Rule Hero Award from the organization.
Palatka official recognized for advocacy efforts during the 2023 Legislative Session
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PALATKA, Fla. – The Florida League of Cities (FLC), the united voice for Florida's municipal governments, recently recognized Palatka City Commissioner Rufus Borom with a 2023 Home Rule Hero Award for his hard work and advocacy efforts during the 2023 Legislative Session. Commissioner Borom worked tirelessly throughout the session to promote local voices making local choices, protect the Home Rule powers of Florida's municipalities and advance the League's legislative agenda.
"The League and its legislative team appreciate the individual advocacy efforts undertaken by municipal officials throughout the state," said FLC Chief of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook. "Home Rule Heroes are some of our biggest advocates for protecting local decision-making. They are League members who stand out for their high level of participation, knowledge, and effectiveness. This year's Home Rule Heroes continuously advocated for their communities throughout the 2023 Legislative Session."
Home Rule is the ability of a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials, both elected and nonelected, who consistently responded to the League's request to reach out to members of the Legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue.
"Home Rule is super important because we [the commissioners] represent the people of Palatka. We work with the people of this city every day. We know the people of Palatka. When a pothole needs to be filled, they call. When the trash is not picked up, they call. Water outage or sewer line that's broken, they call. We are responding to people's immediate needs and that's what is very gratifying about being a commissioner; being able to help the people of Palatka." said Commissioner Borom.
"Home rule allows for you to provide local legislation that meets the needs of your community. There's no blanket legislation where one size fits all. What may work in Miami may not fit in Palatka or in Tallahassee. Palatka is one of 411 unique cities in our state and home rule lets us preserve what makes Palatka special," the commissioner continued.
Commissioner Borom has served on the Palatka City Commission since 2015 and is currently President of the Northeast Florida League of Cities.
Commissioner Borom can be reached at (386) 329-0100 or rborom@palatka-fl.gov.