A Times Editorial

Mercurial Shelby sows confusion

It is tough to figure out Largo City Commissioner Marty Shelby, who is trying to put planning for the new Largo library on a back burner and instead wants a September referendum on whether the library should be built.

It isn't just what Shelby says that confuses. It is also what he does.

For example, look at his past positions on the issue of a new library:

June 2000: At a visioning session, Largo commissioners, including Shelby, agree that the city needs a new library based on a consultant's December 1999 finding that the current 36,000-square-foot library is undersized and the space will need to almost triple by 2010. The commission also decides to borrow money so it can build the library sooner. "A majority of the commission believes the needs warrant sooner rather than later," Shelby explains.

March 2001: The City Commission votes to build the library in Largo Central Park and to build it with 65,000 square feet of finished space and 28,000 square feet of unfinished space to trim the cost. Shelby votes yes, though he says he wonders if a referendum should be held first.

December 2001: The City Commission hires the architect to design a signature building for the new library. "It's been said before; but if we are going to do it, let's do it right," Shelby says.

April 2002: The City Commission, including Shelby, votes unanimously to build a finished 93,000-square-foot library at a cost of around $22-million.

For more than two years, Shelby has, through his public remarks and his votes, supported construction of the new library, even as the size and costs rose. Yet two weeks ago when the commission's agenda had items to hire a construction manager and make some minor changes to the architect's contract, Shelby withdrew his support and called for a citywide referendum on whether to build the library. The six other commissioners approved the agenda items and moved on.

Shelby didn't leave it at that. He wrote a blistering letter to the Times that accused his fellow commissioners of "arrogant government spending" and of refusing to listen to the public. And he announced that he would visit several civic groups to rally support among their members for a referendum, raising questions about possible Government-in-the-Sunshine Law violations.

This is not the first time that Shelby's decisionmaking has seemed circuitous and contradictory. Another example was his position on Largo's juvenile curfew. First Shelby, who is an attorney, said the proposed curfew was unconstitutional and he opposed it. Then he voted for it, saying he did so because other commissioners supported it. Afterward, he said he still believed the curfew was unconstitutional and the city might be sued over it.

So why did he vote for it? And why now, after years of discussing and supporting the library plans, did he turn against the project?

A cynic might wonder if, at the eleventh hour, Shelby is trying to wiggle out of being accountable for the library, just in case anything goes wrong down the road. If the new library turns out great and comes in on budget, he can always say he voted for it.

But Shelby says his position has changed because he has decided the cumulative impact of the library cost could hurt other capital projects.

If he had concerns, Shelby should have asked the city staff to explain the financing details to other commissioners and the public at a meeting. Then, he should have conceded to the commission majority.

Instead, he waited until plans were well under way, a site had been chosen and a conceptual design unveiled, then he made a big play to stop the project in its tracks and slammed his colleagues in the process.

His allegation that other commissioners are arrogant and have not listened to the public is a low blow. Shelby voted with them on the library -- was he not listening either?

The commission has discussed the library project in public meetings for well over two years. There has been no ground swell of public opposition to the slowly expanding library plans; few residents spoke on the issue at commission meetings. If large numbers of Largo residents oppose the new library, the commissioners had no way of knowing.

Shelby's pull-out-all-the-stops campaign is especially ironic given his blowup with Mayor Bob Jackson a few weeks ago. Shelby lambasted Jackson, accusing him of refusing to accept the commission's majority vote to cancel the Renaissance Festival. Now, Shelby refuses to accept the commission's vote on the library.

No one on the City Commission has whitewashed the challenge that a 93,000-square-foot library presents for Largo. It will be very expensive to build. It will require careful city budgeting and lots of public donations. But it will be something to be proud of, and it will be just the size it needs to be to accommodate Largo's population a mere eight years from now.

City commissioners were elected to make decisions about city needs and city spending. They have done their job, concluding that a new library is a city need and finding a way to pay for it. A U-turn now would be a mistake.

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