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Old foes sign up for a rematch
By MATTHEW WAITE, Times Staff Writer
PORT RICHEY -- Port Richey's mayoral ballot should include a nickname: Round III. Bob Leggiere and Eloise Taylor filed to run for mayor Monday, setting up the third mayoral contest between the two since 2000, when Taylor beat Leggiere in a special election by 18 percentage points. Taylor and Leggiere then again went against each other in 2001, where Taylor edged out Leggiere by nine votes. The upcoming election is April 8. Neither candidate returned calls seeking comment Monday. But the two have a lengthy history that has largely shaped the city's tumultuous political landscape for the past three years. Leggiere's troubles in the city -- these include a grand jury convened to investigate him interfering in the Building Department -- are the reason Taylor got into city politics. In July 2000, the Times reported that police Chief Bill Downs was investigating Leggiere after the second building official in six months had left, claiming Leggiere had interfered with duties. Leggiere then, and now, denies interfering, and says he was questioning decisions made. The investigation almost immediately caused a political rift in the city when Taylor entered a mayoral race many thought the twice-elected Leggiere would win easily. With the cloud of the investigation over him, Leggiere lost a special election to fill the vacant mayor's seat by the 18-percentage-point margin. The investigation quieted down for months and in the spring of 2001, Leggiere announced he was running again for a full term as mayor. But a grand jury was convened just a month before the April election. After hearing testimony from 13 witnesses, the grand jury issued no indictments, settling on a report that said Leggiere had interfered, and that the city needed to add penalties against council members who interfere. Just days later, Leggiere lost another mayoral election, this one by nine votes. In June 2001, former council member Joe Menicola and current members Pat Guttman and Phyllis Grae rejected adding penalties to the charter. The same three people later put Leggiere on the Code Enforcement Board, which Leggiere more or less created and where he has served since. And the division in the city's politics has remained since the first Taylor-Leggiere clash. Taylor, during her time on the council, has argued that city policies and procedures were lacking, and they allowed "cronyism" into the process. Both Leggiere and Taylor have said city codes are outdated or unenforceable. The two clashed over the formation of the code board that Leggiere now heads. Leggiere said it was necessary to enforce city codes; Taylor said it would only introduce more favoritism as neighbors judged neighbors. As the factionalism has continued, so has the Building Department's role as the center of city controversy. Leggiere's return to city politics comes after the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation opened a case into Leggiere's chief nemesis: former Building Official Ralph Zanello. Throughout the investigation into Leggiere's actions with the Building Department, Leggiere repeatedly blamed Zanello for his troubles. Leggiere, in 2002, filed a complaint with the DBPR about Zanello. The case file -- over 1 1/2 inches thick -- contains Leggiere's accusations about buildings without permits and unlicensed contracting. DBPR investigators largely dismissed Leggiere's accusations. Instead, investigators focused on two house construction projects that Zanello oversaw where building codes weren't followed, investigators said. Zanello has denied the allegations, and his attorney, Max Battle, wrote to the DBPR that Leggiere's allegations "concerning anyone connected with the City of Port Richey are highly suspect." Leggiere, long angry with the Times over reporting on his actions with the Building Department, said recently that he would comment on Zanello when "the St. Pete Times wants to tell the truth." "I'll let the record stand for itself," he said. -- Matthew Waite covers Port Richey city government. He can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6247, or toll free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6247. His e-mail address is waite@sptimes.com .
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