Business aid program loses liaison abruptly

PINELLAS PARK -- City, county and Chamber of Commerce officials were caught by surprise this week when the man responsible for helping new and struggling businesses resigned.

Jeffrey Girard, who served as the business liaison specialist since last July in a business assistance program sponsored jointly by Pinellas Park, Pinellas County and the Pinellas Park/Mid-County Chamber of Commerce, quit Monday.

"I don't know if I felt I had the support I really needed," Girard said Tuesday. "I loved that job."

But Girard, 51, said he decided to leave after Jeannie McGinty Insurance in Pinellas Park offered him a job with full retirement benefits.

The end came abruptly after he called Ray Fisher, the chamber's vice president, and said he wanted to give his two weeks' notice. But Fisher said there was no need to work out the notification period.

"I told him it was time for me to move on and he said okay," Girard said. "They were nice about it. They said thank you very much, but finish out the day. Finish what you need to do."

Girard denied the parting was hostile. "From my point of view, it was a totally friendly split."

Chamber president Alena Opyd said Girard's move surprised her. Opyd said she had neither talked with him nor had she seen his written resignation.

Opyd said the chamber will meet with city and county officials Friday to discuss replacing Girard.

Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler praised Girard.

"We have lost a very valuable individual. He did an outstanding job. . . . It'll be hard shoes to fill," Mischler said. "Everybody had praise for Jeffrey Girard."

Girard is not the first person to leave the chamber at least in part because of a failure to provide health coverage and other benefits. Rita Bott, the chamber's former executive director, left last year partially because of that shortcoming in employee benefits.

The chamber itself has had financial difficulties that came to light late last year when Mischler criticized the group's handling of the business assistance program. The program is designed to help businesses that are having problems and is funded by a three-way agreement among the city, county and chamber. Each is supposed to pay one-third of the $45,000 annual cost for an administrator.

Mischler had accused the chamber of reneging on its share, meaning Girard was making $30,000 a year rather than $45,000.

Then-chamber president Bill DeLong denied the accusation, saying $45,000 was the total package. The chamber, he said, paid a small part of Girard's salary but also paid working expenses and provided office space, phones, car allowance and other costs.

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