By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published February 22, 2004
REDINGTON SHORES - A proposed forum for residents to meet and question rival candidates failed when District 3 candidate Gail Conroy objected, saying the town's commission chambers aggravate her allergies.
This is the same room where all commission meetings are held and where, if elected, Conroy would have to spend at least several hours each month during meetings and workshops.
When asked how she could serve as a commissioner but not participate in a candidate's forum in the same room, Conroy said she would be able to "preprepare" her remarks for commission meetings, but would have difficulty speaking spontaneously at a candidate's forum.
Conroy said that if elected she will do her best to function in the commission chambers, but if she can't, "they (the town) will have to do something about it."
The issue arose when the League of Women Voters contacted Conroy and her opponent, Jody Armstrong, to arrange a venue for a candidate forum requested by residents.
"I wouldn't want to sneeze and cough when trying to answer a resident's question," Conroy told the league, suggesting instead that the proposed forum be held in the Town Hall's Community Room.
Armstrong then objected, arguing that the Community Room is not wired for sound and would be difficult for attending residents to hear.
"It was a stumbling block," said Mary Berglund, president of the League of Women Voters of the St Petersburg Area, adding that her organization is still willing to sponsor a forum if the candidates can agree on a venue.
Conroy is adamant that she is not willing to attend a candidate forum in the commission chambers, which she describes as a dark, unpleasant room where she has difficulty breathing.
She said dust in the curtains behind the commission dais and the formaldehyde in the dais materials trigger her allergies. She said she developed a multiple chemical sensitivity while working at the Treasure Island City Hall.
"I was hospitalized and it almost shut down my pancreas," Conroy said. "I almost died."
When she has attended commission meetings, Conroy said she sits as close to the outer door as possible. When asked how this condition would affect her as a commissioner sitting at the dais, she said, "I'll deal with that when I get there. But it doesn't mean I can't do the job. I can preprepare and not have to think on my feet."
Conroy also said if the town "has to spend a couple thousand dollars to get new curtains, so be it."
Mayor J.J. Beyrouti said that if Conroy is elected and her allergies are aggravated by the commission chambers the issue is a legal problem that would have to be resolved.
"I don't know if the Americans With Disabilities Act covers this, but we would do whatever is required by law," he added.
According to Oliver Melvin, compliance manager for the Pinellas County Office of Human Rights, the town would have to reach an accommodation with Conroy whether or not she is elected.
The ADA covers issues of both public access and employment, he said. If someone is confirmed disabled by a doctor - which Conroy says she is - the law requires that both public and work spaces be adjusted to allow the disabled person access and the ability to work.
"They would have to work something out," Melvin said. "The law requires a dialogue between the parties and a resolution to the problem."
