Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Ten months ago, Republican state Rep. Heather Fiorentino kicked off her campaign for Pasco school superintendent with a promise to crack down on waste. At the time, voters didn't know she was so close to questionable government spending.
As detailed by Times staff writer Rebecca Catalanello, Fiorentino signed school district time sheets and state travel reimbursement forms that indicate she was doing legislative and school district work simultaneously on at least 19 occasions. That is a neat trick considering, in most instances, she needed to be in different places at the same time to accomplish such a Herculean task.
Most implausible are the records from Dec. 10, 2002, that show Fiorentino worked 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the school district while also claiming to have left New Port Richey at 7 a.m., met House Speaker Johnnie Byrd and attended training. The legislative expenses include $18 in meals, $61.59 for lodging and $83.53 for a rental car.
Fiorentino said she had car trouble, rented an automobile and headed for Tallahassee late in the afternoon after working a full day for the school district. Then exactly when did she find time to do the training?
She acknowledged the records, which she signed, should have raised a red flag because she leaves her house at 4:30 a.m. on days she drives to Tallahassee.
"I've never tried to rip anybody off," she said Tuesday after the Pasco School Board learned the school administration planned its own audit of Fiorentino's district pay records. She pointed to financial disclosure forms and her W-2 tax form, indicating she forfeited $25,000 in annual district wages, as proof.
But her earlier litany of explanations for collecting 96 hours of compensation, totaling $2,437 in district pay, while also claiming to be working as a legislator are hard to digest.
It's the legislative staff's fault. Superintendent John Long is scrutinizing her too rigidly. She had a verbal promise that documentation was unnecessary. And the oldie, but goodie: It's all political.
No kidding. She opened the door to the scrutiny by announcing a leave of absence from the district because she said she needed significant time away from the classroom to tend to lame duck legislative duties.
Blaming school administrators, who are backing her primary opponent Chuck Rushe, is a curious strategy considering Fiorentino acknowledged it is her legislative records that are in error, not the district's. That means she alone is responsible for any discrepancies.
Fiorentino offered an apology and reimbursed the state $48 for meals claimed on legislative forms on days her time cards showed she worked for the school district. Swell, but left unanswered is the bigger question of the $2,437 in district salary.
School Board Chairwoman Jean Larkin Weightman asked Fiorentino to pay back the district. Fiorentino declined, saying her district time sheets are accurate. Fiorentino said she welcomed the district audit.
The inability to fill out reimbursement forms accurately shouldn't be construed as a disqualification for leading the school district. But Fiorentino could have followed the often-talked-about Republican mantra of accountability if she had owned up to all the sloppy record keeping instead of looking elsewhere for a scapegoat.
Fiorentino characterized the legislative documents as imprecise. That appears to be an understatement.
She would be wise to recall her tenure as a City Council member when she cut her political teeth combing municipal budgets in New Port Richey. When it comes to public spending, precision counts.