Two positive things came out of Tuesday's Tampa Bay Roundtable political forum at Ragan Park. One, a standing room only crowd of more than 200 turned out to hear candidates from key races. And two, they left fired up about the political process.
The roundtable, a growing coalition of 17 black organizations, attracted several candidates running in next week's primary election but focused the forum on Hillsborough state attorney, clerk of the Circuit Court and District 5 School Board races.
Robin Fuson, who is challenging incumbent Mark Ober in the state attorney's race, drew applause from the crowd when he implied that suspects who hire high-profile attorneys get preferential treatment from Ober's office.
Fuson cited the recent case involving sexual assault allegations against three Plant High athletes and a former student from the school. All four had sex with a 14-year-old Plant High girl, and Fuson said it was wrong for Ober's office to allow the four to plead no contest to felony battery, a charge that comes with no sexual connotation.
Ober countered by saying the victim had a fragile psyche and would have been victimized a second time if she had to go through a trial. He also said the four accused did not go unpunished, noting that one of the accused, a star baseball player who graduated in May, lost a college scholarship.
As one of the panelists, I asked Ober if he thought the 22nd Street hit-and-run case that resulted in the death of two children has eroded some of the trust he has successfully established during his 31/2-year tenure.
Ober said the case is difficult because witness accounts were inconsistent and no one on the scene could identify Jennifer Porter as the driver of the Toyota Echo involved in the accident. Porter has been accused of leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, a felony that comes with a maximum 15-year sentence.
Not satisfied with the response, Fuson asked Ober to explain why he granted Porter's parents immunity from being charged with anything they may have done in the aftermath of the crash.
Ober said giving the parents immunity was the only way to gain the necessary evidence that Porter was at the scene. He also said that because Porter's parents live in Pasco County, their role in the accident was outside his jurisdiction.
At one point a panelist asked Fuson, a former prosecutor, to respond to allegations he was running for office in retaliation for having to leave Ober's office under less than desirable circumstances. He resigned after his supervisors complained that he did not get their approval before offering plea deals, which included light sentences to two accused drug dealers.
Fuson said he developed ideas about how to run the office better during his tenure and has always been interested in the job. In his rebuttal, Ober said he had a problem with Fuson's professionalism and "in-your-face" style. Fuson later said he considered that description a compliment.
I'm not sure Fuson stole any votes from Ober, but the exchanges between the two seasoned attorneys certainly made for good theater.
ANOTHER INTERESTING NOTE came during debate for the clerk of the Circuit Court race. An audience member asked candidate Pat Frank, a county commissioner, why she was so passionately opposed to the hiring of new county attorney Renee Lee.
Lee was seated in the front row of the audience. The question didn't come from Lee, but someone clearly wanted to put Frank on the spot. Moderator Aj Jemison said several people submitted the same question.
Frank said her lone vote against Lee's hiring was because she was opposed to the severance package included in Lee's contract, and that she has always been against "golden parachutes."
SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 5 seat candidates Joe Robinson and James Randolph attended the debate, but Doretha Edgecomb, considered by many to be the front runner, did not. Edgecomb called me Wednesday to explain she didn't participate because she had a case of laryngitis.
Overall, the forum proved to be a real success. Ken Anthony, one of the organizers said he hopes the roundtable can attract the respective U.S. Senate party nominees for a forum after Tuesday's primary.
I can't imagine why they wouldn't take up such an opportunity.
