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Letter to the editor

Neighbors who act like kids need timeout

Re: Feuds and neighbors, story, May 1.

One of the rules in most 55-plus mobile home parks is "no children allowed." After reading this story about the feuding neighbors, perhaps the rule in that park should be amended to read, "No children or childish behavior allowed."

As a substitute elementary school teacher, I can tell you that children who sit next to one another for seven hours a day usually behave better than those guys. When they don't, they get a timeout. Guess what these guys need?

It's time to take down the video cameras, the spotlights, the windsock flags, remove the toilet seat planter and all the items meant to irritate each other. Good grief. And the obscene gestures? Do we really have to point out the immaturity of that communication?

And if the answer to Rodney King's question years ago, "Can't we all get along?" is "No," then let's have a detente. Go back to your seat, children - er, gentlemen - and go about your business and avoid, don't antagonize. While that may sound naive, the simple alternative is for one or the other to move.

It's not easy living close together. "Love your neighbor as yourself" sounds like the ranting of some guy on a street corner in sandals and burlap with a hand-painted sign. It's a commandment, for God's sake. And it's tougher than it sounds. But when it is obeyed, life for everyone is worth living.

Perhaps, to the inscription on the Statue of Liberty "... Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses ..." we should add "but tell them they have to respect each other. ... No fighting."

School Board only doing its job

Re: "Rascals' on School Board need to be replaced, letter, April 24.

The writer obviously assumes that it is the responsibility of the School Board to take every employee in hand and demonstrate how to do his or her job. What the writer is asking for is micromanagement and crossed signals.

The superintendent is responsible for instituting the board's directives. If they say, "Do something about the transportation problem" and he says, "I am working on it," how have they not done their jobs?

If instead, each of the board members were to visit transportation and try to monkey in the works, what a mess that would create!

Everyone admits that there are problems with school choice, yet another item Superintendent Clayton Wilcox is working on. Read his blog http://www.sptimes.com/classroom/) How can anyone say that the School Board is not doing anything when its direct representative is working on the issue in a public forum to ensure that there are useful and meaningful changes?

Finally, it seems that there is a belief that School Board members should be able to deal with every person's complaint or concern with a direct answer and results. They are board members, not deities; they send questions to the people who can best answer those questions. Should we call that "shuffling off" or delegating?

We face serious and pressing issues in our schools, problems that require the attention of intelligent, capable and motivated people. The School Board members are intelligent, capable and motivated. Please work with them and not against them. They know how to delegate responsibilities for the tasks that are important without mucking up the works, and they deal with the policies of the School Board (which includes dress codes).

It is time to accept the simple and obvious fact that the current members of the Pinellas County School Board are concerned with all of the issues, and they are dealing with each one of them either by reviewing current policy or delegating the task to an employee who is directing the efforts to solve the problem.

I am not saying that change would be bad; I am saying the reasons for calling for change are flawed. However, if the School Board is not producing the results that you think they should, then run for one of the seats yourself. This is, after all, the United States of America.

Coincidences over Biltmore hotel?

Re: Belleview Biltmore.

Help. I am confused. There are no such things as conspiracies involving government officials, right? Just coincidences and ordinary citizens overreacting to things that are inevitable.

Let me see if I have the story right.

A mayor can have lunch with a developer, and it doesn't matter who invites whom, or who picks up the tab. No big deal. Mayors and developers are free to discuss matters at lunch, even matters that would come up in the future at meetings the mayor could control. The developer can be his own lobbyist. It can be more effective that way. Belleair is only a town. And, after all, this is Florida, where developers own the politicians. Besides, a mayor does not have to be concerned about even the appearance of impropriety. There is no law requiring disclosure of those sorts of things.

Then there is the coincidence involving Belleair's experienced town attorney. In looking back, now, it appears this attorney has not been particularly aggressive about, nor voiced any optimism about, any chance he might have to use the courts to somehow stave off the bulldozers. In other words, I don't think he would be accused of overreacting to the pending demolition of a historic landmark. Nor, I would bet, could he be expected to voice much alarm about the possible rezoning application that would follow, which, if passed, could cram more than 600 more families into Belleair.

So according to the St. Petersburg Times, this lawyer has been on the developers' payroll. But that was then. Hey, it's a small world.

I wonder how many people know Dick Greco, the former mayor over in Tampa, where they earned a reputation for having really good government during his watch. Well, maybe not really good, but it could have been worse. Maybe. Anyway, just a coincidence that Dick Greco used to work for DeBartolo too, before he was elected mayor. So what. DeBartolo knows how to make friends with mayors. It pays to have friends in high places. Maybe.

But the lawyer did not make known his business dealings, or lawyer-client relationship with DeBartolo, until recently. Hey, maybe he doesn't have to. Maybe it is part of the attorney-client privilege. Maybe it's nobody's business.

And the out-of-state owner, who bought the old wooden hotel knowing full well it would require regular maintenance, can't be made to get his roof repaired and buildings brought up to code? That's strange. I would think Belleair would be collecting fines for allowing buildings to become run down. (I have heard they do that in other communities. I have even heard that when the fines are not paid, or owners are not acting in a rational way with regard to the upkeep of their properties, that sometimes a city government will force the repairs to be made, pay for them, and put a lien against the property.)

I guess it is different in Belleair. After all it is only a town. A town where the mayor has many rich friends, and the town attorney has developer clients, and the town residents seem to be the only ones who care much about its cherished landmark hotel that needs immediate repairs.

Banish rockers, bring back symphony

I can empathize with both Ray Biggart and Steve Baetzner, who in letters published May 1 expressed their concerns about the noise level of the recent three-day music festival in Largo.

My home is situated close to the intersection of 14th Avenue and Seminole Boulevard, a considerable distance from the park, yet on Friday and Saturday nights I clearly heard the rock music in my living room, even with the television on. I can only imagine how disturbing it must have been to residents living in much closer proximity to the concerts.

Not surprisingly, the classical program presented on Sunday was too quiet for me to hear.

Surely the poor turnout for this event, far below expectations, should discourage organizers from a repeat performance. Should they insist on an encore, may I suggest they extend it to the orchestra and let the rockers go to the St. Pete Forum where they belong?

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[Last modified May 4, 2005, 00:57:19]