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Mayor's charge hangs in city's air

Commissioners and citizens still try to fathom what led Safety Harbor's mayor to point a finger at the city manager.

By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published July 21, 2005

SAFETY HARBOR - The city had never seen anything like it.

It seems everyone was talking about Mayor Pam Corbino's rant Monday at a City Commission meeting accusing City Manager Wayne Logan Jr. of bilking Safety Harbor out of a large amount of money and putting it in a state retirement fund for himself.

Then commissioners were stunned again 24 hours later when Corbino abruptly dropped the matter during a work session after receiving an e-mail from the city attorney stating that Logan had done nothing wrong, and the payment was part of his contract.

With TV cameras running, several commissioners immediately urged Corbino to say she was sorry.

"Mr. Logan is in need of an apology," said Andy Steingold.

"I'm not going to apologize for asking questions," said Corbino.

"Still, that was a pretty serious allegation," said Steingold.

Corbino did not respond.

Commissioner Kara Bauer spoke up.

"I, for one, am horribly embarrassed," she said. "I'm embarrassed for the commission and for the city. I feel that Mr. Logan is due an apology."

"Duly noted," said Corbino.

On Wednesday, commissioners were still shaking their heads in disbelief.

"This was a criminal allegation," said Steingold. "I felt as if she was going to call for a vote to fire Mr. Logan."

Logan said he had been nervous before the Tuesday work session, not knowing what Corbino was planning to say.

"I was very pleased the other four commissioners recognized this appeared to be not a question (on Corbino's part) but an attack," he said, adding he has no idea why the mayor questioned his integrity or why she did so in such a public fashion.

Corbino did not return voice mails left Wednesday by the St. Petersburg Times on her home and cell phones.

Corbino first brought up the $45,000 payment on Monday, saying she had asked for an internal audit of the finance and leisure services departments. Frustrated that it hadn't begun, she began looking into city finances herself. She said she could not discuss the issue with other commissioners before Monday because of state Sunshine Laws, which prohibit elected officials from talking privately among themselves about city business.

But because Logan is an unelected city employee, "it was a matter that could have been addressed by the two of them" in Logan's office in private, said Commissioner Nadine Nickeson.

"It appeared to be a contractual matter," she said. "It's in his contract."

Neither Logan nor the commissioners know what prompted Corbino's attack, although they suggest the relationship has been strained in the past few years.

"It's very clear she doesn't like him and wants to get rid of him," Bauer said. Safety Harbor resident and Chamber of Commerce board member Patrick Whelan said Wednesday Corbino should have spoken up sooner if she suspected Logan of wrongdoing.

"Why didn't she come forward?" he said. "She knew about this months ago. It sounds like a vendetta against the city manager."

When asked if he might find it difficult to work with Corbino in the future, Logan said he would like to go on with business as usual.

"I'm a professional," he said. "I will continue to serve the community and the citizens of Safety Harbor."

Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 21, 2005, 00:56:18]