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Re: Largo city manager: Pay up or I'll go, story, Aug. 25.
The whole issue of the Largo city manager's pay raise is just a combination of power plays.
Mayor Bob Jackson, who I praise for attending the Dunedin Blue Jays LGBT Pride Day ball game, is seeking a form of city government that gives the power back to the mayor.
The Charter Review Committee is hoping to make the city a fundamentalist Christian theocracy.
Commissioner Mary Gray Black continues to use the language in the city charter to convince at least two other city commissioners to vote with her, causing stalemates on most issues. Mrs. Black still refuses to have personal meetings with the city manager, but she gets free legal advice on the language of the charter from Charter Review Committee member and lawyer R. Bruce McManus.
These are all power plays by individuals with personal agendas, and they all are deeply hurting the city of Largo.
My advice to City Manager Steve Stanton is to hang on into the next round of City Commission elections. This small clique of fundamentalist Christians that has a lock on city politics will be tossed out by a broader electorate. I do believe that once the new charter reaches the public for a referendum vote, that also will be rejected by Largo's majority of voters. I do believe that more than 6 percent of the city's population will be voting in the next election.
Re: Stanton should get raise, attorney finds, story, Aug. 31.
The issue concerning the Largo city manager's raise highlights a conflict of interest on the part of the city attorney, Alan Zimmet, which was correctly handled by enlisting the services of John Hubbard, a disinterested and competent outside attorney, to resolve the conflict.
As a retired social studies teacher with, perhaps, too much time on my hands, I have been following the deliberations of the Largo Charter Review Committee. I also am interested because of my past experience serving on the Charter Review Committee of Belleair Bluffs in 1992, under the apt leadership of the same John Hubbard.
What I have observed is an absence of knowledgeable leadership to aid the efforts of the committee members to directly attack the core problem. In 1992, at the urging of Mr. Hubbard, we quickly agreed that the existing Belleair Bluffs charter was hopelessly outdated and conflicted in content. That is when the KISS approach - Keep It Simple, Stupid - was implemented in designing our new charter, again, under Mr. Hubbard's leadership.
Mr. Zimmet is making a heroic effort to respond to the demands of the committee, but what I see is a man trying to serve them while, at the same time, protecting the charter interests of City Manager Steve Stanton, his boss. This situation creates an untenable position for Mr. Zimmet and the committee's desire to create a truly functional charter that provides direction for the city's governance.
Since Mr. Hubbard has proved his worth regarding the issue concerning the city manager's pay raise, why not approach him in an advisory capacity to help the committee through its deliberations? I have known Hubbard since 1987, when we hired him as our city attorney, and I just know that his reaction to Largo's charter content raised his eyebrows considerably! He could be Largo's "man of the hour."
Re: Largo mayor lacks skills, letter by Pat Burke, Aug. 23.
When Commissioner Pat Burke left the Largo City Commission, I felt we lost a good, caring representative. I have missed her demeanor and her soft smile at the meetings. I'm sorry she now feels it is time to bash Mayor Bob Jackson. Bob has been our mentor for many years. He isn't an old fogie, neither is he a tax and spend person. He is always available, and usually with a smile.
We've bumped heads on many issues over the years, but he doesn't waffle on his decisions. He does, however, recognize your right to disagree. He is not a rubber stamp mayor and on occasion he doesn't vote with the commission. His votes should not be construed as a vote against the commission or staff.
Since I don't get to vote on the issues before the commission, it is good to know that the commission, for the most part, represents not only me, but all residents.
Many of us want a strong mayor. We feel someone who is elected by the people should and must be the leader. City managers are not elected, they are hired. Our manager and mayor have an oil-and-water relationship. Both are strong-willed men and I feel both do a good job, but City Manager Steve Stanton should serve the commission, not lead it.
Pat Burke should focus on the productive progress of the mayor and commission. If you were so angry, why didn't you use your position as a commissioner to inform the people? Take a vacation, Pat, or are you chumming for another run for office?