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Speculation about leader's housing choice is insulting

Re: Leader's relationship a risk, experts say, story, Jan. 26.

Two attempts have been made by members of the Dunedin City Commission to reduce interim City Manager Maureen Freaney's chances of becoming city manager. The first attempt was the launching of a national search. The second was an attempt to prevent her from becoming interim city manager.

Now someone has raised whether the fact that Ms. Freaney and city recreation director Peg Cummings live in a house they own jointly represents a conflict of interest. I see this article as an affront to the integrity of both women.

They have both worked their way through the ranks to their current positions. Ms. Freaney has been Ms. Cummings' de facto boss for many years already as assistant city manager. There has never been a hint of favoritism before, and if Ms. Freaney becomes city manager, there is no reason to believe that she will exhibit any lapses in integrity in the future.

If any member of the Dunedin City Commission or the press has a legitimate reason for opposing Ms. Freaney's candidacy for the position, why don't they just state it openly and directly? These attempts to cast a shadow on Ms. Freaney's qualifications and suitability for the city manager position are at best shady tactics. Whose agenda is served by these tactics and why is the St. Petersburg Times buying into it?

City must stop stalling and take action on old library

Largo city commissioners, there are times when commission meetings are truly quality entertainment, but then there are times when you do leave us wondering.

At the commission meeting on Jan. 17, one commissioner was actually in favor of all sides of a proposed rezoning. I'm not 100 percent sure, but methinks taking a position like that is somewhat wanting in the leadership department (just my opinion).

And speaking about leadership, for more than three years you have talked to death the proposed use of the old library building, and to this day it's still empty with the meter running. You've spent tens of thousands of tax dollars on consultants, and this investment of our money has generated an unused city asset with its leaky roof. If you won't make the tough call, a decision we're paying you to make, then let the citizens make it for you.

If I were the king of Largo I would commence an immediate refurbishing of the old library, converting it into a state-of-the-art community center. This center could house senior programs, art venues, activities for the youths and a plethora of other events.

As you may know, Largo has a community center, but what you may not know is Largo also owns 80 percent of the block where that building is located. A Jan. 15 Diane Steinle column highlighted a sampling of the problems with the West Bay Drive redevelopment. What was not mentioned is some of these problems can be partially fixed by selling and developing this city-owned property, not to mention it would be good for Largo taxpayers and accelerate the West Bay Drive development. For those individuals and organizations that do use the existing Community Center, a refurbished library will actually offer you expanded space and services and better parking, and establish the proverbial "Largo quenelle," with the performing arts center, community center, library and Central Park all within a stone's throw of one another.

The proceeds from the sale of the old community center block would more than offset all costs relating to the refurbishing of the library (the city will actually have a pile of cash left over), Largo taxpayers will have a reduced overhead, West Bay Drive redevelopment will get a shot in the arm, tax revenues to the city will increase and you'll not have to listen to me ranting, at commission meetings, about the old library.

You were hired to make the tough calls. Make 'em!

Commercial plaza shouldn't use residential access road

Once again homeowners are being asked to make a sacrifice so that developers can profit at the expense of the homeowners and our property values.

Bay Arbor Place is a fine-looking commercial development that will look nice on Tampa Road in Oldsmar, but why must the traffic produced by this development be dumped into our neighborhood's only access road?

The developers claim that they can't make their project work without this exit road onto Bay Arbor Boulevard. If that's the case, then we, the homeowners, are sorry, but go somewhere else and build the project. After all, Cox Lumber made it for years without the proposed driveway.

With no traffic light and all of our schoolchildren bused to this intersection, the city and the developers are about to open a disaster.

The Bay Arbor homeowners must pay attention to this project and understand that the Oldsmar City Council will vote on the site plan at the February council meeting. We voters go to the polls in March and elect our council members, so let's all pay attention and see who stays and who goes.

[Last modified January 27, 2006, 01:21:16]