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Reasons for missing work don't fall under privacy, Mr. Norman

By SUE CARLTON
Published May 29, 2006

First, let me sincerely wish Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Jim Norman a speedy recovery after his recent heart bypass surgery.

Then let me say he owed us better.

Norman, the down-home, set-a-spell commissioner-most-likely-to-show-up-in-shorts, recently and mysteriously missed a week's worth of meetings notably, one in which the board approved fat hikes in school impact fees.

Norman left an inscrutable statement to be read into the record: "I am not able to attend the May 17 meeting of the Board of County Commissioners due to a sudden change in my schedule." An aide would only cite personal reasons.

Naturally, this stirred up all flavor of rumor and speculation. Sudden schedule change? What, he had to testify before a grand jury? Pick up his Lotto winnings? Fly to Tallahassee to advise Jeb on that big NFL career move? Get his teeth cleaned?

Imagine if during this information vacuum some snarky columnist had speculated that Norman might be bellying up to the buffet at the Bellagio all over again.

Because, truth is, the commissioner has some history when it comes to questions on his whereabouts.

In 1999, Times reporters tracked him to the Vegas Strip, where he was staying at the spectacular Bellagio hotel at a discount rate arranged by businessman and medical equipment salesman David Bekhor.

Federal investigators had looked into whether Norman and another commissioner used the power of their office to help Bekhor get a fat contract with Tampa General Hospital. No one was charged.

On the Vegas jaunt, Norman also hung out at the Caesar's Palace sports book with a lobbyist who was a frequent flyer at commission meetings.

The state attorney looked into whether Norman made a false statement when he sent a memo to fellow commissioners saying his absence on meeting day was for family matters related to the death of a relative. Norman said he carved out time to deal with family matters during the trip. He was cleared.

"This is America, I thought," a wounded-sounding Norman said after publicity about his trip. But Vegas has stuck to him like pancake syrup ever since.

Fast forward to the recent unexplained absence.

I am not making light of Norman's medical troubles, nor the worry of his family and friends. But this could have been handled in a dignified and professional manner appropriate for a man who has chosen a public career.

A veteran Norman aide could have made a simple, truthful statement and then answered press inquiries, without burdening Norman's wife. I'm pretty sure not even ABC Action News would have stormed his hospital room and demanded to see his charts.

Forget Vegas for a minute. If you're an elected official, the people who put you there deserve to know why you aren't up on the dais. It's the flip side of getting the gavel, the parades and the paycheck.

Norman is chairman of a board that handles piles of public money and decides some serious stuff (when they're not worrying about an insidious outbreak of gay pride somewhere in the county). He's been there 14 years. He's running again.

So save the shadowy stuff. Especially when it's still dogging you seven years later.

Norman apparently believes his privacy trumps his public obligation. In a press release after news of his bypass broke, he wrote, "I believe that everyone, including public officials and their families, should be granted some personal privacy." Agreed. Just because you're elected, we probably don't get to know what you're ordering on Netflix or how many beer bottles are in your recycle bin, or lots of other personal information. But we should get to know why you didn't make it to work.

Norman closed with, "For those who agree, no further explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no further explanation will suffice."

"Suffice" sounds pretty highfalutin, but he's right. It doesn't suffice.

Sue Carlton can be reached at carlton@sptimes.com.

[Last modified May 29, 2006, 04:42:31]