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Letter asks forinquiry on form

A former Crystal River council member demands police look into"out of the ordinary circumstances."

By ELENA LESLEY
Published June 21, 2006

CRYSTAL RIVER - The debate over Bonnie Taylor's missing signature isn't quite done yet.

Former council member Kitty Ebert has demanded that the Crystal River police investigate the temporary disappearance of Taylor's financial interest statement, a form that disqualified her from running for the City Council.

Ebert sent a letter to police Chief Steven Burch in late May outlining the "out of the ordinary circumstances" that led to Taylor's disqualification. The letter also insinuated that council member Susan Kirk may have had something to do with it.

Because Taylor failed to sign her financial statement, she was not allowed to run against John Kostelnick for late council member John Kendall's seat.

Kostelnick, who filled the position in the interim, immediately ascended to office.

"I've talked to Burch, and he's investigating, but he hasn't found any wrongdoing," Taylor said. "I don't think it was intentional on the city's part."

Still, some residents have had their suspicions, informally accusing various people of tampering with the paperwork.

The clerk initially could not find the document in question. Eventually it was retrieved, lacking a signature.

Some have charged that it was intentionally hidden so that no one would discover the mistake before the end of the filing period.

"I am no detective, but it is quite obvious to me that the file of Mrs. Taylor was looked at by someone other than the clerk and the opponent before qualifying closed," Ebert wrote in her letter.

In the next paragraph: "It has also come to my attention that Councilman Kirk is the only councilman who has direct access to City Hall after hours."

Ebert went on to ask why someone who isn't a supervisory employee should have access to City Hall after hours.

"I only have access to the council chambers, the bathroom and the hallway with our mailboxes," Kirk said.

"Any council member can have that access if they want it - no one's doing me any special favors."

Tempers flared at Monday night's meeting when council member Robert Holmes brought up the issue of afterhours access to the building.

Both Kirk and Kostelnick asked to move on, and the council agreed to, with the exception of Holmes.

"This is nothing but dirty politics," Kirk said in response to Ebert's letter.

Taylor said she wasn't aware that Ebert had mentioned Kirk in her letter to the police chief.

"This is not a witch hunt," she said. "It would be nice to point the finger at someone, but I'm pointing the finger at myself."

Ebert had no comment on the letter.

[Last modified June 20, 2006, 22:34:29]