Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Some common sense would have been nice
By JEFF WEBB
Published August 6, 2006
Take these three items, culled from recent headlines, and file them under the category of "They should have known better." - Hernando County Attorney Garth Coller should have known better ... than to allow a potentially controversial request by County Administrator Gary Kuhl to come before the commission without first checking to see if there was an applicable law. Kuhl's request was for the commission to waive the clause in his employment contract requiring him to live in Hernando County. After a short debate that placed both commissioners and Kuhl in an awkward position, the commission said it would be okay for him to remain in his home 6 miles over the Citrus County line. Not until after the meeting did Coller and his staff check their law books and find that the commission doesn't have the authority to override a state law requiring the administrator to live in the county where he works. This unpleasant distraction could have been avoided if Coller had done his homework. - Commissioner Diane Rowden should have known better ... than to allow a discussion and a vote that released Corrections Corporation of America from an earlier order to put the Sheriff's Office in charge of fingerprinting prisoners at the county jail, without disclosing that CCA was poised to be fined $20,000 for another contract infraction. CCA released an inmate early for the fourth time in the past 15 months. Earlier this year, the commission raised the ante for such mistakes by increasing the financial penalties. Last week, CCA agreed to pay the fine. While the fingerprinting duties and the release of the inmate are not directly related, the public should have been privy to all of the facts at the time of the vote on the fingerprinting operation. Viewed in the bigger picture, this lapse, and all others, are relevant to CCA's overall performance. - Finally, Michael Ransaw should have known better ... than to trust that his deadline-challenged lawyer, Willie Jones, was on top of Ransaw's three lawsuits against the School Board. Judges tossed out two of the lawsuits last month because Jones exceeded the time limits on filings, even though he had already received an extension on one. Ransaw, who was dismissed as principal of Powell Middle School in 2004, is running for the District 1 seat held by board member Robert Wiggins. Ransaw said last week that he didn't even know that the two lawsuits had been chucked. "I had no idea," he said, noting how busy he has been with his campaign. In his defense of Ransaw, Jones has earned a reputation for making excuses and seeking delays, which has frustrated both the board's attorneys and judges. Ransaw said he's consulting with a law firm in Tampa about the remaining litigation, a civil suit against the board, superintendent Wendy Tellone and others who were involved in his firing. Jeff Webb can be reached at webb@sptimes.com or 352 754-6123.
[Last modified August 8, 2006, 16:29:54]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
