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Leader removed from budget panel

By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published August 10, 2006

SAFETY HARBOR - The City Commission has removed a member of its budget advisory committee after he allegedly misused his position to intimidate firefighters as they performed a routine safety inspection at his downtown business.

But Gary Jones countered that the city is retaliating against him because he demanded in a budget meeting to know why the Safety Harbor Fire Department needed a $4,000 piece of exercise equipment and a $6,000 satellite phone, among other high-end items.

The alleged problems started July 31, when a fire crew entered Jones' business, Safety Harbor Mortgage, for a routine inspection.

According to firefighter reports, the crew began looking for violations and found one: The building did not have a fire extinguisher.

Firefighter Holly Jo Warkenthien wrote that when Jones was advised that she would be writing a notice of violation, he said, "with the budget coming up, you guys picked a bad time to be writing violations."

Warkenthien reported that when she asked Jones to sign the notice of violation, "he leaned over towards me and put a budget book in my face and again said, 'you picked a very bad time to be writing violations.' "

Jones said the incident never happened, that the budget book has never been on his desk at any time.

"It won't fit," he said of the book, which is the city's proposed annual budget.

Jones was appointed to the budget committee April 3. The group consists of five regular members and one alternate. Its job is to examine the city's annual budget and make recommendations.

City Commissioner Kara Bauer, who was appointed vice mayor at Monday's meeting, requested Jones' removal from the committee.

"I know this was an attempt to intimidate the fire officials," she told the St. Petersburg Times this week. "If I did that, I would get booted from office."

Interim Mayor Andy Steingold said he knows Jones and always regarded him as very professional. Steingold had supported Jones' appointment to the budget committee.

Steingold said he was very disappointed with how Jones' removal was carried out, "but we will not tolerate what we deem to be inappropriate behavior."

Jones said he is "appalled that they used a public meeting on TV to crucify me and my company without giving me an opportunity to defend any of the issues they are accusing me of. They attacked me, my company and my reputation."

Safety Harbor City Commission meetings are broadcast on TV.

Jones said the bad feelings stem from a budget meeting two months ago where he "asked harsh questions" of fire Chief Jay Stout.

Jones said he wanted to know why the department needed such expensive equipment as an exercise machine and a satellite phone.

Jones said he told the firefighters during the inspection that, "this whole thing smells because last year I did not have a fire extinguisher and you passed me. And because I'm on the budget committee and asked questions of the fire chief, I did not have a fire extinguisher this year and you failed me."

Eileen Schulte can be reached at (727) 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 10, 2006, 07:29:03]