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TAMPA - After his goddaughter was cited for driving with a suspended license last year, City Council member Kevin White interceded. He used his police radio to hastily set up a meeting with the arresting officer in a restaurant parking lot.
The council member's impromptu meeting set off alarms. The beat officer who wrote the ticket reported White's actions to her sergeant, who turned it over to a major, who handed it up to Tampa police Chief Steve Hogue.
Hogue said this week that White had acted inappropriately.
"Any time a police officer talks to a city council member, it makes them a little nervous," said Hogue. "I think it sends a subliminal message. It's an unusual thing for a councilman to do. It's definitely in bad form."
When he was asked about the incident Friday, White said he vaguely recalled the meeting. It took White several minutes before offering an explanation.
"As any parent would do who has grave concern for a family member, I inquired about the matter," White finally said.
A former officer with the Tampa Police Department, White said he did nothing wrong in meeting with the officer.
The director of security for Rooms to Go, White is in his first term as a City Council member and is in a race for the Democratic nomination for the District 3 seat on the Hillsborough County Commission.
In the police incident, Deidre Marie Gray, 34, was pulled over Sept. 27, 2005, and cited for driving with a suspended license. Gray has a history of traffic problems, including a pair of arrests for driving under the influence.
White says he never used his public position to pressure officers to make the citation disappear.
Said Hogue: "I never had anybody tell me that (White) asked that the ticket go away. It's a third-degree felony to interfere in a traffic ticket, so no cop is going to do it."
Officer Lisa Parashis, who wrote the citation, declined to comment.
Gray paid a fine of $120.50 to resolve the citation, records show.
White said he believes his interceding with police ought to reflect positively on his political campaign.
"I think it shows more of a commitment to my constituents," he said. "I try to help anyone. If I can help someone, I will."
Staff writers Abbie Vansickle and Janet Zink and researcher John Martin contributed to this story.