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True public servant

Americans are so jaded about honesty in government that it's easy to forget that some officials still embody the ideal of public service.

Hillsborough Clerk of Court Pat Frank called the media Thursday not to ballyhoo an honor or unveil a tax cut but to announce she had found a problem in her office. Clerks had fallen behind in processing real estate records and other civil deeds and the backlog had grown to 12 business days. Frank is working with a new computer processing program to comply with a state law requiring some personal data be removed from public records. The work is technical and assembly-driven, meaning she needs to train workers, not merely throw warm bodies at the problem.

Frank's candor was typical of the up-front character she has shown in 40 years of service to Hillsborough as a state legislator, school board member, county commissioner and now court clerk. She did not make excuses, downplay the hassle to the public, hide behind a cell phone or an office spokesman or drop the news at 5 p.m. on the Friday of Gasparilla.

Public officials, take note. How you handle a problem might be the real story.

[Last modified January 29, 2007, 21:44:24]