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'Sorry' issued for awkward honors
By BILL VARIAN
Published February 8, 2007
It's supposed to be all smiles when Hillsborough County commissioners hand out proclamations celebrating community do-gooders. But the board's recent recognition of Confederate commander Robert E. Lee on the same day they honored a black civic leader upset some African-Americans in town. Commissioners apologized Wednesday for what they acknowledged was unfortunate timing of the Jan. 18 recognitions by pledging it would not happen again. They passed a policy to have employees screen proclamations that might be controversial before they're handed to commissioners in an attempt to avert potentially embarrassing situations in the future. The policy includes a provision that commissioners see the wording on proclamations, rather than be given a blank sheet to sign, as has often happened in the past. Commissioner Ken Hagan expressed concern about passing a policy to address something that rarely happens. But Commissioner Mark Sharpe reminded him that people tend to remember that one embarrassment. Black civic leaders have questioned the pairing of the proclamation on behalf of Lee on the same day commissioners recognized James A. Hammond, a community activist who recently had an elementary school named after him.
[Last modified February 8, 2007, 01:15:39]
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