Tampabay: Largo earns its spot in history

When the public meetings are finished and the reporters quit calling and the locals go back to worrying about traffic and taxes, how will history remember Largo?

By now, everyone from the New York Times to NPR knows the city manager of this town of 76,000 is being ousted in a spasm of righteousness.

Five of seven commissioners voted this week to fire Steve Stanton, a well-regarded longtime employee, for a personal matter that has little do with his job performance.

From he to she: Is Largo ready? a St. Petersburg Times headline asked after the story broke, with the answer from many being a very loud no.

Stanton has his supporters, right down to the rock-steady mayor, but that wasn't enough to save his job.

People came by the hundreds to that hastily called meeting, some to say how badly he reflected on their so-called City of Progress, or even how Jesus wouldn't like this one bit.

"It's the fact that he deceived people. He wasn't honest with us," one man said, as if everybody would have given him supportive hugs if only he had said something sooner.

"I do not feel that he has the integrity, nor the trust, nor the respect, nor the competence to continue as the city manager for the city of Largo," said Commissioner Mary Gray Black

Not to discount the fact that Stanton's planned change is a shocker, something utterly unfamiliar to many. Forgive a clumsy analogy, but imagine your boss one day says to you: Listen. Soon, I'm going to be coming to work every day in a chicken suit. I'll still be the same old boss you knew, except for the chicken suit. It might take some getting used to. (Obviously this hypothetical fails to take into account the deeply personal nature of Stanton's situation, or all the people who struggle similarly with very real gender issues.)

What might have worked? Waiting to see if Stanton turned out to be the same city manager as before - just, well, different.

Maybe to you it would seem a far stretch, an insult even, to compare what's happening here to the slow and painful battles for civil rights, women's rights, gay rights. But they all were about people who wanted to be treated fairly in spite of something about themselves other people didn't seem to like, something they themselves couldn't change if they wanted to.

Decades from now, we will have seen many more like Stanton, the issues here fodder for the courts and the law. One day maybe we'll look at each other and wonder why anyone cared so much about this man's personal life, enough to take away his job.

There's a famous school desegregation photo from the 1950s. A black teenage girl carries schoolbooks outside a high school. Behind her, a white girl screams at her, her mouth twisted in rage.

Interesting thing about that photo: years later, that woman apologized to the person she and others once condemned.

Those commissioners - the ones who could not see past doing what was popular in favor doing what was right - probably won't go down in history as the Largo Five, or anything so notorious-sounding.

But history has a way of putting things like prejudice and ignorance in perspective, perspective being something we could have used around here lately.

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by Christine	03/09/07 01:59 PM
The argument that this would have 'disturbed' the other employees and affected their job performance is crazy. Would we say that about working with an african american? NO! I can't beleive the bigotted ones are describing themselves as the victims!

by tom	03/02/07 09:39 PM
Your sick to compare this to the civil rights era.

by Rick	03/02/07 05:57 PM
Excellent commentary. I'm sickened to see this kind of discrimination in our community. As is typical, the bigots think they're acting out the will of their god. Time to get religion, and the religious, out of public policy.

by Anne	03/02/07 04:52 PM
The amazing thing is that he hasn't even done anything yet!

by Barbara	03/02/07 04:51 PM
There was nothing deceitful about the way he acted. He told the people who needed to know. I don't know everything about the business of my company or it's employees, nor do I expect to - unless I need to. His business is his - not ours.

by Lincoln	03/02/07 02:59 PM
What people are missing here is that Stanton is being let go because of his job performance over the past few years. He's manipulated employee and Commission alike, orchestrating all to his benefit with disregard toward the City of Largo.

by Bill	03/02/07 02:52 PM
Very well said. It certainly is an embarrassment to me to be associated with such a narrow minded and mean spirited civic entity. Mr. Stanton should file a very heavy discrimination lawsuit. Stupidity and evil should be punished.

by Kerr	03/02/07 02:45 PM
S. Stanton's conduct during her 14 years of service is not the issue for which the commission fired herò014 they fired her on the grounds of her gender, which is against their own nondiscrimination policies. Stupid mistake, Largo.

by Denise	03/02/07 01:29 PM
Well said Sue; once again the moral majority has spoken. We should all be careful about judgment and attempting to legislate morality. But for this life choice, Mr. Stanton would have continued as the City Manager, proving this was not just business!

by Kim	03/02/07 12:12 PM
Although one might argue that Mr. Stanton's decision is of a personal nature and has no bearing on his ability to do his job, let's think about the employees and business associates who will have to deal with an issue they didn't ask to be a part of.

by ted	03/02/07 11:42 AM
hey, if he is "not a well-regarded employee" then why was he retained? hope largo is paying for this stoopidity for years and years to come!

by Ashlyn	03/02/07 10:46 AM
He's had favorable job performance appraisals for 14 years. He did his job well, according to his supervisors. Stanton needs to sue for discrimination and wrongful termination.

by Jerry	03/02/07 09:13 AM
It is interesting to see how religous bigots jump to arms in the name of Jesus when they preceive a violation of their intolerant beliefs. Sue, thanks for your insightful column!!

by Sam	03/02/07 09:07 AM
Ridiculous article. If this were merely ò01Ca personal matter that has little to do with his job performanceò01D we wouldnò019t be having this discussion. This is strictly business and a hard-nosed business manager like Stanton should understand that.

by Eunice	03/02/07 08:54 AM
Thanks for saying what needed to be said. I was appalled by the applause, cheers, and even laughter in the community room at Largo City Hall the night of the hearing, whenever Stanton's firing was supported by a speaker. "Crucify him!" indeed!

by kris	03/02/07 07:10 AM
Get the facts straight, Stanton is not a well-regarded employee. He's shown a lot less sympathy for those who were, and sent them packing for far less infractions.

by JOhn	03/02/07 06:32 AM
Absolutely fantastick article. It could not have been written better. Very to the point.....and I fully agree.

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Largo earns its spot in history