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Today's Letters: With no respect, he can't lead

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published March 22, 2007

Re: Largo City Manager Steve Stanton

I have read all of the information provided through the St. Petersburg Times regarding this unfortunate situation. The Times, as usual, confuses a community's attitudes regarding unfortunate personal situations with an employment situation.

Mr. Stanton can do whatever he wishes on his own time - even negatively affect the lives of his family with his "urges." It happens all the time - people who "decide" they want to drink too much and abuse their family, people who "decide" that negative sexual behavior is "their right," and the list goes on.

He does not have the right, as the non-elected manager of a city with other employees, to manipulate the personnel rules to benefit his "transition" and to protect his job from his negative behavior.

If it wasn't generally considered deviant and negative, he wouldn't be in therapy for it. Even in our totally liberated, do your own thing world, this is over the top, even for the Times. We can feel sorry for his maladjustment, but don't allow this to creep into human resources decisions for thousands of other workers and torture them with his oddness.

If he wants to lead, he needs to lead employees who respect him, not fear him, which has been the case over the past 14 years, as he is known as a tyrant in city circles. Can we say, "goes around, comes around"?

James Anderson, Palm Harbor

Re: Commission right on Stanton letter, March 19

Gender aside, he should be fired

After reading Kathleen Finnerty's letter, something started to make sense.

I always wondered why, a few years ago, two exemplary firefighters were fired in a very degrading and humiliating manner. Now, I think it was because Steve Stanton perceived them to be a threat to his future agenda.

I don't think Steve should be fired for wanting to be a "she." I think he should be fired just to give him a taste of his own medicine.

C. J. Janko, Largo

Stanton would have fired himself

With all the people offering their views on what Jesus would have done in the Steve Stanton case, nobody has asked a more pertinent question: What would Steve Stanton have done?

The answer is clear, based on Stanton's free-wheeling termination practices over the years. He would have fired himself on the spot.

It is sad that all the Stanton supporters clamoring to look tolerant and superior fail to see this irony.

Jayne Patrick, Clearwater

Re: Commission right on Stanton letter, March 19

Performance is what matters

Reading Kathleen Finnerty's letter on Steve Stanton's ouster, I have to say I agree with her logic about firing him for his job performance.

But that was not why Mr. Stanton was fired. Like Ms. Finnerty, I am no fan of Mr. Stanton, just as I am no fan of the former Largo city commissioners who used such a heavy club of annexation on neighborhoods like mine.

But I am appalled that Mr. Stanton was tossed based on personal matters. I was, and remain, vehemently opposed to Mr. Stanton's firing based on transgenderism.

K.L. Nappier, Clearwater

Re: Mayor's office is claimed with style story, March 15

Election about the candidates

I found the article on the Safety Harbor election very disappointing. In it, you quoted Patrick Whelan, who asserted that the results were essentially a referendum on my service as an elected official. I reject Mr. Whelan's assertion.

During my nearly 15 years of service, I always voted for what I felt was in the best interest of our community.

I knew the job was not easy, and that during my tenure some people inevitably would be unhappy with decisions rendered. There are always two sides to an issue. Sometimes the unhappiness of the losing side is manifested in a hateful and unreasonable fashion, but you maintain your positive attitude as best you can and move on.

Last summer I found myself no longer able to keep that positive focus and I did what I again believed was in the best interest of the city. I left office with the expectation that public debate would return to the real issues of managing progress while maintaining quality of life, and would end the politics of personal destruction. I left office very proud of the way Safety Harbor had evolved and the contribution I made in its growth during the past decade and a half.

No, Mr. Whelan, this election was not about me. The record of this city's progress speaks for itself.

It's time for new public servants to take on the difficult task of maintaining the great city we've created and to choose what paths we need to take to attain that goal.

Those who voted chose Andy Steingold's direction over Rob Parker's, and the March 13 election was all about that.

Pam Corbino, former mayor of Safety Harbor

Our money, sheep and shepherds

It's no wonder that the $2-billion "Penny" tax passed. It's $200,000 of taxpayers' money for the county's promotion, as well as $60,000 in contributions from contractors-to-be - this, as well as $165-million collected this year alone in property tax "reserve" (surplus), a 16 percent voter turnout and little likelihood of citizens attending the April 5 and 17 budget meetings.

Our tax-and-spend shepherds, the county commissioners, may allow citizen comment before they spend our money rather than cut taxes now. Citizens participate, sheep are silent and our soldiers die for our right to do either. Shame on us all. Does freedom ring?

David M. Willis, Largo

Your voice counts

You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified March 21, 2007, 20:33:04]