Westchase board boots member for slurs

By RODNEY THRASH, Times Staff Writer
Published October 13, 2007

WESTCHASE - After two people came forward Tuesday with allegations of racism, Gene McArthur lost his seat on the Westchase Community Association board.

On Thursday, that board stripped him of another position. McArthur, accused of using racial slurs against blacks and Jews while on the area's covenants committee, still represented Woodbay, one of 29 neighborhoods in this Tampa suburb. Ruben Collazo, the president of the homeowner association, told the group at its monthly meeting: "The removal of a member of this board because of bigoted comments proves beyond any doubt that this community really cares about who its elected representatives are and really cares about the values that those people bring with them when they come to the board."

Collazo also apologized for not acting sooner, and promised that such conduct will not be tolerated in the future. There was no discussion, and the motion to remove McArthur from all boards of the homeowner association passed 5-0.

[Last modified October 12, 2007, 23:44:36]