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Now it's time for Burnett to show leadership

By ANDREW SKERRITT, Times Staff Writer
Published December 2, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Frankie Burnett could become Brooksville's second black mayor.

In most towns, it really means something to be mayor.

Even in places with a strong city manager form of government, the mayor is still the ceremonial leader who holds the gavel, leads discussions, cuts the ribbons and kisses the babies.

Brooksville is about to select its figurehead, and that has a lot of folks buzzing, especially on the south side of town.

Protocol suggests that vice mayor Frankie Burnett, 52, may get the gavel. If so, he will become the second black mayor in the history of this old Southern town, where being black hasn't always been so comfortable.

Burnett's supporters say he deserves his turn to be mayor. But they will believe it when they see it. They attach race to the decision, and because he's black they view the process with some cynicism. While performance in office has nothing to do with selecting the mayor, Burnett's hasn't exactly been sterling.

His three years on the council have been less than inspiring. He failed in an attempt to more than double council members' $5,400 annual pay. And when the longtime police chief was finally on the chopping block and the city was in turmoil because of it, Burnett was pretty much a hand wringer.

Burnett did trot out one original idea - remove the Confederate flag from the city's official logo. But once people squawked about it, he folded quickly.

Okay, maybe I expected more. There is one simmering issue that could change my impression. The Brooksville Housing Authority mess remains unresolved. That's one area where the mayor can have an impact.

Last Thursday, the incumbent mayor, David Pugh Jr., asked four of the six sitting housing board members to resign in order to end the dysfunction and bickering at the agency. If they don't leave by noon Monday, the next mayor would have to remove them.

Not surprisingly, Pugh wants to remain as mayor to finish what he started. And even if he's not the mayor, his successor must be able to act decisively. This could be Burnett's chance to show that leadership, although keep in mind he has refused to vote on housing authority matters in the past because he once did some electrical repair work for the agency. Never mind that the city attorney said it would be okay for him to vote.

Given its tough racial history, Brooksville hasn't incubated enough strong black leaders. It would be nice to see that change as the county grows in sophistication. All eyes will be on Frankie Burnett.

Andrew Skerritt can be reached at askerritt@sptimes.com or 813 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602.

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 19:19:56]