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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 15, 2001
Re: Commissioner crosses line with meeting request, Jan. 10 editorial.
Your effort to influence Clearwater's commissioners on the current tiff between Commissioner Ed Hart and interim City Manager Bill Horne before their scheduled discussion of the issue is unfortunate, but typical. Overlooking your sarcasm about what Mr. Hart might ask for next, I would like to commend him on his efforts to learn as much as he can from staff meetings as an observer.
You justifiably compliment Mr. Hart for asking good questions and wanting more background information than his peers. As I see it, he wishes to hear the discussion so as to do more of the same.
Speaking as a former city commissioner, I can say that the most serious error made by city staff on a regular basis is not presenting completed staff work to the commission for their decision. I had to repeatedly ask for further data from a willing staff during commission meetings. Such could be avoided if the progress of staff discussion were known ahead of time.
You also find fault with Mr. Hart being dissatisfied with the answers he got from City Attorney Pam Akin. If I were in his shoes, I would be dissatisfied, not because she didn't support my point of view, but because she failed to answer the questions put to her.
It is difficult for me to accept Mr. Horne's proffered reason for objecting to a commissioner's presence at one of his staff meetings. As quoted in your editorial, he fears such a presence would inhibit open discussion. In other words, he tolerates and even prefers dialogue among his staff that would not take place in the presence of an elected official. He wants to discuss things with no inhibition and present his summary, obviously sanitized, to the commission and suggest that if they want more detail, they can avail themselves of any citizen's right to ask for it through the public information act.
Your analogy with a corporation's board of directors deserves more thought than you have given it. Such entities have a comparable charter which spells out the same kind of separation of powers. Yet as a board director of several organizations, I have frequently attended staff meetings of the CEO and found them not only very helpful, but also very well received by staff as evidence of true concern about what is going on.
-- Art Deegan, Clearwater
Re: Commissioner crosses line with meeting request, Jan. 10 editorial.
I object to the conclusions you have drawn. You missed the point of my motives and intent.
It was never my intent to attend all staff meetings or attempt to dictate the management style of the interim city manager. My intent has always been to gather as much information as possible before making major decisions for this community.
Observing critical events and witnessing firsthand the interaction between staff and developers, I thought, would prove beneficial in forming my conclusions. Understanding the terms that the staff is using to interact with each developer is essential to understanding the results of the developers' reactions to staff proposals. In fact, I would argue that this openness at the front end dissuades misinformation and rumors on the back end.
What was posed as an innocent question, "By what authority are you denying my observing the meetings of staff regarding critical issues surrounding the three development proposals on the beach?" has turned into a pointless exchange on whether staff meetings are subject to Florida sunshine laws. I never asked that question. To suggest that I would ask for an okay "to pass notes to staff members" is simply not true. This merely seeks to sensationalize the disagreement, not resolve the critical issue.
A specific example of why I am seeking this access to information is the roundabout fiasco. I was amazed to discover that the last recorded vote of the commission was for a reflecting pool with dolphins. What we got is the existing fountain, the focus of the majority of the complaints I hear daily. We have spent a year seeking to rectify this situation for which no one has accepted responsibility.
By having commissioners more aware of staff decisions, I believe citizens can gain trust in their elected officials to carry out the will of the people and not simply accept conclusions by persons (whether staff or consultants) who can never seem to be held accountable.
I believe that it is important to make very clear that I am not challenging the competency of staff or seeking to impugn the integrity of the interim city manager.
By seeking to change the focus of this disagreement to a personality issue or micro-management issue, rather than an openness in government issue, I believe you are contradicting a position that your newspaper has consistently fought to uphold. It is interesting that while I as an elected official have allegedly "overstepped" my bounds in seeking more information from staff, your newspaper is suing the city for access to information you believe has consciously been withheld. One would think you and I would have the common goal of more openness in government.
-- Ed Hart, Clearwater city commissioner
Re: Commissioner crosses line with meeting request, Jan. 10 editorial.
Why would anyone want to attend every meeting, voluntarily or otherwise?
You stated, "Under Clearwater's city-manager form of government, elected officials don't generally get involved in administrative matters like staff meetings." So why would Commissioner Ed Hart want to change policy by attending meetings he hasn't been scheduled to attend?
I would think after all these years that the different bodies of government had been worked out to make sure each worked on certain items and thus were able to keep focused and not feel the pressure of being involved in too many things at one time. Just like when too many cooks spoil the broth, too many persons get involved in too many projects and nothing gets their full attention.
You'd think Mr. Hart would be happy to have fewer meetings to attend and fewer details to clutter his mind. How many things can one person focus on at a time and still do a good job?
Can you imagine if every person in City Hall had to attend every meeting every day? There would be total confusion. Please, just do your job, Mr. Hart, and do it well. That's all we ask.
-- Fran Glaros, Clearwater
Re: Fire destroys East Lake house, Jan. 9 story.
We have been told since childhood not to enter a burning building, as East Lake and Rescue District Chief Jeff Malzone so insensitively reminded us.
Nevertheless, Jeff Wagner and the other man who were concerned enough about a stranger to risk their lives deserve our thanks for their selfless actions.
-- Lori K. Ruddy, Tarpon Springs
There are still thoughtful, honest people in this world.
Recently, my wife was operated on and her wedding band was given to me to hold. Without thinking, I placed it on my pinky finger and it was loose. Arriving home, I found the ring missing.
The next day I inquired at the Largo Medical Center lost and found for it. They took my name and telephone number, but I had little hope of hearing from them.
That afternoon the lady from lost and found brought the ring to my wife's room. Someone named Michelle M. had found it in the parking lot and took it to lost and found. I want to let all know how thoughtful, kind and honest a woman she is. God bless her.
-- Howard Jensen, Largo