A Times Editorial

Good point, poor choice of words

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 2, 2000

Ronda Storms has a knack for shifting her mouth into overdrive before her brain gets in gear. The Hillsborough County commissioner did it again Wednesday, when she launched into a gratuitous treatise on the reasons minority lawyers are so scarce in Florida. Storms embarrassed this community with her insensitive choice of words -- even though her argument that a new law school in Tampa won't solve the problem is well-founded.

Alumni from Florida A&M University came to the commission seeking $1-million in seed money for a new law school. Their goal is to launch a bidding war; supporters are also negotiating with Orlando to put the FAMU law school there.

Storms is right to oppose spending any public money. State lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush rammed the law school through even though the university system's governing board argued persuasively that it isn't needed.

Bush and state lawmakers can find the money for the school they created to curry favor with FAMU's alumni and political constituency. Thanks to their generous support, the FAMU law school doesn't need local taxes, even if subsidies were appropriate. Storms called the request "guilt money," and added: "This is so white people can pat themselves on the back."

The same lawmakers taking credit for FAMU's law school haven't always been willing to take more direct steps to dismantle

the real roadblocks blacks and other minorities often still face. Improving public schools, expanding financial aid and creating stronger job-training, mentoring and internship programs within the legal profession will do much more to produce minority lawyers than simply throwing money into a new law school.

If Tampa civic leaders want to commit private money to a bid for FAMU's law school, let them have at it. Tampa Electric Co. pledged $1-million Thursday.

The real question is whether a Tampa site would best serve students and faculty -- a decision the university should be able to make without shaking down the community.

Storms, meanwhile, needs to mature. She could have made her point without insulting FAMU alumni and without making racially insensitive overgeneralizations that condescended to black lawyers throughout the state. Tampa has an image problem among minorities that those in public office should be attempting to change for the better.

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