Commissioner pulls rank to wield gavel

By Compiled by Times staff writers

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 17, 2000

No one ever said it would be easy to find a clear day on the calendars of all five county commissioners and all five School Board members. The two boards have been trying for months to set a meeting to discuss joint-use facilities, such as libraries and parks, that students and county residents could share.

Staffers finally agreed on Aug. 15 as a meeting date, but County Commission Chairman Brad Thorpe said Tuesday that the 15th might not work for him.

His fellow commissioners seemed disheartened, except for commissioner Roger Batchelor, who told Thorpe not to worry about it.

After all, Thorpe's absence would finally give Batchelor, the commission's first vice chair, a rare chance to wield the gavel.

"That's what they have vice chairs for," Batchelor said with a grin.

BUILDING A LEGACY: The Inverness City Council decided Tuesday that praise was in order for the new Walgreens and Castaways buildings, both of which made concerted efforts to blend into downtown Inverness' historic district.

The city will give plaques to both businesses showing appreciation for those efforts.

"I have heard nothing but praise about those buildings," City Manager Frank DiGiovanni said.

If so, he must have missed the comment that former County Judge Gary Graham made to the council in May, when the city denied his request for a flagpole on top of his law office sign.

Graham said that instead of barring his flagpole, the city should have kept the Walgreens from copying the historic courthouse's beige bricks and ivory columns. With the two buildings looking so similar, he said, someone who didn't know better might not realize which came first.

"Someday some child is going to say, "Look, that courthouse looks like that Walgreens,' " Graham told the council.

WE ARE NOT ALONE: For months, Crystal River government staffers have been struggling with glitches in the city's new computer software. The constant breakdowns have turned basic accounting into a daily headache. But other municipalities also are suffering, officials said.

"They (Inverness officials) have some problems there, too," City Council member Mike Gudis said.

"That's nice to hear," joked council member Alex Ilnyckyj.

"Misery loves company?" asked finance director Carol Grivetti.

BUMPER STICKERS WE LIKE: Honk If Parts Fall Off.

- Staff writers Bridget Hall Grumet, Josh Zimmer and Greg Hamilton compiled this report.

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