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Public can attend Bonanno hearing
By DAVID KARP, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- An impeachment hearing into Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Bonanno will be conducted in the open next week over the judge's objections. State Rep. Larry Crow, the chairman of the House Judicial Oversight Committee, said he plans to allow the public to watch attorneys question Bonanno and other witnesses about the judge's conduct. The committee is considering whether to impeach a Florida judge for misconduct for the first time in a quarter century. Attorney Ralph Fernandez asked Crow to close Thursday's hearing at the Hillsborough County Courthouse to the public and reporters. He said the presence of the press would embarrass the judge and other witnesses, which include his judicial assistant and a court clerk with whom Bonanno had an affair. "Why should he be embarrassed and humiliated beyond what has been done?" Fernandez said."How many times do you tar and feather him?" Fernandez promised to take action to protect the judge's rights, but he would not disclose his plans. "There is no doubt this is a showdown at the O.K. Corral on Thursday," Fernandez said. If the committee turns the hearing into a circus, "I will turn it into a circus," Fernandez said. "Maybe I'll ask some questions." He compared the hearing to an investigative proceeding conducted in secret by prosecutors. But Crow said the hearing of the House committee isn't the same as a criminal grand jury or state attorney's investigation. "It is a political proceeding. It is not a court proceeding," said Crow, a Republican from Palm Harbor. "The public is better served by having access to these proceedings." "Believe me," he added, "I am not going to put up with any monkey business from any side."
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