Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch says he welcomes the debate and exchanges from members of the Tea Party, but thinks it might be helpful if they're clear on the facts.
And he thinks it would be beneficial to all if they wouldn't act disrespectfully while attending a Board of County Commission meeting, which is what he says is exactly what happened Tuesday evening while discussing their proposed 2012 budget.
The St. Pete Times David DeCamp provides a concise report about the meeting – or if you have a few hours to spare, you can go on the county's website to view it yourself.
It wasn't just Welch, but Commission Chair Susan Latvala who had to set the Tea Party activists straight when several of their members incorrectly stated that $15 million set aside for affordable housing was going to the religious activist group FAST, despite repeated comments from the public that it was.
This article appears in Aug 18-24, 2011.