Last year at this time Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White was preparing to go to trial in his sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former aide Alyssa Ogden. He was found guilty, and subsequently Hillsborough taxpayers were liable. It was several months of bad press for the Commissioner, who faces re-election in two weeks.
While appearing on WTMP radio last Saturday morning discussing the White/Les Miller/Valerie Goddard race (which you can read more about it in the current CL), fellow panelists on the radio program and callers mentioned White in reference to unfair media treatment.
The comparison was with Commissioner Jim Norman, who has been in the news unfavorably in recent weeks after ABC 28 originally reported that his wife owns a $435,000 vacation home in Arkansas, with unnamed "partners." That lack of transparency has allowed the story to percolate, despite Norman's claims that his opponent in the District 12 GOP Senate race, Kevin Ambler, took the story to the media.
Those panelists and callers said that more scrutiny needed to be applied to Norman, as there were questions of double standards in terms of how the local media treats black and whites. Well, for those who think the media has been soft, Bill Varian in today's St. Pete Times has new material on Commissioner Norman to continue the narrative.
The story picks up on something that has also continued to reverberate, not only unfavorably on Norman, but also on the local Salvation Army. To quote Ross Perot, here's the deal:
The County Commission position is a full-time gig, and Commissioners are paid pretty well for their service -$91,966. They also get a car allowance of $233. For that very healthy salary (particularly in Tampa Bay), they're expected to be on the job full time, which is why it was interesting to hear last year Commissioner Norman talk about his work with the Salvation Army during a discussion of the homeless.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.