The Political Whore

By Bill Stone
PoHo correspondent

As towns, cities and municipalities scramble to cut budgets, St. Petersburg continues to spend unnecessarily. For example, former Police Chief Goliath Davis makes more than $152,000 per year (just a few years ago the post paid $118,000) in his position as “Deputy Mayor of Midtown Economic Development” and continues to drive a car provided for by the city just as he did when he served as police chief.

This arrangement is troubling for several reasons. Why is Davis the only deputy mayor (there are four … and since we’re on the subject, WHY does the city require four deputy mayors?) provided a vehicle paid for by the city, and why are his auto expenses (gas, across the state and out of state expenses and more) funneled and invoiced through the police department and paid for by funds earmarked for undercover police work? Especially since First Deputy Mayor Tish Elston is on record saying Davis’ use of the vehicle has nothing to do with police functions.

Davis is the city’s top liaison to the African-American community, but his tenure has been marked by a very quiet dissent from some civic leaders who question his role and effectiveness. One mayoral candidate, Scott Wagman, has even said he likely wouldn’t keep Davis in his job, calling it a luxury the city likely can’t afford.

I inquired as to the timing of Davis’ employment since it appears he held two city positions for at least several months in 2001, a violation of city rules. According to St. Petersburg’s Personnel Management Rules and Regulations, “No City employee may engage in or have employment involving more than one full-time position of St. Petersburg.” The rules also provide that all possessions including books, records, uniforms, keys and other items should be returned to the city before departing from a position. So why did Davis not return the vehicle after his stint as chief ended?

City Clerk Cathy Davis forwarded my inquiry to Director of Human Resources Gary Cornwell. Cornwell responded with the following statement: “Davis retired as Chief of Police in October of 2001, was separated from employment, and then was re-employed as the Deputy Mayor. As such he never held more than one position at any time.”

In contrast, an inter-office memorandum from Mayor Rick Baker to City Council dated April 19, 2001, provides that Davis would begin work as deputy mayor for Midtown Economic Development on April 23, 2001 while the mayor searched for a police chief slated to assume the position later that year. Davis appears to have fulfilled dual roles, that of deputy mayor and that of chief of police, until Chuck Harmon was appointed in December of that year.

Baker and Cornwell can’t both be right. Who’s blowing smoke here?

In response to the inquiry regarding Davis’ alleged dual employment with the city, the city forwarded an e-mail citing a 1993 ruling from then Attorney General Bob Butterworth. Butterworth’s ruling addresses dual office-holding by city employees and specifically focuses on the city of Apopka regarding the merged duties of the fire chief with those of the community development director and those of the assistant city administrator with the city finance director. Nevertheless, in his sum of the ruling, Butterworth wrote, “The positions of fire chief of the city of Apopka and community development director are not legally incompatible and may be merged into one position by appropriate legislative action by the city.”

Fine. Where is St. Petersburg’s legislative action addressing such?

It’s time for a regime change, and when we meet the new boss, he/she should not be the same as the old boss.

Posted in Tampa Bay Politics | Leave a comment