LARGO -- The question of whether Largo will be a city of laws or a municipality run on the basis of whimsy is still up in the air.
In a comical turn that ended last week's work session meeting on March 22, a "Gallagher and Sheean" act took place with protestations of surprise and innocence highlighting information that, at that point, was five or six days old.
Commissioner Mary Black, newly elected and who keeps asking embarassing questions and refuses to forget about possible law violations in connection with the March election, asked at the very end of the meeting what the status of the State Attorney's investigation into the violations was.
"You didn't get a copy?" City Manager Steve Stanton managed to ask in what appeared to be total surprise.
"No," said Black, whose answer was echoed by Mayor Bob Jackson and her fellow commissioners. Which means that these folks don't read the only daily newspaper in town or that those who do so don't bother to tell them what they read and which pertains to the commission.
One of State Attorney Bernie McCabe's myrmidons, apparently alertly acting on the cue suggested some weeks ago by Alaz Zimmett, Largo's part time city attorney, said he could "find no wilful violations."
What is clearly known is that Commissioners Pat Gerard and Harriet Crozier made contributions to candidates in the March election.
This is against the law, although the violators offered the defense that they didn't know about the law. Of course, that is no legal defense at all and further reveals that they have not bothered to read the charter they took an oath to uphold.
McCabe's office came forward with its decision to let Largo violaters slide in a story that was reported March 17, five days before the work session meeting when Black raised the question.
"It all seems so strange," one observer noted, admitting that the word "strange" was being used in the most loosest sense and really carried more the connotation that something was rotten in Denmark.
The matter will come before the City Commission which, if it wants the city to be a government of laws and not whimsy, will remove the offending commissioners which is demanded under the plain language of the City Charter.
"The plot thickens . . . er, sickens," the observer said.