LARGO - Of all those heard at the Largo City Commission's hearing October 3 on whether to allow the Moss-Feaster funeral parlor to build a three-oven crematory in a residential district, no one made a greater impact than Marty Shelby.
Shelby is a stranger in the chamber in which he once sat as a member of the commission. He might have been seen there only once since he resigned in 2003 to mount an unsuccessful race for mayor.
But Shelby came back in fine style two weeks ago, with a stirring argument against the facility that would have done Clarence Darrow proud.
Shelby's performance was a tour de force, bringing into play the persuasive skills of the lawyer that he is, presenting a well reasoned argument based on evidence, explaining as he did so what evidence is and how the evidence at hand was valid.
Typically, when Shelby made his appearance at the citizens' podium he showed his smiling, handsome and cherubic face which beams friendliness like the sun beams warmth on a day in June.
But then he got serious, and you could see all the skills of the advocate come to the fore.
He explained allowable uses to a commission that is often in the dark about its own city codes, relying, it seems, in all cases on its $2,000-plus a week lawyer who consistently does the bidding of the city manager. They are like two peas in a pod.
Alan Zimmet, the lawyer, did not sign off on the document presented by City Manager Steve Stanton and the staff that gave an okay to what was being called a "central care facility" (huh?) the purpose of which is to burn dead bodies.
But Zimmet surely wrote the language of the alternative motions that would green light or kill the idea.
It wasn't simply, "I move to approve (or disapprove). . .," but was this complicated -
"After carefully considering written and verbal (sic) comments from staff, the applicant, the applicant's witnesses, other witnesses, and the public, all other evidence and the applicable provisions of the city Comprehensive Development Code, I find that the proposed development is consistent (not consistent) with the review criteria set forth in subsection 4004 and section 5200 of the Comprehensive Development Code, therefore, move to approve Serenity Gardens Central Care Facility Site Plan Review."
Shelby, in his brilliant presentation, boiled it all down to one word for the edification of the commission. The issue is about compatibility, he said. That is, does an industrial three-oven plant that burns corpses belong in a residential area?
The commission thought not, as we all know now, and turned down Moss-Feaster, its high powered lawyer and the groveling city manager and staff, 5-1 (Gay Gentry for, Harriet Crozier recused because she is a recent employee of Moss-Feaster).
The presence of a court reporter, who presumably took down the gist of if not the verbatim words of Shelby, indicated that a lawsuit may be looming.