Holmes Stresses Sensible Spending of Tax Dollars to Largo Commissionby Leo Coughlin LARGO - "I just hope he remembers those words when he is sitting up on that dais," one keen observer of Largo politics said following the wise words of Curtis Holmes during citizen comments at the City Commission meeting September 4. Holmes was pointing out that tax money available to elected officials to spend is money that belongs to the public. "Let's prioritize," Holmes said, pointing out the need for spending on things that serve the city and its citizenry best. Holmes is a candidate for the City Commission in the November election. He has no apparent opposition from someone named Woody Brown who has never been seen at a commission meeting or has been heard on city matters. The controversy in Largo is over a relatively small sum of money in terms of a $130 million or so budget, but in these times the temper of the people is that every dime counts. So to spend $60,000 on a monument to a man - Martin Luther King - who has no direct connection to the city has fired up opposition from the majority of citizens. The MLK monument is a hobby horse of one of the commission members - Rodney Woods - who apparently wants this accomplished so he can add it to an otherwise paltry resume as far as public service goes. But Holmes was reminding commissioners last week that it was not their role to do favors for colleagues. What disturbed him most, Holmes, who is a candidate for the commission against an opponent who has yet to make a public appearance and who has never attended a City Commission meeting, said is the vituperative and nasty words used by those who oppose the citizens who do not want an MLK monument. "It is sad and disturbing," Holmes said, "that when there is a discussion over whether money should be spent on sidewalks or a monument, those who oppose the monument are called bigots and racists." He said this is "uncalled for in what should be a civil discussion over the proper use of tax dollars." Pointing out that a recent published comment in the only daily newspaper in Pinellas County said that the Largo commission used to spend $60,000 on doubtful projects without "blinking an eye," Holmes said that it was time for the commission to blink at this one. Citizen comments continue to be a great indicator of what is going on in the community and the effectiveness of the City Commission. John Atanasio, the World War 2 bomber pilot who goes on tirelessly like the mighty Mississippi and never misses a commission meeting, bewailed the fact that the city government pays no heed to its citizens. He said, "In response to your comment to the public on ways to save money in the budget, I came up with savings of two million dollars," he said. "I have not heard one word one way or the other from any city official on my ideas," Atanasio said. Which may be one reason for the apathy in a city that demonstrably does not listen to its citizens and pays attention to them only when time for re-election rolls around.
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