Guest Column: Audience was not unruly at mosquito board meeting

Guest Column: Audience was not unruly at mosquito board meeting



ROBIN NADEAU
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 08/01/07


This letter concerns a story in Thursday's Record about the July 10 workshop of the Anastasia Mosquito Control Board.

The story said "At the July 10 meeting, the board members became stressed during a budget review as audience members stopped the proceedings by yelling and refusing to keep order." Later in the story, (Board member) Linda Wampler is quoted as saying, "They were screaming and yelling about civil rights...."

These are complete misrepresentations of the facts (as I believe the taped record illustrates). There was no "yelling or screaming."

Chairwoman Barbara Bosanko has repeatedly allowed her "expert" witnesses to take an unlimited amount of time to describe the merits of the purchase of the $ 1.8 million helicopter.

However, public comment is restricted to three minutes.

On July 10, an expert who testified against the purchase of the $1.8 million helicopter, Don Girvan, a former Army captain, pilot, and, since retirement, a businessman, stated that a Sikorsky helicopter, specifically designed for spraying against mosquitoes, sells for $351,000.

As he continued his testimony, underlining the fact that this purchase had not been open for bids, as is required by law, etc., Bosanko wielded her gavel, interrupting his delivery, stating that his three minutes had elapsed. Bosanko liberally uses her gavel to quash any commentary that goes against her wishes.

At this point, Ed Slavin (He is a "burr under the saddle" for several of our local officials because he points out their legal transgressions.) said, in a well-modulated voice -- certainly not anywhere near "yelling and screaming" (Again, I refer you to the taped video.) -- that Bosanko was infringing on Girvan's First Amendment right to free speech.

Although Bosanko is quoted in the story as stating that "the whole issue is being blown out of proportion," she is the one who caused the whole issue to be "blown out of proportion" by her unrestrained use of her gavel, and by calling the Sheriff's office to arrest members of the audience.

When the first officer arrived, she directed him to arrest Slavin, even though the person she was trying to stop from making his commentary was Girvan. However, she has been aggravated during the past many meetings of the Mosquito Control Board by Slavin pointing out the transgressions of the law by the actions and decisions of the board. When confronted by the deputy, Slavin said that Bosanko was infringing on his right to free speech, and the officer backed off, and consulted with another deputy; they decided to leave.

Later, when I discussed this matter with Sheriff David Shoar, I said, and he agreed, that this was a waste of time for his deputies who are already in short supply.

Again, concerning the transgression against Government-In-The-Sunshine Law, I said to the reporters that "it was highly unlikely that, when Mrs. Bosanko, Mrs. Hummel and Mrs. Wampler charged out of the meeting room to call the Sheriff's office, that they didn't discuss the matter for which they were making the call."

Finally, Senior Writer Peter Guinta put his own spin on the "First Amendment protected activity (environmentalists criticizing purchase of a $1.8 million helicopter without competitive bidding) and their desire to contact (the newspaper)."

It is as taxpayers that we are criticizing the outrageous costs incurred by the actions of the board. As environmentalists, we are striving to stop the use of toxic pesticides on the citizens and wildlife of our region, in favor of biological constraints on the mosquitoes.


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