Column: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen," Mayor, City Commissioners, - Citizens' Report of Illegal Dumping Led to Proposed Fine

Guest Column: Reader agrees with editorial on dumping

JUDITH SERAPHIN
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 12/03/06


Thanks for your Nov. 19 editorial blasting "soon- to-be-ex-Mayor" George Gardner!

Gardner broke his prom-ise, refusing to answer questions about illegal dumping. Then Gardner disgraced himself, abusing his valedict-ory remarks to attack Ed Slavin, who reported our city's illegal dumping, resulting in a proposed $46,000 fine for "serious" violations and officials' "lack of good faith."

Mayor Gardner was egged on by four city commissioners and City Manager Harriss -- they started the non-spontaneous standing ovation, joined in by developers, lawyers, contractors, etc. Yacht Club members were embarrassed, induced to join the ovation while waiting to discuss the Salt Run community center lease.

Officials must pay the fines and give sworn testimony. St. Augustine city officials must be prosecuted for illegal dumping and ordering city employees to sort through 20,000 cubic yards of old landfill without training. Officials never apologized to workers (or thanked Ed Slavin). Instead they insulted him for months, showing hostility and prejudice on "Talk of the Town" and in meetings.

Ed Slavin won punitive damages against three federal agencies in environ-mental whistleblower cases during 2002-2003. City officials (and hangers-on) -- refusing to answer public questions about city operations -- now seemingly support angry nuclear weapons plant managers in Tennessee (which also criminally prosecuted teaching evolution and desegregation). Birds of a feather?

Since 1776, real Americans have stood up to bullies, like "King George" Gardner and those wasting your money on junkets to NYC and Europe and a White Elephant parking garage, while delaying and denying city funds for a civil rights monument.

So Mayor Gardner's mad about Ed Slavin asking hundreds of (unanswered) questions? As Harry Truman said, "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

Thanks again for supporting First Amendment rights and investigating what Gardner admits is "rampant corruption."


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