A Times Editorial

A few voters offer a lesson in ethics

Voters in three Pasco cities, or the few who traveled to the polls Tuesday, sent one clear message to their municipal officials: We put a premium on ethical behavior.

In Zephyrhills, voters turned out incumbent Mike Bussell after a single, two-year term that was most notable for his payment of a $500 fine to the state Ethics Commission. As a candidate in 2000 and 2001, Bussell left portions of his financial disclosure statements blank -- which obscured his ownership of a house and outstanding tax liabilities.

In Port Richey, the electorate, for the third time, turned down Bob Leggiere's quest to be elected mayor. The former council member and acting mayor was the subject of a grand jury investigation two years ago that found he violated the City Charter by running roughshod over the Building Department. At the outset of his campaign this year, police charged Leggiere with drunken driving. Subsequently, the unflattering police mug shot made its way into Mayor Eloise Taylor's campaign literature.

In New Port Richey, voters rejected incumbent Susan Clark's re-election bid. Clark had no publicly disclosed ethical baggage, but questions about mixing political favors with commission decisions dogged her husband, Hap, during his eight years as a county commissioner. Mrs. Clark, who had an unremarkable two years on the council, didn't help herself by accepting a campaign contribution from the Kolikithas family, which was at the center of the controversial commercial bingo ordinance in Port Richey. The donation reminded voters the Clarks hold the dubious distinction of helping to bring offshore gambling to Pasco County.

Unfortunately, the mandate for improved ethical standards in government came from a minority of the people. Combined, approximately one of every nine eligible voters in the three cities cast ballots. In Zephyrhills, the turnout was a puny 7 percent, half of what it was a year ago.

"It's pretty pathetic. I don't get it," confessed Elections Supervisor Kurt Browning.

Browning had pushed Pasco's six cities to move their local elections to a uniform date. Prior to 1985, local election days stretched from April to December. The single date allows the public the opportunity to focus exclusively on the municipal races. Otherwise, candidates and issues would be overshadowed by the lengthy November ballot or overlooked by an electorate unsure of whether to vote in March or December.

In light of the poor turnout, some may make the mistaken call for fewer polling places as a way to reduce costs. It would be misguided. Local governments should make it easier, not more difficult, for voters to cast ballots. Zephyrhills, for instance, combined its November polling sites into a single location -- the Alice Hall community building -- for the municipal contest. On Tuesday, it had the smallest turnout of the three cities.

Increased inconvenience isn't the answer. Public awareness of apathy's consequences is more beneficial. The 15,539 eligible voters who skipped the polls should consider that they now have to live by the decisions reached by 1,967 people.

It is contradictory to the campaigns' emphasis on ethics. Good government remains elusive as long as the minority rules.

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