Commissioner Murman quoted in this StPetersBlog post on MaryEllen Elia:
Port Tampa Bay Authority votes in support of MaryEllen Elia
By Mitch Perry on January 20, 2015
As embattled Hillsborough County School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia learns her fate with the School Board this afternoon, score another major boost for her and against the forces that would like to see her contract terminated.
The Port Tampa Bay Authority voted 4-2 today to send a show of support for Elia, just hours before the School Board decides on her future.
The motion was offered by Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandy Murman, who asked if the Port Authority could send out a statement of support as their monthly meeting concluded.
But she received immediate pushback from board Chairman Stephen Swindal, who called Elia’s conflict with several School Board members a “volatile situation” that had nothing to do with Port operations.
He was seconded in his opposition to issuing a statement from board member Patrick Allman, who said he didn’t want to tell other local boards what to do and didn’t want them telling the Port Authority what they should be doing.
That’s when Bob Buckhorn interjected. The Tampa mayor and port board member said that while he was generally very reluctant to meddle in other people’s business, “and I certainly recognize the sentiment,” he then reasserted what he told reporters last Tuesday when asked his opinion on the matter.
“We can’t afford drama in the school system,” he told his fellow Port Authority members. “This appears to be a sort of petty retaliation by some board members who don’t like (her) for whatever reason or have had issues with MaryEllen. It has nothing to do with the substance of what she does, or the caliber of her performance,” a statement that her critics would not agree with. Buckhorn went on to say that he didn’t know what will ultimately happen with Elia, but “I know it can’t end like this.”
Regarding the weight he bears on the issue by weighing in, the mayor said he understood exactly what he was doing. “In this case, I did (intervene). I’m happy I did it. I’d do it again, and I think this board could add their voices to that cast as well.”
Answering Allman, Murman insisted that the Port Authority wasn’t telling the School Board what to do. “We are showing support. And there is a big, big difference in doing so.”
Port CEO Paul Anderson was asked to weigh in. He said that while he didn’t really want to wade into the situation, he said he’s had a great working relationship with Elia.
“It would just be a shame to lose someone with her stature and respect,” he said, adding that he comes from a community that went through several school superintendents. “It gets very difficult to do a national search when you have a record of letting go of top-performing superintendents, because of political reasons.”
The board then voted 4-2, with Swindle and Allman dissenting.
Meanwhile, a member of another Hillsborough County board, Kathleen Shanahan with HART, has posted a petition on the website Change.org calling on people to support Elia, and show up at 2:45 p.m. this afternoon at the school district building.
The Hillsborough County School Board votes on whether or not to terminate Elia’s contract at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
