Mayor lambasted for festival testimony

Commissioners are angry that Bob Jackson testified that the Renaissance festival could be accommodated when the commission voted it could not.

By MICHAEL SANDLER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 1, 2002

LARGO -- Mayor Bob Jackson faced extreme criticism from his colleagues Tuesday night for testifying in court that the city could accommodate the Bay Area Renaissance Festival.

Largo City Commissioners accused Jackson of sabotaging the city's legal battle against Mid America Festivals and not advocating the commission's intention to terminate the lease.

Jackson said he answered the questions "briefly and honestly."

"I couldn't lie," he told them. "It can be (accommodated)."

Jackson was one of three witnesses called to testify in the Monday hearing. Jim Peterson, the festival owner, and Largo City Manager Steven Stanton also testified.

The judge did not make a decision and is reviewing the terms of the contract, said Largo city attorney Alan Zimmet.

Peterson filed the lawsuit last month after the commission voted 5-2 on April 2 to terminate his lease and evict the popular festival from Largo Central Park after 23 years. He was notified the next day, less than two weeks before the festival ended.

The suit alleges that the city failed to give Peterson the required 30 days notice before terminating the five-year contract, which had three years remaining, and that the city could accommodate the festival, according to its master plan. Peterson is seeking to re-establish the contract and damages.

Jackson has served as mayor since 2000 and on the commission the past 27 years. He was one of two who voted against terminating the lease; the other was Commissioner Jean Halvorsen.

Since the vote, Jackson has publicly questioned the decision, a move that has infuriated many of his fellow commissioners.

They say he has undermined the commission by advocating his own opinion instead of taking the position of the majority, and Monday's testimony signified his defiance.

They were troubled to learn Jackson sat behind attorney Marion Hale, who is representing Peterson, at Monday's hearing, that he passed notes to her during the hearing and that he was seen walking out of the court room with her.

Mostly, they were disappointed that he said the festival could be accommodated when the commission voted it could not.

Commission Marty Shelby wrote a memo Tuesday morning requesting the emergency discussion. He said he has lost confidence in the mayor.

"I feel you have worked with Mr. Peterson and you have worked against the commission," said Shelby, who later added: "You are seriously jeopardizing your credibility with members of the staff and members of this commission."

Jackson accused Shelby of trying to discredit him. He said he answered in court a general question honestly but said he should have clarified his answer.

Technically, he said, the city can accommodate the festival on the site where it has always been.

The contract called for the festival to be moved farther east in the park next year so the city could build a library next to the current site. The new site has yet to be developed, and the city and the festival dispute who is supposed to pay for it.

Stanton testified that he did not think the city could accommodate the festival in Largo Central Park, based on the master plan. Jackson said nobody asked him about the master plan.

"The question was simply asked to me, could the city accommodate the festival on the site," said Jackson. "I said yes. I should have said, not on the site we set aside for them."

Jackson acknowledged that he showed "poor judgment" in passing the notes but said he wanted to explain to Hale that pending litigation prevented him from mediating a settlement out of court, a response to a question Judge Crockett Farnell posed to the attorneys.

"You can't take it out of context," Jackson told the commission Tuesday. "I knew yesterday going in I could not win."

The six commissioners interrupted a scheduled work session on next year's budget so they could interrogate the mayor for one hour over his testimony Monday. They finally agreed to finish the discussion in an emergency executive session out of public view at 7 p.m. today.

The commission is allowed to sidestep the Sunshine Law to discuss legal strategy and possible terms of a settlement but cannot discipline the mayor.

-- Michael Sandler can be reached at 445-4174 or sandler@sptimes.com.

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