OPINION: Baugh needs to resign, or the Manatee County Commission chamber needs to be renamed
Baugh is shattering the great Pat Glass' memory.
Chris Anderson
To flat-out call for Vanessa Baugh’s resignation is too easy. Perhaps a caveat is needed to debate such a notion, a necessary compromise. Something that adds a new dimension to the discussion.
I have it: Either Baugh goes, or Pat Glass goes.
Wait, isn’t Pat Glass dead? Yes, she passed away in 2020 at the age of 93. But the Manatee County Commission chambers is named after her, and she is as revered as anyone who has ever served in local government, not only for her accomplishments but her integrity as well.
More:Did DeSantis and Baugh break state law in COVID controversy? They gave it a shot.
If Baugh, the chairwoman of the Manatee County Commission clown car, does not resign during Tuesday’s meeting for her shameful role in the recent COVID-19 vaccine distribution fiasco that also involved Gov. Ron DeSantis and a pair of prominent developers, then they need to remove Glass’ name from the chamber and her portrait from the wall and honor her distinguished contributions in a setting more deserving of her memory.
Because as of right now, Baugh, and the rest of the commissioners for that matter, should not be allowed to sit in that chamber, even if they promise they will always wear masks, won’t run the county administrator out of town, attempt to blackmail (allegedly) a fellow commissioner who had an affair, bounce $10 checks to the state for their certificate and let friends and constituents cut in line for life-saving vaccines.
More:Manatee commissioner Vanessa Baugh created vaccine priority list that included herself and donor
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Yep, just when you thought it was safe to come out from behind Nancy Pelosi’s stolen lectern, Manatee County is back in the old national spotlight again, and Baugh has become our new Adam Johnson. She has even managed to become more famous in Lakewood Ranch than Mick Jagger. War, it turns out, really is just a shot away. If the shot’s not administered fairly, that is.
Most know the vaccine story by now: DeSantis approached local developer and Republican mega-donor Pat Neal with 3,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to offer. Neal called Lakewood Ranch developer Rex Jensen for assistance, Baugh was then contacted, and the next thing anyone knew a pop-up site was chosen for residents in two Lakewood Ranch ZIP codes containing a large number of Republicans in an area with a low-infection rate. The random lottery for seniors in the county was bypassed in favor of those in Baugh’s district.
Oh, and it got even worse when Baugh placed four friends, including Jensen, and herself, on a list to be vaccinated. Baugh stated she never received the vaccine, but the damage was done. The person who didn’t take COVID seriously enough to wear a mask in public was apparently concerned after all. Go figure.
In addition, both Baugh and DeSantis may have broken state law for using their offices to secure personal gain for themselves and others, and Rep. Charlie Crist is now calling on the Department of Justice to federally investigate DeSantis for the very same thing.
Can you imagine what Pat Glass would think? Glass, in 1978, was elected Manatee County’s first female county commissioner and served in that capacity for 28 years. She was chairwoman seven times.
Glass played a major part in all that is good in Manatee County, her accomplishments far too numerous to list. She was passionate about the elderly, improving health care, affordable housing, the environment and the quality of drinking water. In the 1990s, she formed an AIDS council, which wasn’t exactly popular, and many public structures were built because of her persistence.
Baugh, meanwhile, has been facing pressure to resign, and if she does Glass’ name should stay in the chambers.
But if Baugh doesn’t resign, our esteemed county commissioners need to start holding their meetings in a mobile home park rec room. Or in a booth at Bob Evans after the spilled sugar packs are cleaned up. Too bad Council’s isn’t still around. A pool hall would have been perfect for their backroom hustles as well.
The choice between keeping Pat Glass’ influence, or Vanessa Baugh’s deception is easy. The county proclamation that named the chamber after her in 2018 sums it up best: “Pat’s integrity in office and the innumerable positive contributions to this community more than qualify her for the honor.’’
Contact columnist Chris Anderson at chris.anderson@heraldtribune.com.