Jim Smith land deal clouds county election
by Will Van Sant, Times staff writer
In print: Saturday, June 21, 2008
When the Jim Smith land deal exploded into view last summer, conventional wisdom was that the scandal would overshadow Pinellas County's 2008 elections.
But on Friday, as qualification for the ballot closed, just two candidates linked to the controversy remain: County Commissioner Karen Seel and property appraiser candidate Pam Dubov, who worked for Smith..........
.......Dubov, who has never answered questions before about the Smith deal, did so for the first time Friday, a day after she resigned her post as deputy property appraiser in Smith's office to campaign.
Dubov said she warned Smith the public would look askance at the difference between the appraised value and the sales price.
In the Aug. 26 primary her opponent is Frank Gregoire. A private appraiser for 30 years, Gregoire, 55, said Dubov should have gone public with her feelings about Smith's decision to cut a deal with the county.
.....full story here
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This has everything to do with ethics, integrity and public trust. Voters and Taxpayers in Pinellas County deserve better than an individual with the "integrity" to disclose their views only "a day after she resigned her post as deputy property appraiser in Smith's office to campaign."
Pinellas County deserves a Property Appraiser that believes "in government or business, ethics and integrity are a full time job from which there can be no vacation."
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