Most people do not realize the sacrifices that local elected officials make when they accept an elected or appointed city position. For instance being a city commissioner guarantees lack of privacy in your personal life, time taken away from family. All this and you are compensated with very low pay. On top of this, there are watchdogs continually searching for breaches of the ethics code. Seasoned politicians know the best rule of thumb is to err on the side of caution. This means that the most innocent of actions will be scrutinized and most of the time interrupted in a negative manner.
Case and point, someone has actually brought to light in a June 5 Herald-Tribune story that in 2004, I repeat in 2004, Sarasota City Commissioner Mary Anne Servian’s along with her husband purchased a new Downtown Sarasota condominium. Now it was not the purchase of the condo that is in question. Someone questions whether Servian received special treatment because she along with 20 or 30 other buyers managed to get early reservation for one of the 134 Condos. It is not unusual for developers to offer early reservations on projects.
Of course what has been said is there...