Pole-Girl Falliero Is Getting Some Bad PR

Column

Speaking freely not part of the agenda

By Sue Carlton, Times Columnist
Published February 27, 2008

St. Petersburg Times

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You watch your local school board meeting for the latest, and suddenly find yourself tumbling down the rabbit hole.

At the start of last week's Hillsborough County School Board meeting, Chairwoman Jennifer Faliero helpfully read a list of rules for those who wanted to speak before the board. You get three minutes, she said. No "personal attacks," no "inappropriate speech," nothing threatening, racist, obscene, profane, etc.

Oh, and this: "You will also be called out of order if you use someone's name," she said - no explanation, as mystifying as if she was requiring all comments be spoken in Pig Latin.

Okay, wait a minute here - so you risk getting the boot just for saying the name of the person you're talking about? Come again, Chairwoman Fal -

Whoa! Close one there!

Strictly speaking, I have to say I heard the careless throwing around of "Mr." this and "Mrs." that throughout that meeting, though no one was wrestled to the ground, Tased or taken away and handcuffs.

Though one person did get tagged for it - a well-dressed, white-haired lady named Lee Drury De Cesare.

Lest my description lead you astray, please know that despite her delicate bearing and precise enunciation, De Cesare is the sort of ever-present gadfly who stirs fear and loathing in the hearts of certain elected officials. Why? It seems there is nothing she will not say, nowhere she will not go, in her biting criticism. Poison pen does not even begin.

So the well-known De Cesare took her place at the podium to speak and lobbed a few mild ones, an "utter piffle" here and there. Then she asked the board to consider the case of a teacher who had spoken out about an extra-class policy and who might be facing retaliation for it. The bell dinged and Faliero interrupted with, "Thank you, your time is up, ma'am," but De Cesare kept going and said the teacher's name.

Alert the authorities!

You would think I was kidding, but no. "You're out of order," said an angry-sounding Faliero, to which De Cesare replied as she was leaving, "Why, thank you, my dear. How delicious that I am."

Then came the line that could one day replace, "Don't Tase me, bro!"

"Chief Friedberg," Faliero said, sounding like one of those tough Law & Order prosecutors and referring to the security chief in the room, "Do your thing."

And so the officer escorted De Cesare out.

By now you're saying: back story, please?

Faliero, who is very familiar with the jab of that aforementioned poison pen, said the rule against naming names was "to prevent people from personal attacks." She mentioned De Cesare and her history in specific. Although technically De Cesare was actually advocating for the person she dared name this time.

Faliero noted De Cesare went beyond the allowed time. "She behaved her way out of the board meeting, in my opinion," Faliero said.

And what of the potential problem of a say-no-names policy in the face of the First Amendment? The chairwoman said this week the rule is "not going to be something we're going to continue."

So here's a lesson to go with the one on free speech. Savvy politicians learn that sometimes you just sit back and listen to the citizens - even if it's the longest three minutes of your life.