The late Blythe Andrews deserved better. He was, as some have reflected, a “touchstone” for Tampa’s black community. He was a fixture on numerous boards – from Tampa General Hospital to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. He was the first black appointed to the Tampa Sports Authority.
And yet, for some he’s largely the man – in the final months of his life – who became embroiled in that sex harassment lawsuit involving County Commissioner Kevin White and his former assistant, the winsome, experience-challenged Alyssa Ogden. How unseemly and unnecessary.
The body of Andrews’ work over a lifetime of service is his legacy. The last few months an unfortunate footnote. To date, the sleazy harassment, the resultant lawsuit and the taxpayer tab in excess of $400,000 is White’s scandalous legacy.