Let’s set aside some of the career speed bumps and incongruities Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White has experienced along the way. Including those snazzy Italian suits, that drive-by military service, that questionable TPD conduct.
In fact, for the sake of (specious) argument, let’s not even concede that the federal jury got it right when it found White, 44, guilty of sexually harassing a former aide, then 22. And forget for now that part of the tab for this legal ignominy will be borne by taxpayers.
And never mind that a public steward doesn’t even require an actual resume when hiring an assistant with a certain look.
But how bad is it when you’re reduced to using the pimp defense?
And how good does White have it when the resultant outrage comes much more from media editorials than constituents and district activists?
Two comments, both made to the St. Petersburg Times, are indicative.
Michelle Patty, a high-profile activist who runs a lawyer-referral service, had a racial take on White’s sexual harassment conviction. “I’m out in the community quite a bit,” noted Patty. “What I’m hearing is people are more outraged by the makeup (seven whites, one Hispanic) of the jury.”
Curtis Stokes, head of the Hillsborough County branch of the NAACP, saw the White travesty through a generational lens. “Kevin could use role models and mentors, but they (read: Les Miller) want to run against him,” pointed out Stokes.
With excuse-mongers, enablers and wagon-circlers like this, who needs to be overly concerned about what outrages the media?