DELTONA BONA FIDE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Blossom honest, straightforward guy

June 24, 2007

I received [an] email about the City of Deltona's special meeting to discuss Mayor Mulder's request for the resignation of City Attorney Roland Blossom. Unfortunately, I received it just about an hour before the meeting, and was unable to attend.

I read the mayor's memorandum addressed to Mr. Blossom. It was not very illuminating as to the circumstances involved or to what court case the mayor was referring to. I did an online search and found the court case reported in the Orlando Sentinel, with audio links to the statement made in court by the defendant, Lionel Benjamin, and to the statement made in court by City of Deltona Attorney Roland Blossom, as referred to in the mayor's memorandum.

After reading the newspaper article and listening to the audio statements, I do not believe that Mr. Blossom did anything wrong to warrant his involuntary termination or voluntary resignation. Mr. Blossom simply advised the judge that he advised the City of Deltona not to adopt the ordinance in question in the trial. Contrary to the city attorney's advice, the city adopted the ordinance. Now, the City of Deltona finds itself having to defend the constitutionality of the ordinance, which is at issue in the trial.

The defendant sounds as if he is being represented free of charge by the ACLU, with its nearly unlimited resources. The ACLU undoubtedly will take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.

Unless the mayor, vice mayor, and the city commissioners are attorneys themselves, I do not understand why they would go against the advice of the city attorney and pass an ordinance which he felt would be difficult to defend the constitutionality of. To go against the advice of one’s attorney is downright foolish and supremely arrogant. Even attorneys who get in trouble usually hire another attorney to represent them, and then follow that attorney’s advice and legal counsel, regardless of their own legal knowledge and credentials.

There is even a saying that “an attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client.” So, it is supremely childish for the mayor, after ignoring the advice of the city attorney, to get angry with [him] for informing the judge that he advised the city leaders against passing the ordinance in question.

I truly appreciate and sympathize with the intent of the city leaders in trying to enhance the Florida law concerning the proximity of where sex offender can take up residence. However, if the city attorney advised them against enacting the ordinance, which he did, I am baffled by their actions and by Mayor Mulder’s discontent with Mr. Blossom being honest and straightforward with the judge at the trial.

Since the city attorney represents me too, since I am a resident of Deltona, I am glad that he is a man who is honest and straightforward, and who is more concerned with justice and doing what is right than he is concerned with representing a client who may be violating a person’s constitutional rights.

In my mind, we need more city, county, state, and federal attorneys like Mr. Blossom, who represents the People, the taxpayers, justice for all, and not just the wishes and whims of governmental officials.

- L.C.

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