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Safety Harbor's City Commission has a demonstrated dedication to recycling that goes far beyond the recent commitment to an in-house program of curbside collection of recyclable materials such as paper, plastic and cardboard. Now the commission is in an amazing process of recycling itself. What originally was scheduled as an election to fill two vacant seats has become a stampede for the exits with four of five seats now available. But, in the spirit of recycling, two former commissioners previously appointed to fill vacancies created by resignations have now indicated they will run for those offices and Mayor Andy Steingold has said he will make his third race in three years -- this time for a three-year term as mayor.

Political turmoil is nothing new, but clearly the stress associated with serving at the most fundamental level of local government rarely has been greater. The most recent resignation occurred near the end of an exhausting, five-and-a-half hour meeting that stretched into the early morning hours of the next day. Commissioners had not been dilly-dallying to allow the meeting to continue so long. They were doing what they are elected to do, listening to the concerns of their constituents and openly discussing the pros and cons of the difficult decisions they faced. But the resignation of Vice Mayor Kathleen Earle did not arise from the stress of a single long meeting. As with the resignation earlier this year of Commissioner James McCormick, family and work demands forced Earle's resignation. Both commissioners were serving in public office for the first time and devoted considerable time in their service to the city. Neither should be condemned for being unable to continue.

The unsettling part of this recycling scenario is that voters who spoke quite loudly and clearly about concerns with the city's growth and spending have lost two advocates. Although Earle and McCormick came from opposite ends of the political spectrum, each represented articulate voices for the concerns of their constituents. They were elected at a time when many voters feared a wave of development endangered the character of the city's downtown. The commission has taken steps to respond to those concerns, including beginning revisions to the downtown land development plan and adopting a "grand tree” ordinance. But the work is far from complete and with the economic pressures of a flat real estate market and state-mandated restrictions on property tax collections, new commissioners face a hard job.

Earle said she announced her unexpected resignation when she did to allow city voters a voice. Her timing allowed the commission to include her seat in the upcoming January election rather than making yet another interim appointment or scheduling a special election. However, qualifying for that election opened Nov. 5 -- technically the day before Earle's announcement -- and will close at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19. Any potential candidate has a brief time to make a decision and gather the required signatures of registered voters.