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Ailments Continue To Waylay Martin

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 27, 2007

Updated: 11/26/2007 09:55 pm

LAND O' LAKES - The health problems and other personal setbacks that caused Cathi Martin to miss numerous Pasco County School Board meetings in the last year continue to haunt the third-term board member.

Martin announced Monday that she will miss a town hall meeting that she was supposed to host Thursday as part of the school board's effort to seek public input on the school district's strategic plan.

Martin, who said she has been confined to bed rest because of medical problems, said she also will miss both board meetings in December.

"While my current health condition prohibits my physical presence during the next two board meetings, the public can rest assured that I will remain in constant contact with the superintendent and her staff to stay abreast of district matters," Martin said in a prepared statement.

Martin didn't specify what her health problems are, but when she was absent for a school board meeting and workshop last week Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said she had received word Martin had broken her ankle.

The town hall meeting Martin was to host will still happen at 6 p.m. Thursday at Smith Middle School in Holiday. Fiorentino, who was to be Martin's co-host, is scheduled to attend.

The board began the series of town hall meetings last week and each of the five board members is hosting one. Participants are asked to discuss challenges facing Pasco schools, suggest improvements and offer solutions that can be incorporated into the five-year strategic plan.

Martin's frequent absences at board meetings in the last year led to a Republican effort in May to remove her from office. Martin is a Democrat, although school board races are nonpartisan.

The Republicans initially wanted to push for a recall election, but state law doesn't provide for recalls for school board members.

Shari Kotsch, a Republican state committeewoman, said by e-mail Monday that this latest situation "reiterates why Cathi Martin should resign her seat on the school board and allow someone to fill this position."

"Mrs. Martin has clearly been unable to fulfill her duties to the children and voters of Pasco County on repeated occasions, and while I feel empathy for Mrs. Martin, it does not change the fact that the county is paying a salary for a job that is not being fulfilled," Kotsch said.
School board members are paid $37,516 a year.

At the school board's April 17 meeting, Martin spoke for several minutes about her health problems, her son's health problems and an automobile accident, all of which caused her to miss meetings. She also discussed other troubles she faced during the previous months, including the suicide of a niece and the death of her family's dog.

At that point, Martin, 52, had undergone knee and shoulder surgery because of injuries she said dated to when she was a high school cheerleader.

After saying at that April 17 meeting that she looked forward to resuming her duties, Martin missed the April 24 and May 1 meetings.

Martin has held the District 3 seat on the board since she was elected to her first four-year term in 1998.

In the statement she issued Monday, Martin said she is still "committed to serving our district to the best of my ability."

"I will not allow this temporary setback to stop me from my advocacy efforts," she said. "I will do everything in my power to ensure a speedy recovery so that I may be able to return to full participation as soon as possible."

Martin said people with school-related concerns can still contact her by e-mail at cmartin@pasco.k12.fl.us or by phone at (727) 774-3492.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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