TREASURE ISLAND -- Newly elected commissioner Carol Coward insisted Tuesday she was not trying to be a Scrooge, but she opposed a city plan to lease new holiday lights. “It’s not that I am against Christmas decorations, but if we can’t afford to pave the causeway and 107th Avenue, in my opinion we can’t afford to lease lights for five years. Let’s put up what we’ve got.”

But then City Manager Reid Silverboard pointed out that of 100 pole-mounted lighted decorations, “only two are safe” to use. Most have electrical shorts because of disintegrated wiring insulation, he said.
The commission faced three choices — no decorations this year, buying new decorations at an estimated cost of $45,000, or renting decorations over the next five years at a total cost of $16,000.

“The city would miss the decorations if they weren’t there. The cheapest and most expeditious way to go would be to rent them,” said commissioner Phil Collins.

The rest of the commission agreed, but Coward insisted the city does not have enough money and voted “no.”

 Sheila Mullane Estrada, Times correspondent