Residents of this contentious beach community in attendance at Sunday’s Tampa Bay Rays game against the Washington Nationals were surprised to see a former commissioner standing with a group of beach mayors on the field.

But the stunner came when they heard the announcer introduce Linda Chaney as “Commissioner” and recognize her as the official St. Pete Beach representative at the special Rays’ Gulf Beaches Day event. Chaney left the City Commission in March.

Her appearance at the game energized the city’s favorite game — conspiracy by e-mail.

“This is NOT how I expect my city to represent me,” said Rosemary Manning in an e-mail to the city clerk, who then distributed it to the entire commission and public subscribers to city e-mails.

Manning demanded to know why Mayor Mike Finnerty was not at the game and why one of the other “elected commissioners” could not stand in for him?

Why was Chaney “allowed to have herself introduced as Commissioner, and who purchased Chaney’s ticket?”

Chaney says Finnerty asked her to represent the city at the game because she helped create the Beaches Day event. Finnerty had a prior commitment at a nonprofit event.

Chaney said she had no idea she would be announced as “commissioner” of St. Pete Beach.

It wasn’t until she returned to her seat to find her “vocal critics” Rosemary and Bob Manning sitting nearby that she discovered her presence might be controversial.