Clearwater City Councilman Paul Gibson wonders why one solid waste worker still has a job.

Last December, the driver of a city garbage truck forgot to close the tailgate after unloading at the city’s transfer station on Old Coachman Road.

When the driver left, the tailgate caught, pulled and severed Knology fiber optic cables strung across Old Coachman Road. The result? The city is paying the cable company $39,295 for repair costs. During a recent meeting City Manager Bill Horne said the driver was disciplined, but declined to say much else.

Gibson shot back: “You mean he still has a job?”

-- Mike Donila, Times Staff Writer