Mayor’s comments on constituent’s political leanings heat up City Hall

Published 12:59 pm Monday, February 14, 2011

Live Oak resident Larry Riggs addresses Mayor Sonny Nobles on a comment Nobles made to Riggs regarding political signs in Riggs’ yard during the May 2010 city election. - Photo: Jeff Waters

Sparks flew at City Hall Tuesday night over a comment made by Mayor Sonny Nobles to a Live Oak resident last week.

Larry Riggs said he wanted an apology from Nobles for his “inappropriate” comment concerning political signs in Riggs’ yard during the last city election. The signs bore the name of Nobles’ opponent, Brant Helvenston.

On Feb. 2 Nobles visited Riggs’ residence with other city officials over a public works issue that Riggs had been trying to get fixed for years, Riggs said.

Riggs said he saw Nobles in his yard and decided to meet him.

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“He wanted to know where the signs were that were in my front yard for Helvenston,” Riggs said. “Now after living in Miami-Dade County I have to admit you become very sensitive to politics, especially the way it is down there. To me that was like an old Navy adage of a shot across the bow, saying you were for Helvenston and not for me and I’m not willing to do anything for you, that’s the way I felt.”

Nobles said Riggs “misinterpreted” his words, but admitted to the remarks.

“If he wants me to apologize I’m not,” Nobles said during the meeting. “I just went up there and made a little wise statement. We laughed about it.”
Riggs didn’t see it as a joke, however, and neither did Councilman Adam Prins, who represents Riggs’ district.

Prins said that Riggs came to him concerned over the comment and wanted an apology from Nobles.

Prins said he tried to deal with the issue privately and asked Nobles to contact Riggs.

“He hasn’t done it and that is why I am, at the request of my constituent, asking the mayor to apologize to this gentleman publicly,” Prins said at the meeting.

The discussion then turned into a shouting match between Nobles and Prins.

Nobles said Prins has labeled himself the “whipping boss” of the city and of himself.

“You are not my whipping boss, you do not come up here and get on to me in public young man,” said Nobles. “You are looking for anything you can, Adam Prins, to dig me with and half the people in this room know that.”

Councilman Ed Rewis called the spectacle “a publicity stunt” on Prins’ behalf while Prins said Nobles brought the heat on himself.

Nobles told Riggs that he was sorry he was “very sensitive and you took offense to that. I don’t apologize for that comment.”

Riggs felt differently.

“A joke or not, I thought it was totally inappropriate, if you don’t want to apologize, that’s your decision, but I wanted to at least explain why I felt the way I felt,” he said.

The mayor wasn’t done with Prins, however.
“Don’t come up there and ever turn into a whipping boss for me, sir,” said Nobles.

“I specifically tried to privately handle this and you told me, and I quote ‘I do not answer to you, son,’” Prins countered.

Nobles said he felt this was “a malicious attack on me to try and defame me.”

Council President Bennie Thomas asked Nobles why he was at Riggs’ residence in the first place, since it’s not his job to carry out council objectives.

Nobles said he was there to get a picture of a city contractor at work on the sewer system.

“Now you’re going to get on to me, no don’t be getting on to me either,” Nobles told Thomas. “Because I can go anywhere I want to.”

At the conclusion of Tuesday night’s meeting, Nobles apologized for his earlier outbursts, but said they were justified.

“I’m sorry that I was driven to make the comments from my outburst tonight,” he said. “I’m embarrassed, but I don’t apologize (for the comment to Riggs) and if anybody in here in this room was ambushed like I was tonight, you’d be raising Billy Cain too.”