Wow. Politician inspects moldy ditch and dies.

[Baitball Blogger]

Panhandle mayor died after mold exposure, widow says

CALLAWAY — A Florida Panhandle mayor has died after an apparent exposure to mold while investigating a resident's complaint.

Callaway Mayor Robert Thompson died Saturday. He was 80.

Thompson's wife tells The News Herald that doctors told her the mayor had died from mold that damaged his physical appearance and mental faculties.

Reeda Thompson said that early last week, the mayor went to investigate a resident's complaint about a ditch that needed to be cleaned. She said her husband told her he found mold and mildew there.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-29/news/os-mayor-dies-mold-20120529_1_mold-exposure-florida-panhandle-widow

[HopeHoops]

1. That's sad, but what do you bet it takes another 2 years to get started on fixing the problem.

[Enrique]

2. very sad

Mayor Thompson sounds like the best mayor ever:

Robert Thompson had gone to investigate a complaint in Callaway Point where a resident was complaining and wanted a ditch by the Bay to be cleaned out.

“She said people had been throwing cat and dog feces down in there,” said Reeda Thompson. “If I know Bob, he got down in there to see what the problem was. He said it was mildew and mold in those marshes.”

That afternoon Robert Thompson told the resident he would have someone clean it. According to Reeda Thompson, he then called City Hall which told him they had not been able to clean the ditch for three years because the necessary equipment was too large to get to the area. He then came home, took a shower and told Reeda Thompson he didn’t feel very well.

“From that point his health went down, down, down,” she said. “The doctors said they’d never seen such a bad case of mold. The way he died, nobody should.”

Reeda Thompson said her husband’s health had been fine before visiting the ditches at Callaway Point. They had been singing karaoke and dancing regularly before Robert Thompson fell ill.

Reeda Thompson said she will be pursuing doctor’s records and an autopsy on Tuesday.

“He shouldn’t have died,” she said. “I am very angry at Callaway. Now I don’t have anybody to dance with.”

Read more: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/callaway-103022-mold-says.html#ixzz1wHEBKF6E

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Thanks for the article.

Getting our City Halls to become more competent would certainly save a lot of lives and heartaches.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

5. Also, people need to take some responsibility.

The lady had been dumping animal waste in the ditch.. Isn't she just as culpable for this?

[Amaril]

7. "Now I don't have anybody to dance with"

That just tore a big chunk out of my heart. How incredibly sad.

[Renew Deal]

4. What does the Deputy Mayor know about this?

Just kidding. This is a sad story. The mayor gave his life for the job. Very sad.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. There are things that City Hall assigns to the police chief which makes absolutely no sense.

What would a police chief know about generators, for example? Why isn't this kind of thing assigned to the building department that has the schematics to determine drainage and square footage of a house?

I tell you, the worst kind of government incompetence can be found at the level of City Hall. It doesn't help that it is also where you find some incredibly unethical people who seem to be rewarded for their "mistakes".

[LiberalEsto]

6. Are they sure it was mold and not a slime trail

left by Dick Cheney?

[KamaAina]

8. Do we have enough time to dig a moldy ditch around Tampa?

[freshwest]

9. Really sad. Some people think mold and mildew are harmless, but they release deadly toxins.

People have been forced out of their homes by the stuff and had life long immune problems, even brain problems from exposure.