Valerie Parnell, Seminole County Watch columnist

Frank Clifton's last words as Casselberry city manager may also very well have been some of his most important.

Last Monday evening's city commission meeting marked Clifton's farewell to the city and commission he served for only a very brief time.

Clifton came to Casselberry in February 2003, when he was actually the Commission's second choice for the then-vacant city manager seat they were seeking to fill.

As seems appropriate to Casselberry politics, their first choice accepted the job and then declined, after learning his girlfriend did not want to move to Florida from Illinois.

After having been fired from a previous county manager post in North Carolina in December 2002 when new commissioners took over in Cabarrus County, Clifton stunned everyone last month when he announced he would be returning to North Carolina as county manager in Onslow County.

Although his official end date in Casselberry is July 9, last Monday marked his farewell tour and final city commission meeting.

Following cake and cookies that preceded the meeting, Clifton gave a somewhat sentimental farewell and some fatherly advice to the often-childish commissioners. 

But his most telling words were those spoken bluntly and directly, in Clifton's usual manner, when addressing a most serious issue.

It seems every city commission and board is comprised of the same variety of personality types, no matter what the locale or size.   Each board seems to include the professional woman whose sole concern is to say the right thing and appear prim and proper and wholly concerned about upholding community morals and values.

Of course, that is how they try to appear.  Yet, watching them over time, one develops the sense that it is all just that, a focus on appearance, and the sincerity exists only at the surface level, as does mental acuity.

On the county commission, that role is played by Brenda Carey. In Altamonte, it is Pat Freeman.  In Winter Springs, albeit in more aged fashion, it is Sally McGinnis who tries to play the part.

On the Casselberry board, it is Colleen Hufford.  True to form, Ms. Hufford picked right up on cue last Monday and jumped on the bandwagon that is presently steamrolling through Seminole County regarding sexual offenders.

Picking up on the theme first trumpeted in Oviedo and now spreading to Winter Springs and Sanford, as well as possibly the county commission, Hufford made a stump speech from the dais concerning Casselberry's need to enact something similar to Oviedo's recent attempts at banning convicted sexual offenders from living within its city limits.

The end goal of the idea has merit, and that is what makes it so dangerous.  With recent events once again raising every parent's fear about the vulnerability of their children, it is a perfectly-reasonable first reaction to want to keep any threat as far away as possible.

But the reality is that Oviedo's law, and any other similar ones enacted, give an appearance of addressing the issue without really providing any true protection to our children. 

The reality is that just as you cannot legislate morality, you cannot also stop sexual predators from victimizing children by simply passing a law as to where they live.

It sounds great, and appears to be an answer, and for politicians like Hufford, whose sole concern is with appearance, it seems a perfect solution.  It provides an opportunity to bake an apple pie, grill some hot dogs, wave the flag and proclaim we have saved our children from their biggest threat, while actually doing no such thing.

Clifton, to his credit, tried to stop the bandwagon from rolling into Casselberry as he himself prepares to leave town. 

He told Hufford and the other commissioners that the idea seemed a great one on the surface but was largely without any true effect, other than opening the city to another vulnerability, that of a lawsuit that might be difficult to win.

He stated that the seriousness of the issue deserved more serous treatment and discussion, such as that he had engaged in with the city's police chief and other staff members.

Other solutions are being explored and developed, along with technology that will help track offenders, such as ankle bracelets with GPS capability.

It was a welcome breath of common sense amidst a sea of knee-jerk emotional reaction that is sweeping through Seminole County and the rest of the nation.

Fortunately, there are some public officials who realize that protecting our children requires more than simply declaring them protected. 

Knee-jerk emotional reactions often lead to the cure being much worse than the disease.  In this case, if sexual offenders are driven underground, we will lose all capability of tracking them, already a challenging task.

Such warnings were among the last words spoken by Frank Clifton to the Casselberry city commission.  Hopefully, they heard what he was saying. 

Responsible actions on their part to truly protect our children would be a legacy Clifton would surely welcome.

Email Valerie Parnell