By DIANNE HARDISTY, editorial page editor -- The question that hangs heavy in the air: What happens when you are an appointed commissioner who serves at the pleasure of the Bakersfield City Council and you are no longer a "pleasure"?

Stuart Gentry, vice chairman of the city's Fire Civil Service Commission, may soon find out.

Gentry, who waged a contentious and unsuccessful battle in 2000 to unseat Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan, is in his third year on the commission. Oddly, he was nominated to the commission by Sullivan's ally, Harold Hanson, who represents Ward 5 and is now vice mayor.  Sullivan and council members Irma Carson and Zack Scrivner voted against Gentry's appointment. Hanson and council members Sue Benham, Mike Maggard and David Couch voted to appoint Gentry.

And that causes us to do the math and ponder: Will a new City Council majority now find Gentry not to be a pleasure? If it does, his removal from the Fire Civil Service Commission will have nothing to do with his performance as a commissioner. It will have everything to do with Gentry filing a complaint this week with the Fair Political Practices Commission about Ken Weir, Maggard's replacement as the Ward 3 representative.

In mid-January, Weir attended a closed-door City Council session during which a former client's lawsuit against the city was discussed. The problem: the client was not "former" enough. State conflict of interest laws required Weir to stay clear of city business involving the client/developer. Weir's attorney, George Martin, has warned him now to stay clear.

In the wake of the closed-door session, Gentry filed a complaint with the agency that administers the state's anti-corruption laws, the Fair Political Practices Act.

Gentry started out with three votes against  his appointment  to the commission.  Hanson, the man who nominated him, now is defending Weir's attendance at the closed-door meeting. Weir replaced Maggard on the City Council. That adds up to five -- more than enough votes to remove Gentry from the Fire Civil Service Commission.

In an e-mail, Gentry wrote: "...if they wanted to, they could have me removed (from the commission) although if they did that it could be and most likely would be viewed as a retaliation on their part... ."

An act of political retaliation or just simple math?