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On the Naples city Web site is posted a collection of stories under the name, “Tales of Old Naples ... Some of Which are True.’’

To that collection you could add the story of the city attorney who was charged with murder and the city judge who remarked, upon facing a defendant accused of pulling a knife on an accordion player, “So what, have you heard him play that accordion?”

Or, the mayor who slugged the city manager.

Longtime Naples attorneys George Vega and Tom Trettis recalled the circa 1961 incident between Mayor Francis Ford and the city manager, whose name neither could recall.

The current controversy over the city charter evoked the memories because the altercation is one possible explanation as to how a curious phrase came to be added to the charter.

Even though Naples purports to have a strong city manager form of government, in which City Council led by the mayor sets policy and a professional manager carries them out, the charter contains this phrase: “(The mayor’s) instructions to the city manager and city attorney shall have the effect of a council decision except where disapproved by the City Council.”

Trettis believes that language was inserted by the state Legislature at the behest of Ford, after he became frustrated by the manager’s unwillingness to carry out his instructions.

Vega, who moved to Naples in 1958, isn’t so sure the punch was directly connected to the charter addition. But he is sure Ford was frustrated with the manager. “The city manager was running things. He (Ford) wanted to make those decisions. This is a common disease.”

Vega has enough stories from the old days — the eventually acquitted city attorney and the accordion-hating judge are just two — to stretch from one end of the Pier to the other.

“I could keep going. Those were pretty wild times,” he said.

Whatever the reason for the language in the charter, it is there.

It could potentially be abused by a mayor to act outside the wishes of the council, at least until reined in.

A key question now is, has it been?

One person who should know is Bob Lee, former city manager who left in October to take a job teaching at Florida State University.

Asked if either of the mayors he served with had given him directions other than those approved by council, he said, “Never.”

Lee said he interpreted the clause to pertain to emergencies. “Naples is unlike most jurisdictions in that (the council) actually takes a two-month break. If something were to occur, let’s say a hurricane, and we need to expend some major dollars ...”

Trettis, a critic of Barnett, says the mayor spends eight to 10 hours a day at City Hall and exercises too much influence over the city manager.

Lee disagrees. “He’s down there a lot but he’s doing mayor things. He’s not involved in the running of the city.”

Lee said Barnett spends most of his time on the job doing community relations like fundraising, correspondence, and working with schoolchildren.

“It’s good for the city,” Lee said.

And no one gets punched.

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E-mail Brent Batten at bebatten@naplesnews.com