Northpinellas: Assorted ideas jostle for voters' interest

TARPON SPRINGS -- The race for Tarpon Springs City Commission has touched on everything from gambling boats and downtown redevelopment to an invention for walking a cat and the use of artificial grass.

Compared with last year's highly charged election for mayor, this year's City Commission race is more low-key. As the March 19 election approaches, the four candidates have widely varying priorities and, in some cases, differing views on the issues.

Only one of the commission's two seats that came up for election is being contested. In Seat 2, former Commissioner David Archie will automatically replace Commissioner Cindy Sanner, who decided not to run for re-election, because no one filed to run against him.

That leaves the race for Commission Seat 1. There, incumbent Commissioner Jim Archer faces writer and inventor Norm Augustinus, flag store owner Peter Nehr and hair salon owner Joseph Pisani. The winner will serve a three-year term and be paid $8,000 a year.

Jim Archer

Archer, 69, has built his campaign around past accomplishments, a promise of continued cooperation with county and state agencies and a desire to pursue the downtown redevelopment plan. A one-term commissioner, he said he hopes voters remember him as "a good and thoughtful person."

"I know the citizens; I know the town," said Archer, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who now works as fleet sales manager at Karl Flammer Ford. "I'm not too good in a crowd, but one-on-one, I'm pretty good."

Tarpon Springs' downtown redevelopment plan is important to the future of the city, not only as a way to appeal to tourists but also to increase the tax base as a benefit to the entire city, he said. He said he is committed to keeping taxes low and pointed out that the city has lowered taxes in two of the past three years.

The downtown redevelopment plan would generate more tax revenues within the district, which would enable the city to spend elsewhere money that it otherwise would have spent in the district and to keep taxes low generally, he said.

The city has done a good job of getting its wastewater treatment plant, once an environmental embarrassment, in compliance with environmental standards, he said. Continued oversight is needed to keep it in compliance, he said.

Archer supports all six referendum items. Although he supports the elimination of term limits, he said this is the last time he will run for office.

Archer said he will not make a final decision about Tony Markopoulos' proposal to put a hotel, convention center and entertainment boat that includes gambling at the Sponge Docks until he sees a site plan for the project.

"I need to know more than I know now before I'm ready to vote yes," he said. In general, though, he supports the idea of a hotel and convention center.

When it comes to the performance of City Manager Ellen Posivach -- one of the themes of last year's mayor's race -- Archer said he is pleased. Posivach has earned her salary, which increased from $78,886 to $94,875 in two years, by bringing professionalism and leadership experience to the job, and by saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines over the wastewater treatment plant, he said.

Archer said improvements at the Sponge Docks help to attract tourists, which helps the economy of the city overall by bringing in additional revenue and supporting businesses that add to the city's tax base.

After Nehr said at two candidate forums that a commissioner should have a college education, Archer said he resented the comment and that his education has come from a good upbringing in which he was taught honesty and integrity.

Norm Augustinus

Augustinus, 42, said what he would bring to the commission is an active mind that he has used to create a variety of inventions, including a toy UFO.

To demonstrate his inventiveness, he brought a cat-walking invention made of wood, wheels and screen to a candidates forum. He also writes what he describes as "adult fiction" and cartoons, both of which include detailed sexual content, for his Web site, www.normaugustinus.com.

As a candidate, Augustinus said at a recent candidate forum, "I really don't have any priorities. I live day by day."

In other discussions, he has said the city could work with him on an invention that generates electricity when cars go over small bumps in the road that are attached to tiny, underground power-generating pistons. He also proposes holding town forums and referendums to decide city issues.

Augustinus said residents should be given credits for installing artificial grass at their homes. The city should not set up a planned dog park and should not spend $250,000 to $300,000 to build Little League ballparks, he said.

Augustinus said Posivach "rules by an iron fist," and he is glad that only a simple majority is required to fire the city manager. He said he opposes all the referendum items except the one that would allow nonresidents to serve on some city boards.

When asked about the city's infrastructure, Augustinus said the appearance of Pinellas Avenue is a "disgrace" that should be improved. Something also should be done about the odor coming from the wastewater treatment plant, he said.

Augustinus said he objects to a proposed gambling boat but likes the idea of the hotel and convention center.

On several occasions, he has said he doesn't have the answer to all questions but that he will learn about the issues if he is elected.

"I know nothing," he said at a candidate forum. "I don't know anything about the office. But I'll find out."

Peter Nehr

Nehr, 49, is a first-time City Commission candidate who previously made a run for School Board. He has campaigned on numerous issues, including a desire to expand the city's reclaimed water system so it is available to more residents and a need to improve the city's aging infrastructure.

"We are now no longer a sleepy town," said Nehr, who owns the American Spirit flag store, the Catch the Breeze kite and windsock store and the Heavenly Angels store at the Sponge Docks. The city, he said, "needs leadership."

Nehr has spoken about a need for improved communication between the commission and citizens, as well as continued cooperation among commissioners. He supports the downtown redevelopment plan, which he said would increase the tax base so taxes can remain low for residents.

Nehr said Posivach and the current commission have done a good job, but Nehr doesn't support the referendum item about making it harder for the city manager to be fired. He will vote "no" on all six referendum items, he said.

Nehr said the city has done a good job of making repairs to the aging infrastructure, and he would focus on making further improvements. He said the city should do a better job of protecting its tree canopy.

The height of Markopoulos' proposed six-story hotel at the Sponge Docks concerns him, he said. He is pleased that Markopoulos did not ask for any major tax concessions with his development plan. Nehr said that he is concerned about the boat but added that gambling boats are legal and can't be turned down.

Nehr disagreed with Archer's support of the city manager's pay raise. He said the pay range was raised too high for a city as small as Tarpon Springs.

Although taxes have been lowered in the city, they have not gone down by much, he said. He cautioned that the city could face a deficit if it keeps increasing services while reducing taxes.

When it comes to improving the Sponge Docks, Nehr said the city has done a lot for the docks already, including a major facelift in recent years. He also said there are about 150 shops at the docks and only 19 members of the Sponge Docks Merchants Association because "nobody wants to do their part."

"I think we, as business owners, need to do more to help ourselves," Nehr said.

When he was 44, Nehr decided to return to college as an example to his sons, and he graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in political science. He said Archer should not have taken personally his comments that a commissioner should have a college education.

Joseph Pisani

Pisani, 38, is a second-time commission candidate who said his priorities are "honest, moral values" and increasing tourism.

He would promote the improvement of the city's infrastructure and would like to see cobblestone roads in Tarpon Springs.

At a candidates forum, he said he does not support taxes at all. During another discussion, he said taxes will have to go up if the city continues giving people raises and increasing services, but that does not mean he would vote to raise taxes.

He said he would want improvements that would help businesses on the side streets near the Sponge Docks, and that he wants to eliminate "puddling" around the city's bayous.

Pisani has criticized the referendum questions. The simple majority now required to fire the city manager should not be changed, he said.

He objects to a proposed casino boat but said he would need to see a site plan before deciding about the rest of Markopoulos' plan. He said he doesn't like the proposed boardwalk that would go across Dodecanese Boulevard.

Pisani said it is "ridiculous" that Posivach was given what he described as big raises, especially because she was hired into the job after being an assistant city manager in her previous job.

The downtown plan is a necessity, and he hopes it would result in needed improvements along Pinellas Avenue, he said.

Pisani said that the city has given a lot to the Sponge Docks and that building owners also need to work on improving the appearance of their buildings.

-- Katherine Gazella can be reached at (727) 445-4182 or gazella@sptimes.com.

On the ballot

In addition to electing a city commissioner, Tarpon Springs voters also will consider six referendum questions March 19. They will be asked whether to:

Eliminate the two-term limit for commissioners.

Require at least a 4-1 vote to fire a city manager.

Allow people who are not city residents but who are active in the community to serve on some city boards.

Allow the City Commission, by a vote of at least 4-1, to approve leases of more than five years and contracts without going to a referendum.

Allow the city to buy a vacant lot at Spring Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for about $5,000 in impact fees so it can remain undeveloped.

Allow the City Commission to approve the sale or purchase of property by a 4-1 vote instead of going to a referendum.

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