Northpinellas: Assembly to seek common ground

With just four weeks to go before a group meets to plot out future relations among the cities and county, Lealman fire commissioners have yet to decide who will represent them at the confab.

They're scheduled to choose Monday who will represent them on the American Assembly.

It's an important decision, said community activist Ray Neri, who will also serve on the assembly, because big decisions may come out of the meeting.

"This is very important. This could be a big fiasco. It could be nothing. But it could be something," Neri said. "We have a 2 1/2 day window to discuss these issues and make an impact with people who are not familiar with issues affecting Lealman."

Fire commissioners will not be the only folks making decisions about representation on the assembly.

Others -- from the usual roster of elected officials and bureaucrats to people as diverse as artists and ministers -- who get invitations to join the 150-member assembly will decide for themselves if they are interested and able to serve.

Al Redman, a retired Army general who lives in an unincorporated area near Seminole, received an invitation to participate in the assembly. He's an antiannexation activist who believes unincorporated residents aren't being heard. He hopes the American Assembly will change that.

"The way we are going now is accomplishing nothing," Redman said. "I think the only way we're going to get to the bottom of this is with representation."

Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch agreed it will give new people a chance to be heard.

"As far as I know, it's the first time you've got government, business, citizens coming together from all across the county trying to decide what our collective vision should be," Welch said. "I think you break down a lot of walls once you get face to face with people."

So, just what is this American Assembly and why are so many people pinning big hopes on its outcome?

The easy answer is that it's a three-day meeting of movers and shakers from across the county who want to talk about the future of Pinellas and all its cities with special emphasis on the relationships and duties of those various governments.

But that glosses over the potential impact of the discussions, which could lead to far-reaching changes in laws and ways to deliver government services that could reach into every home in Pinellas County.

Consider: You're a resident of unincorporated East Lake and you complain to the county that a fallen tree is blocking the road. When you look outside, you see a crew from say, the city of Tarpon Springs or Oldsmar removing the debris because the county had contracted with that city for services.

It could also work the other way, with the city contracting with the county for services.

That's only one small scenario that could play out if some of the ideas being floated take hold during the assembly.

That could also happen more globally. Take fire service, for example.

Welch, the county commissioner, wants the assembly to talk about consolidating fire service, at least in part. The idea is for the county to take over fire protection much as it handles emergency medical services. That could mean dissolution of smaller departments but save money for people in areas such as Lealman and the beach communities, where fire service costs a lot. Bigger cities, such as Pinellas Park, Largo or St. Petersburg, could retain their fire departments and continue operating as they do now.

"That's a topic that certainly needs to be discussed and probably will be," Welch said.

For Welch, the discussion over services is paramount. But participants will find plenty of other things to talk about with seven weighty issues on the agenda.

The American Assembly is not new. The first was established in 1950 by Dwight D. Eisenhower to provide a setting and technique for bringing diverse people together to discuss important questions.

Leading Pinellas County's, which runs from May 16-18 and is open to the public, will be Lance deHaven-Smith, a professor of public administration at Florida State University, and Jim Murley, director of a research center at Florida Atlantic University.

Here's how the American Assembly process works:

A steering committee of about 25 folks from various backgrounds and organizations met once or twice a month from earlier this year until this month.

The committee worked through the community's issues and selected the topics to be considered at the assembly. They narrowed that down to seven that concerned the county and its 24 municipalities. Those included annexation, government services and the relationships between governments.

The committee decided where the assembly will take place -- Harborview Center in Clearwater -- and who should participate. The goal was to have a mix of community leaders from various backgrounds, including elected and appointed officials, environmentalists and religious, community and business leaders, said Sarah Shannon, director of the Florida Institute of Government at Florida Atlantic University.

The county has agreed to pay half of the assembly's $51,000 cost, with St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo and Seminole each paying $5,000. Other participating governments will pick up the remainder of the fee.

The Florida Institute of Government is part of a statewide consortium of universities that provides training and technical assistance to state and local governments. It will coordinate the three-day assembly in Pinellas.

At the assembly, participants will be divided into groups that meet for six to eight discussion periods during two days. A facilitator and a recorder are assigned to each group to encourage open participation and to summarize the group deliberations.

It's up to deHaven-Smith to make sense of it all. On the third day of the assembly, a draft report is presented to the participants.

It's that report that could really go places and spark debate and major changes across the county.

"There are a ton of issues out there we need to talk about and I think this is a good first step," Welch said.

ISSUES FOR PINELLAS ASSEMBLY:

The following is a list of topics to be discussed and a sampling of questions.

* * *

1. Goals and principles for local government

With Pinellas County almost fully developed, local governments are now tackling redevelopment. What is the best way local governments can work together to improve the county's economic position?

* * *

2. Urban service delivery and financing

Should there be greater coordination or consolidation in providing services? For example, should there be a countywide fire service or should the county contract with cities to provide recreation services to its residents?

* * *

3. Economic development

What changes are needed in existing state, regional and local policies to maintain and enhance the economy? Should there be more uniformity in building codes and land development regulations? What types of business and industry should local governments seek to attract to the county?

* * *

4. Annexation

Does the current local policy, which deals only with voluntary annexations, work? What role should the County Commission have? Should it represent the interests and respond to the concerns of unincorporated residents who do not want to be annexed?

* * *

5. Governing intergovernmental relations

Should a set of goals or principles be adopted to deal with urban issues? Should unincorporated residents be encouraged to form new cities or be annexed? Should county government and all or some of the municipalities consolidate into a single government? Should the larger cities continue to grow through annexation and provide services to other cities and unincorporated areas?

* * *

6. Targets of opportunity

Can local governments put aside their differences and work in unity to attract a national event or major employer? Should they create a unified profile that each municipality could use to market the county?

* * *

7. Next steps

Is the system of local government suitable for guiding the community into the future? What steps should be taken, if any, to improve the overall system?

THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Here are the members of the American Assembly steering committee. This group named members of the overall American Assembly:

Askia Muhammed Aquil, executive director, St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services;

Michael Bonfield, city manager, St. Pete Beach;

Tom Brobeil, city manager, Indian Rocks Beach;

Chuck Coward, city manager, Treasure Island;

Dick Eckenrod, executive director, Tampa Bay Estuary Program;

Frank Edmunds, city manager, Seminole;

Tish Elston, vice mayor, St. Petersburg;

Rick Feinberg, International Association of Firefighters;

Rod Fischer, executive director, Pinellas County Construction and Licensing Board;

Bruce Haddock, city manager, Oldsmar;

David Healey, executive director, Pinellas Planning Council;

Bill Horne, city manager, Clearwater;

John Lawrence or Maureen Freaney, Dunedin;

Robert E. Lee, city manager, Gulfport;

Ray Neri, president, Lealman Community Association;

Ellen Posivach, city manager, Tarpon Springs;

Manny Pumariega, executive director, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council;

Jack Rimkus, resident, Treasure Island;

Darryl Rouson, president, NAACP-St. Petersburg branch;

Steve Spratt, Pinellas County administrator;

John Stewart, deputy superintendent, Pinellas County School Board;

Unnamed representative from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office;

Roger Sweeney, director, Pinellas County Suncoast Transit Authority;

Fred Winters, president, NCF&O/SEIU Local No. 1220.

THE PINELLAS COUNTY AMERICAN ASSEMBLY

Here is a list of people invited to be on the American Assembly in Pinellas County.

GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC SECTOR/NONPROFIT

Law enforcement/fire/EMS

Chief James Angle, Palm Harbor Fire Department

Chief Deputy James Coats, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

David Demers, chief judge, Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court

Robert Dillinger, Pinellas County public defender

David Dyker, president, Pinellas County Council of Firefighters

Rick Feinberg, president, St. Petersburg Association of Firefighters

Sid Klein, police chief, city of Clearwater

Tim Ingold, president, Fraternal Order of Police

Bernie McCabe, Pinellas-Pasco state attorney

Municipal/county elected officials

(1 elected official from each of the 24 municipalities and 2 from St. Petersburg)

Belleair -- Commissioner Ernst Upmeyer

Belleair Beach -- Council member Frank Lombardi

Belleair Bluffs -- unavailable

Belleair Shore -- Mayor John Robertson

Clearwater -- Commissioner Hoyt Hamilton

Dunedin -- Commissioner Deborah Kynes

Gulfport -- Council member Harry W. Brodhead

Indian Rocks Beach -- unavailable

Indian Shores -- Council member Joan Herndon

Kenneth City -- Mayor Bill Smith

Largo -- Mayor Bob Jackson; alternate: Vice Mayor Marty Shelby

Madeira Beach -- Commissioner Jan Sturgis

North Redington Beach -- Mayor Harold Radcliffe

Oldsmar -- Mayor Jerry Beverland

Pinellas Park -- Council member Sandra Bradbury

Redington Beach -- unavailable

Redington Shores -- Commissioner Lawrence Foerster

Safety Harbor -- Vice Mayor Keith Zayac

Seminole -- Mayor Dottie Reeder

South Pasadena -- Mayor Fred Held

St. Pete Beach -- Mayor Ward Friszolowski

St. Petersburg -- Mayor Rick Baker and Council member Bill Foster; alternate: Jay Lasita

Tarpon Springs -- Mayor Frank DiDonato

Treasure Island -- Commissioner Barbara Blush

County commissioners:

Calvin D. Harris

Susan Latvala

John Morroni

Robert Stewart

Barbara Sheen Todd

Kenneth T. Welch

Karen Seel

Pinellas County constitutional officers

Deborah Clark, supervisor of elections

Karleen DeBlaker, clerk of courts

Diane Nelson, tax collector

Everett Rice, sheriff

Jim Smith, property appraiser

Municipal/county staff

Michael Bonfield, city manager, St. Pete Beach

Tom Brobeil, city manager, Indian Rocks Beach

Steve Cottrell, town manager, Belleair

Charles Coward, city manager, Treasure Island

Frank Edmunds, city manager, Seminole

Tish Elston, deputy mayor, St. Petersburg

Bruce Haddock, city manager, Oldsmar

Bill Horne, city manager, Clearwater

Mo Freaney, assistant city manager, Dunedin

Robert Lee, city manager, Gulfport

Wayne Logan Jr., city manager, Safety Harbor

Jim Madden, city manager, Madeira Beach

Jerry Mudd, city manager, Pinellas Park

Ellen Posivach, city manager, Tarpon Springs

Stephen Spratt, Pinellas County administrator

Steve Stanton, city manager, Largo

Special districts

Mike Brophy, commission member, Lealman Special Fire Control District, or Linda Campbell, president Lealman Special Fire District commission

Dr. Ken Peluso, chair, Palm Harbor Community Services District/Palm Harbor Fire District

Other governmental representatives

Nadine Nickeson, chairwoman, Pinellas Planning Council

Ronnie Duncan, chairman, Southwest Florida Water Management District

Dick Eckenrod, executive director, Tampa Bay Estuary Program

Kenneth Hartmann, secretary, District 7, Florida Department of Transportation

David Healey, executive director, Pinellas Planning Council

Manny L. Pumariega, executive director, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council

Brian Smith, executive director, Metropolitan Planning Organization

Mike Siebel, director of planning, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

Education

Lee Benjamin, chairman, Pinellas County School Board

John Day, retired Pinellas County teacher

Gay Gentry, teacher, Largo Middle School

Dr. H. William Heller, dean and vice president, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg branch

Carl Kuttler Jr., president, St. Petersburg College

Lorraine Pelosi, owner of Wellington schools in Clearwater and Lealman

Dr. John Stewart, deputy superintendent, Pinellas County School Board

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

Service professions

Tim or Rick Bouchard, Roger Bouchard Insurance

Terry Brett, Brett Funeral Homes

Ben Ellis Sr., president/CEO, Ellis & Ellis Associates

Jerry Figurski, attorney

Sally Harris Foote, attorney

Phil Graham, president, Phil Graham & Co.

Edward C. Hoffman Jr., architect

Nancy Kaylor, public relations

Jim Koelsch, real estate appraiser

Don Mastry, attorney

Thomas Ramsberger, attorney

John Richardson, attorney

Art Shand, Aude, Shand & Williams, Inc., AIA

Greg Showers, partner, Kwall, Showers & Coleman

John Toppe, Harvard, Jolly, Clees and Toppe Architects

Robert Ulrich, attorney and former mayor of St. Petersburg

Alternate: Elise Winters, attorney

Tourism

Russ Bond, general manager, Renaissance Vinoy Resort

Timothy Bogott, president and CEO, Tradewinds Beach Resort & Conference Centers

Ken Burke, DeLoach and Hofstra, Gulf Beaches Chamber board of directors

Russ Kimball, executive vice president, Sheraton Sand Key

Joseph Jorgensen, president, Travel Resort Services

Darryl Seaton, Sea Wake Resorts

Development/finance

Lee Arnold Jr., chairman of the board & CEO, Colliers Arnold

Phyllis Boksen, investment manager

Alan Bomstein, president, Creative Contractors, Inc.

Bobby Byrd, president, BBRE-Eshenbaugh Commercial Services Inc.

David Fischer, retired, public finance industry, former St. Petersburg mayor

Terry England, England Brothers Construction Co.

Mark Klein, Klein & Heuchan, Inc.

Darryl LeClair or Mark Stroud, Echelon Real Estate

Judy Mitchell, president, Peter Brown Construction

Grady Pridgen, Grady Pridgen Development

David Stone, retired banker

Thomas Tafelski, president, Thomas Industries

Michael Van Butsel, Beers Construction

Paul Wikle, president, Coldwell Banker Wikle Properties

Business associations

Connie Davis, executive director, Greater Palm Harbor Chamber of Commerce

Bill DeLong, president, Pinellas Park/Mid-County Chamber of Commerce

David Edgars, president, Dunedin Chamber of Commerce

Rodney Fischer, executive director, Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board

Kevin Gartland, president, Oldsmar Chamber of Commerce

Jimmy Johnson, executive director, Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce

Mike Meidel, president, Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce

Paul Skipper, president, Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board

Debbie Stambaugh, executive director, Gulf Beaches Chamber of Commerce

Lorian S. Williams, executive director, St. Petersburg Area Black Chamber of Commerce

Fred Winters, president, NCF&O/SEIU Local No. 1220

Manufacturing/high tech

Sue Englander, CEO, EEI/Mod Tech

Dave Gildersleeve, vice president, Wade Trim

Utilities

Bob Kersteen, GTE Wireless

Michael Lewis, vice president, Coastal Region, Florida Power Corp.

Jerry Maxwell, executive director, Tampa Bay Water

Leroy Sullivan, TECO/People's Gas

Health care

Philip Beauchamp, president and CEO, Morton Plant Mease Health Care

Sue Brody, president/CEO, Bayfront Medical Center

Tom Herron, adminstrator, Largo Medical Care

Janice Hill, RN, MPH, PCSO, health services administrator/active in civic organizations

Dr. Gloria Hope

Jack Olsen, CEO, health care provider

Frank Murphy, CEO, BayCare Health System (alternate: Denton Crockett, vice president)

Tracy Payne, Johnnie Ruth Clark Health Centers

Larry Williams, Diagnostic Services

Other

Janice Case, retired Florida Power vice president

Housh Ghouvaee, Northside Engineering

Paul Kaslander, Dial Directories Inc.

Lynda Keever, publisher, Florida Trend

Michael Preston, owner/CEO, Frenchy's Restaurants

C.W. "Sandy" Sanders, BFI consultant

Roger Sellew, semiretired business executive

Howard Smith, retired business owner

Bernie Young, Creative Team Building (small business owner)

CIVIC/COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS/INTERESTS

Advisory board members

James Gillespie, chairman, Pinellas County Board of Adjustment

Tom Olson, Belleair Finance Advisory Board

Barbara Smith, Finance Advisory Board, Largo

Anne Venables, chairwoman, Indian Rocks Beach Planning and Zoning Board

Community/civic organizations

Mary Wyatt Allen, numerous civic and cultural boards

Darryl Rouson, president, NAACP-St. Petersburg Branch

Jim Simmons, president, Urban League of Pinellas County

Alternates: John Christman, unincorporated area activist, and Geraldine Raja, Tierra Verde resident

Neighborhood/homeowner associations/organizations

Askia Muhammad Aquil, executive director, St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services

Ray "Biff" Baker, vice chairman, Feathersouth Community Services District

Tasker Beal, chair, Housing Finance Authority/Constellation Technologies Corp.

Nancy Biesinger, Tierra Verde Community Association

Brent Fischer, St. Petersburg Council of Neighborhood Associations

Don Hazleton, Federation of Manufactured Homeowners of Florida Inc.

Keith Kurber, Dunedin neighborhood activist

Ray Neri, president, Lealman Community Association

Al Redman, unincorporated Seminole area; alternate: Karl Maier

Susie Rodenbeck, Dunedin neighborhood activist

Greg Schwartz, Tampa Bay Community Development Corp.

Duke Tieman, South Greenwood Progressive Association

Angel Tua, deputy executive director, Pinellas County Housing Authority

Lisa Valensia, president, East Lake Oaks Homeowners Association

Alternates: John Doran, Clearwater Beach Association; Nick Fritsch, Sand Key Civic Association; Jean Scott or Linda Clark, Indian Rocks Beach Homeowners Association/Civic Association; John Wiser, Countryside activist

Recreation/cultural

Mark Abdo, executive director, the Long Center

Lynne Brown, artist/historian

G. Scott Goyer, president/CEO, Suncoast Family YMCAs Inc.

Judith Powers-Jones, executive director, Pinellas County Arts Council

Kathy Oathout, Florida International Museum

Irene Rausch, executive director, Palm Harbor Senior Activity Center

Jim Sheets, recreation director, Seminole

Alternates: Robert Freedman, president/CEO, PACT Inc.; Steve Gottscho, District Little League; Mary Anna Murphy

Religious representatives

Mohammad Abdur Rahim, community activist

Rabbi Arthur Baseman, Temple B'nai Israel

The Rev. Rusty Belcher, First United Methodist Church

The Rev. Chico Dials, New Life

Barbara Greene, Everybody's Tabernacle

The Rev. Louis Murphy, Mount Zion Baptist

The Rev. Harold Paxton, former Kenneth City mayor

1 representative from Catholic Church

Mike Kouskoutis, representative of the Greek Orthodox Church

Alternates: the Rev. Bill Anderson, retired minister, Calvary Baptist Church; the Rev. Scott Boggs, Northside Baptist

Environmental interests

Sue Brandon, cochair, TBEP Community Advisory Committee

Peter Clark, Tampa Bay Watch

Rick DelGreco, environmentalist/local resident

Roy Harrell, Esq., Holland & Knight

Alternates: Sandy Colbert, co-chair, TBEP Community Advisory Committee; Connie Kone, Friends of Weedon Island; George Henderson, Florida Marine Research Institute; David Martin, president, Indian Rocks Beach Action 2000 Inc.