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Record is double-edged for incumbent
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- Incumbency can be a mixed bag at election time. Officials often end their terms with a record of accomplishments to tout to voters, and some unpopular decisions that could become fodder for their opponents. Jim Fowler has both as he heads into the Republican primary Tuesday, seeking his third County Commission term against challengers John Thrumston and Joyce Valentino. The winner will face stucco contractor Scott Adams, an independent candidate, for the District 4 seat in the Nov. 5 general election. During his eight years on the board, Fowler says, he has championed the need for new parks and a west side senior center, advocated a more accountable budget process and worked with other local government officials to share costs whenever possible. He also pushed for a 25-year transportation master plan showing where new roads may be needed, a concept he acknowledges may be unpopular with affected residents. And he has taken considerable heat for his vote in February approving the Halls River Retreat condominiums. "The most important element in this election is electing someone that will make decisions based on what is right, not what is popular," Fowler said. His opponents question whether those are two separate things. Take mandatory garbage collection: Fowler supports the proposal, still being drafted by a consultant, to provide garbage pickup to every home for a fee on every homeowner's property tax bill. Since haulers would competitively bid on service territories, Fowler thinks consumers would see lower prices. And with garbage service to every home, there would be no incentive for people to drag their trash to illegal dumps, he said. John Thrumston, a small-business owner who lives in Floral City, has come out squarely against mandatory garbage collection, however. He says it would eliminate customer choice and could put small haulers out of business if they can't compete for large service territories. "The people in this community don't want mandatory trash," Thrumston said. "I'm not going to do something as a county commissioner that the people don't want." Valentino has reservations about mandatory garbage collection -- she doesn't want to see small haulers go belly-up, either -- but she is withholding judgment until she sees the consultant's report. Valentino, a Heatherwood community activist best known for fighting Florida Rock's efforts to reopen the Storey Mine near her neighborhood, has focused her campaign on giving residents a greater say in the developments in their area. She points to the wood-burning incinerator on County Road 495 and the dairy farm planned near County Road 491, and says neighbors should have been formally notified even if no public hearing was required. Residents also should get earlier notice of public hearings on proposed developments, she said. Valentino said the Halls River Retreat project, which commissioners approved 3-2, was at odds with the Comprehensive Plan, the environmentally sensitive area and the neighbors' wishes. "This is an outside developer coming to Citrus County, in my view, with dollar signs flashing in his eyes," Valentino said, referring to developer F. Blake Longacre. "It was wrong, in my opinion. That project is too large and it's going to have a tremendous impact." Thrumston echoed Valentino's objections to the 54-unit time share project and the way Fowler, the commission chairman, conducted the public hearing. "They got to speak," Thrumston said of the project's opponents, "but I don't think they were listened to." Fowler has defended his handling of the controversial project, saying the developer met every government requirement to build on the 11-acre site. The property was already zoned for mixed use, a designation that allowed up to 20 residential units per acre. "Frankly, I'm not an advocate of these condos. I wish they were someplace else, but they're not," Fowler said. "But there has not been a professional planner that said it was inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan." Thrumston has anchored his campaign on two themes: restoring the Tsala Apopka lake chain and promoting tourism as a way of bringing more dollars into the county without raising taxes. He criticized Fowler for not doing more to clean up the muck-bogged lake chain. Thrumston wants to seek grants and other assistance from outside agencies to tackle the problem. Fowler said the county has poured money into demucking the lakes in recent years, but other agencies are reluctant to help before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes its study on the lake chain. "When the study is done by the Army Corps of Engineers and we have a scientific reason for the condition of the lakes and a solution based on science, the state will get on board to fix the problem," Fowler said. Fowler's focus has been on the infrastructure needs of the growing county. He has called for a centrally located sports complex and wants to build new libraries and ball fields closer to the public schools that could use them. While his opponents are split on Suncoast Parkway 2 -- Thrumston supports it, Valentino has environmental concerns but awaits the findings of the state's three-year study on the proposal -- Fowler said the toll road will be needed through Citrus County. Fowler has earned the support of the business and construction community, which contributed significantly to his $37,000 campaign fund (aside from the $10,000 loan he made to his campaign). He has also earned the ire of groups like the Bi-Partisan Coalition for Better Government, which ran a newspaper ad Tuesday telling voters to "Unplug the good-ole-boy network" and vote against Fowler. The group was recently founded by Jim Bitter and Jim Nicholl, both Halls River Retreat critics, for the sole purpose of opposing Fowler's re-election bid, according to paperwork at the Supervisor of Elections office. Fowler is used to the mixed reviews. He hopes voters will appreciate his conviction to do what he thinks is right on roads and other growth issues, even when a vocal public disagrees. -- Bridget Hall Grumet can be reached at 860-7303 or bhall@sptimes.com.
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