Northpinellas: Oldsmar may have election after all

So the Oldsmar Planning Board member showed up at City Hall on Tuesday morning to get the paperwork. Then she began walking the streets to collect the 150 signatures needed to get on the ballot.

"I'm going to make it," Miller said Wednesday evening. "I'd be very surprised if I didn't. I've been walking the streets for two days."

Miller, 60, has until Friday to qualify to run for Seat 3, one of two seats up for election. So far, data engineer Tony Ringelspaugh is the only candidate to file for that seat, currently occupied by David Tilki, who is not running for re-election.

Jim Ronecker, the manager of On Demand Printing, is running unopposed for Seat 1, occupied by Brian Michaels.

If no other candidates qualify by 5 p.m. Friday, there will be no election on March 11, and Ringelspaugh and Ronecker will be declared the winners.

That, Miller said, is why she decided to at least try to enter the race.

"I don't like people walking in without being elected," she said. "I don't want to see the seat go uncontested. I think it's important people have choices."

Miller grew up learning to train thoroughbreds, moved to the city in 1970 and has worked at what is now Tampa Bay Downs. More recently, she has worked as a real estate agent. She and her husband, Ruben Hernandez, live on Exeter Street.

Miller has been active in the Reform Party of Florida and has served on Oldsmar's Planning Board for six years. She is an outspoken critic of the city's downtown redevelopment plan. Her platform: whatever concerns the people.

"I want to be a representative of the people," she said. "I want them to get involved. I want them to call me. I want them to tell me how they want me to vote."

Tilki and Michaels announced this month that they would not seek re-election. Tilki said he was bowing out because he was on the losing side of so many votes that he thought were detrimental to the city. Michaels also cited frustration with how things were going on the current council.

The two were often on the losing side of a 3-2 vote. The winning side usually consisted of Mayor Jerry Beverland and council members Don Bohr and Marcelo Caruso.

Beverland said it could be that no one else has entered the race because most residents are happy with their city government.

"I don't think they're apathetic," Beverland said. "I think they're satisfied. People in this city care about this city. I think the majority of these people are happy with the progress of the city and what we have done."

But former mayor and council member Jerry Provenzano said he thinks the council's "three-vote bloc" has discouraged others from entering the race. He also said council members have publicly humiliated residents at meetings.

Specifically, Provenzano cited an incident from July 2001 involving Caruso and Miller. Caruso called the Reform Party a "bunch of Nazis" after Miller criticized the city's efforts to foster international trade by hosting a visit from Brazil's scandal-plagued former president, Fernando Collor de Mello.

Miller said the global economy would not help American workers, and she pointed to the record of the North American Free Trade Agreement to back up her statement. Caruso, who was born in Brazil, said he took Miller's statements to be an attack on him and other minorities. He later said he regretted making the comment.

"Traditionally, what we have, in my humble opinion, is people are scared to run," said Provenzano. "People don't want to be publicly humiliated for standing up. So they just opt not to stand.

"It's that public humiliation and public attack that I think has people concerned about stepping up to be involved."

Former Mayor Jeff Sandler agreed. Sandler, who was mayor when Michaels and Tilki were elected, decided not to seek another term in 2000.

"I think that for anyone to sit there and honestly say that people are happy with the way things are, they're either being naive or dishonest," he said. "The council is controlled by a small group of people. They vote together on virtually every single subject matter, and one or two people aren't going to change that."

Tilki said people see the current political climate and want no part of it. But he said politics doesn't have to be ugly.

"Educated discussions, looking at different aspects and issues and coming to an agreement is good politics," he said. "Many people in the community like to be a part of good politics. Until we get the good politics, no one wants to be on council. They don't want the frustration."

Ringelspaugh, 33, ran for the council in 1999 but lost to incumbent Ed Richards. He said he's ready to take Miller on, no matter what the cost. He has spent the past month going door to door collecting signatures and introducing himself to residents.

"I'm not worried," Ringelspaugh said. "I have backers willing to back me up. People are happy that someone young is running. I've been told that at every door I go to."

Ronecker, 38, has served on the board of directors for the Oldsmar/Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce for the past few years. He was vacationing in Bermuda this week and could not be reached for comment.

But in a previous interview, he said he brings a "common sense as well as a business sense approach to the table."

Tilki isn't endorsing any candidate, but he said he hopes Miller gets the signatures she needs to run.

"I feel we should have at least two candidates for every seat," he said. "It'd be tough sitting up there knowing the people didn't elect you."

-- Megan Scott can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or mscott@sptimes.co .

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