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On trash plan, politics as usual
© St. Petersburg Times For a moment Tuesday, it seemed as if reason and responsible public service were going to take over the rancorous debate on mandatory garbage collection. Then political winds began to blow and that glimmer of hope was snuffed out. Not that politics has ever been very far from this process. After all, the five people who ultimately will decide this issue are elected officials, and they know their political futures are riding on how they vote. Thus, the second County Commission meeting in as many weeks on the topic of trash began Tuesday with Commissioner Josh Wooten throwing a bone to the snarling masses who once again packed the county auditorium. Let's hold off on any decisions for now, he said, because the public clearly is not ready to buy into the concept of mandatory garbage collection. Let's hold town meetings, explain the issues, and hear what the people have to say. It is a fine idea, if somewhat late and borrowed. Late because the public indicated, in the strongest terms, how it felt on Jan. 28, the last time the commission tackled this topic. The commissioners could have called for town meetings then. Or, as some residents said Tuesday, the county should have held such get-togethers before spending $100,000 on a consultant. And borrowed because Commissioner Gary Bartell this week suggested that the county hold town meetings on the issue, just as it did several years ago on the west-side water and sewer projects. Wooten, however, deserves credit for offering the suggestion Tuesday. Sure, it was politically astute for someone facing re-election next year to placate the hundreds of angry voters sitting in front of him. But he could just as easily have sat mum. Instead, he took the political risk of trying to broker some sort of compromise. Commissioner Vicki Phillips seconded Wooten's motion, then the public had its say. For two hours, dozens of residents trashed the concept of mandatory garbage collection. Two beefy guys lugged a pile of petitions signed by more than 8,400 opponents and dropped them at the commissioners' feet. Speakers raised a host of specific concerns, such as insisting that the town meetings be held while the winter residents are still here, and suspicions that the town meetings are just a stall tactic designed to wait out the public. Then the commissioners took up the issue again, and the political winds kicked up. Phillips then said she would second Wooten's motion only if it included killing the request for proposals from haulers interested in bidding for a franchise under mandatory trash service. The public clearly does not want mandatory collection, and the only way to drive a stake through its heart is to take every remnant of the idea off the table. Wooten, growing angrier by the moment, snapped that his intention was to explore all of the options at the town meetings, including mandatory service. He would not change his motion to kill the requests for proposals. Bartell supported Phillips' desire to follow the public's wishes and kill mandatory service outright, prompting Commissioner Roger Batchelor to pipe up to say that if Phillips wouldn't second Wooten's motion, he would. Wooten snarled at Bartell and Phillips for making "popular speeches" and for "picking everything apart." He noted that Bartell had voted to hire the consultant, too, and "disassociated yourself with the plan when people began to say boo." Wooten had tried to have it both ways and failed. He sought to win over the pro-Bartell and Phillips crowd by calling for town meetings, saying he had "tried to reach across the aisle" to his fellow commissioners. He also needed to maintain his alliance with Chairman Jim Fowler, for whom he campaigned last year and with whom he votes on most issues. Fowler desperately wants mandatory service for the county. Wooten was not going to be the one to kill it. Fowler called the question and, as usual, Wooten, Batchelor and Fowler voted together, defeating Bartell and Phillips. Meetings will now be held around the county on this topic, who knows when, where or how. Presumably, people will show up and lots of ideas will be tossed around. Staffers will dutifully compile them and relay them to the commissioners. At some point, we'll all gather at the auditorium again to settle the question. And, despite the wishes of the public, mandatory garbage service will be one of the options on the table, where it will need the blessings of only three of the five commissioners to become law. After Tuesday's display of political gamesmanship, Citrus residents can expect personal animosity and grudges, not the public interest, to carry the day.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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