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Treasure Island City Commission District 3
By KATHY SAUNDERS TREASURE ISLAND -- Paradise Island has four candidates for commissioner -- Marie Barba, George Garbutt, Larry Hoffman and Richard Kraus -- all of whom were propelled to this nexus by the city's rewriting of development rules. Each District 3 hopeful vows to rescind new land development regulations, known as LDRs, that were adopted in October before the voters had a chance to oppose them. Barba and Hoffman were significant players in the strife over tall buildings on the beach. Barba led the petition drive for a referendum to stop the city from changing the development code. Hoffman sued the city over the constitutionality of the referendum, which said more than half of the city's registered voters must approve density and height increases. Hoffman withdrew his lawsuit when the referendum's supporters agreed that the voting threshold was too high. Hoffman was chided by his opponents during Sunday's candidates debate. "I felt it was unconstitutional at the time, and I still feel it is unconstitutional," he said. "I am not for tall buildings." Barba said if commissioners are concerned about blocking beach views, they should consider maximum lengths of buildings rather than just looking up. Barba said she believes the city can work within the current comprehensive plan, and added that a new master plan would be too expensive for the city. Garbutt, a commissioner from Paradise Island from 1972 to 1984, said the current LDRs have worked just fine and don't need any changes. Garbutt said he believes the city should buckle down on spending, stop developing parks that are costly to maintain and quit spending money to modernize the downtown with traffic-calming features such as the half-roundabout and clock tower. Kraus, a newcomer to politics, said the LDRs were exactly what prompted him to run. "Life was good on our island, then we got a wake-up call with the LDRs," he said. Kraus wants to focus on the city budget and look for ways to roll back the property tax rate. He also wants to help keep residents better informed about local government. He suggested establishing a reading room at City Hall. Hoffman said he would appoint a citizens committee on Paradise Island to help him communicate with residents about what takes place at City Hall. All four candidates said they were concerned about finding the funds to build the new Causeway Bridge. The city has to come up with another $40-million for the $60-million project. The Paradise Island candidates also pledged to work with the contractors to deal with noise and traffic issues in their adjacent neighborhoods while the bridge is under construction. Other issues being addressed by the District 3 commissioners include economic redevelopment in downtown and easing parking issues in the business district. THE JOBCommissioners serve two-year terms and are paid $5,400 a year. Candidates are required to receive 50 percent plus one vote in order to declare a victory. Any runoffs are scheduled to be held April 8. Voting takes place at the Treasure Island Community Center, 1 Park Place, south of downtown. The commission races are restricted to voters in those districts.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
