Northpinellas: Voters reward experience; incumbents sweep races

LARGO -- It was loud and feisty campaign, but ultimately the challengers could not shake up the Largo City Commission as all three incumbents were re-elected Tuesday night.

Mayor Bob Jackson held off former Commissioner Marty Shelby with 57 percent of the vote.

By similar margins, Commissioner Pat Gerard beat Tom Robbins and Commissioner Jean Halvorsen defeated Ernie Bach.

About 14 percent of the city's 40,679 voters turned out.

"It's great," said Jackson, 69, sounding relieved from his victory party at the East Bay Country Club. "It's an affirmation."

Jackson, a retired middle school principal, is finishing his first term as mayor. He has served on the commission since 1974.

Shelby and the other challengers had attacked the commission for a number of recent decisions, including the planned construction of an ambitious new library.

Shelby, 46, resigned from the commission in January to challenge Jackson, calling his former colleagues "arrogant, insensitive, and out of touch" and pushing for a referendum on the library project.

"He got his referendum," Jackson said Tuesday night. "It didn't go the way he thought it would. I think you're going to see things settle down a lot in Largo now."

Shelby, Jackson's former vice-mayor, has said he decided to run because if he hadn't, Jackson would have been re-elected without opposition.

"I'm satisfied that the voters were given the opportunity to have a choice," he said. "I have always believed that people get the government they deserve."

The results mean that plans for the 90,000-square-foot, $20-million library can proceed without opposition on the commission. The incumbents have also said they will continue with annexation efforts to boost the tax base and move forward with redevelopment plans for Clearwater-Largo Road.

Challengers courted mobile home owners and warned they could be displaced by the city's redevelopment plans. The city is still designing those plans, but the incumbents have promised to take care of the residents and offer them more protections than state law requires.

"They have nothing to fear," Jackson said. Well-maintained parks will not be targeted by redevelopment, he said.

Gerard, 53, held onto Seat 3 with 60 percent of the vote. She is finishing her first term as a city commissioner and says she is determined to build the new library as well as boost citizen participation at strategic planning meetings. She also wants to diversify the city work force and implement a human rights ordinance.

"We're moving in the right direction," she said. "People have faith we're doing the right things. (But) there's that 40 percent we still need to listen to."

Robbins, 51, said he knew he picked a formidable opponent in Gerard.

"I don't always do the easy thing," said Robbins, a nursing home administrator making his first run for City Commission. "Win or lose, we got the people thinking."

Halvorsen, 72, has served on the commission since 1985 and was tickled to be elected to another term with 58 percent of the vote.

"I tell you that was a thrill," she said. "Superb, superb, superb. All three of us all the way. Goodness shall prevail."

Bach, 65, had grown increasingly confident until the polls closed and seemed sadly surprised by the results.

"It's hard to understand," he said. "I think the voters have obviously missed the point."

A consumer advocate who served on the commission from 1987 to 1990, Bach said he probably won't run for office again. But he will continue to lobby in Tallahassee and will make regular appearances at City Hall.

"I will stay around to make sure the incumbents meet their promises," he said.

Largo Election Results

Mayor

Bob Jackson 3,289

Marty Shelby 2,479

Seat 3

Pat Gerard 3,403

Tom Robbins 2,245

Seat 4

Jean Halvorsen 3,280

Ernie Bach 2,371