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Shaking hands and making promises
By KATHY SAUNDERS TREASURE ISLAND -- Richard Kraus said the new deck shoes he got for Christmas are starting to look pretty tired. With four weeks added to the campaign for city commissioner, the four candidates have had to walk neighborhoods again and knock on doors. Kraus and Larry Hoffman, opponents for the District 3 commission seat that covers Paradise Island, face each other in Tuesday's runoff election. Kraus, a retired businessman, is hoping to maintain an advantage from the March general election, when he outpolled Hoffman by 6 percent. Each candidate has promised to rescind the city's controversial land development regulations if elected. Hoffman is backing Commissioner Mary Maloof in the mayoral race. Kraus, who attended George Makrauer's party after the March election, said he is not committed to either mayoral candidate. In District 1, newcomer Scott Barone is in a runoff with Phil Collins of the city's planning and zoning board to represent the Isle of Capri neighborhoods. Barone received 41.5 percent of the vote in the March election and Collins took 38.9 percent. Collins said he thinks the proponents of taller buildings along the beachfront are supporting his opponent. Barone disputed Collins' claims, saying his backers are from both sides of the issue. "We don't need taller buildings," Barone said. Collins is campaigning on his planning board experience and his knowledge of the workings of City Hall. "I've got four years of community service with the city government, and I would need a lot less on-the-job training," Collins said. Barone likes being called a political novice: "I feel I will bring fresh ideas to the job." During their campaigns, most of the candidates said they believe residents are put off by the fighting over land use issues. Now that construction on the new Causeway Bridge has begun, Kraus said his neighbors have more to say about the roads than beachfront development. Kraus said he has been looking into the finances of the $60-million bridge project and into the construction schedule. He is concerned that the main span of the bridge will have to be closed for three months before it is completed. "I am not convinced that there are no alternatives," he said. When asked if he thinks people are tired of the land development regulations, Hoffman said, "Totally." Hoffman said the No. 1 concern among his neighbors is funding for the bridge. He said he has been meeting with state legislators, but he thinks the state budget is not going to be the answer. "I'm totally convinced that we need federal dollars," Hoffman said, adding that he worked as a lobbyist for the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C. "I know how to do it," he said of getting federal money. He also is concerned about the three months that the bridge is expected to be closed. If that happens, Hoffman said he will work to make sure the closure does not occur during the city's heavy tourist seasons.
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