Clearwater's mayor will run for court clerk

Brian Aungst says he will continue as mayor until January 2005 if he wins the race for county Clerk of the Circuit Court.

By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 3, 2003

CLEARWATER -- Armed with support from a veritable who's who of power politics in Pinellas County, Mayor Brian Aungst announced Wednesday he will run for county Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Beating all challengers to the punch, Aungst filed paperwork Tuesday to replace longtime clerk Karleen DeBlaker, whose term ends in December 2004.

Term limits prevent Aungst, a Republican, from running again for mayor when his seat expires in March 2005. If elected to countywide office, Aungst said he will continue as mayor until January 2005.

"Don't assume I'm going away," Aungst, 49, said Wednesday. "I'd love to stay on as mayor of Clearwater, but that's not possible."

Among the names on a list of supporters he supplied Wednesday are Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mike Alstott, Checkers restaurant founder Herb Brown, Hooters co-founder Ed Droste, artist Roger Bansemer, builder Alan Bomstein and philanthropist Fred Fisher. The list also features state and local elected officials, including St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and virtually every other Pinellas mayor stretching from Tarpon Springs south.

Ed Armstrong, a Clearwater attorney who advises Republican candidates and supports Aungst, said the list proves the mayor has strong name recognition outside Clearwater.

"He really has used the past four years to have relationships up and down the length of Pinellas County," Armstrong said. "That's what makes him a formidable opponent, combined with a demonstrated ability to raise money."

Last year, Aungst coasted to a second three-year term as mayor after running unopposed. It was the first time since 1956 that a Clearwater mayor was elected without opposition.

After juggling his official duties while working full time as government relations director at bright house Networks, formerly Time Warner Communications, Aungst said he will leave his job in the private sector if elected clerk in November 2004.

As clerk, Aungst would serve as scribe, records custodian and accountant for the circuit court system and county government. It is a role he said plays to his strengths: "I'm trained as a manager."

Before entering politics in 1999, Aungst had run local cable TV stations and worked as a sportscaster. He has also done play-by-play coverage of Tampa Bay Storm arena football and is host of the Bucs' Extra Point talk show.

If elected clerk, Aungst said he would look to modernize and streamline the department's operation. He said he still has homework to do but pointed to internal printing, courier and records management operations as possible places to start trimming. Those services are already offered by the county and could be eliminated to reduce costs, Aungst said.

As financial watchdog of the county, the clerk's office should submit to an outside audit, Aungst said.

"It certainly seems logical to me," he said. "I don't think you can ever have too many sets of eyeballs looking at those things."

As mayor in Clearwater, Aungst has worked to restore confidence in City Hall, which had eroded during the controversial tenure of City Manager Mike Roberto. After forcing Roberto's resignation in 2000, Aungst took on a more visible role in shaping city government, becoming a key point person for Clearwater in its dealings with developers and other government agencies.

In an e-mail sent Wednesday to city employees, Aungst aimed to quell any concerns that his focus has shifted.

"I want to reiterate to everyone that I am and will continue to be 100 percent committed to the city of Clearwater," he wrote. "I will not present myself as a "short timer' and obviously do not want to be viewed in that vein. I continue to look forward to working closely with the commission, senior management and all of our employees to make our great city the best it can possibly be."

-- Jennifer Farrell can be reached at 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com ">farrell@sptimes.com .

Clerk of the Circuit Court

Duties: responsible for keeping up with circuit court and county records, making them available to the public and monitoring county spending

Department budget: $38.5-million

Employees: 600

Term: four years

Salary: $134,220 annually

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