City Commissioner Lowell Harris and his challenger, Steve Van Gorden, say they will try to retain the area's charm by managing development.
By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published April 11, 2004
DADE CITY - One city commissioner faces a challenge in Tuesday's election, while two others will step into their next four-year terms unopposed.
Lowell Harris, 69, a semiretired pharmacist and activist with East Pasco Habitat for Humanity, is seeking a second term. His challenger is 28-year-old Steve Van Gorden, assistant principal at Hudson Middle School.
Van Gorden ran unsuccessfully for an open seat in 2000 against P. Hutchison "Hutch" Brock.
This year, Brock and fellow Commissioner Eunice Penix drew no challengers and are automatically re-elected.
Once again - perhaps more than ever - growth is the major issue this campaign season.
City leaders will soon consider annexing hundreds of acres, all slated for commercial and residential development. The issue has profound implications for a city whose tax base has been stagnant while growth proliferated in other parts of the county.
Public hearings on the annexations will be held in the next few months, and residents have shown they are concerned about expanding the borders.
Harris and Van Gorden say they will work to retain the area's unique charm by managing the growth.
"We want development. We need it to increase our tax base, but we want developers to share our vision," Harris said.
Van Gorden wants to get residents' advice on the annexation plans.
"We need to do a better job making (those plans) available to the public," he said. "All of this should have happened years ago, not at the last minute."
Nearly a year after commissioners voted to dissolve the Fire Department because of a budget shortfall, Harris is emphasizing the need to generate revenue.
But annexations, he said, are not an immediate fix.
"One thing we have to realize on the annexations is it's going to be longer than a year," he said. "It takes so long to get that done."
In the meantime, pursuing grants and raising impact fees on new construction are ways to replenish city coffers, he said.
Van Gorden, like Harris, wants to reduce the property tax rate - Dade City's is 9 mills, the highest in the county.
Van Gorden sites improving quality of life as part of his platform. He said he would work to attract light industry and service companies to generate jobs. He wants to improve recreation options in the city.
He favors creating a part-time position for a city recreation director to coordinate activities for children and adults. Opportunities exist for partnering with the YMCA and employing Saint Leo University students as interns, he said.
"It would be a win-win for everybody," he said.
Voters may cast their votes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Precinct 1, First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 37511 Church Ave., and Precinct 68, First United Methodist Church Christian Life Center, 37628 Church Ave.
DADE CITY COMMISSION
THE JOB: Commissioners are elected citywide, by group, to serve four-year terms on a five-member board. They choose a mayor every two years from among their ranks. Commissioners are paid $1,200 annually. The mayor is paid $1,800.
GROUP 4
Lowell Harris
BACKGROUND: 69, is a semi-retired pharmacist and active volunteer with East Pasco Habitat for Humanity. A resident of Dade City for 40-plus years, he's also a member of the Rotary Club and a volunteer for Operation PAR and the Boy Scouts of America. Last elected in 2000, Harris served on the City Commission from 1969 to 1970.
ASSETS: home, annuities
LIABILITIES: none listed
SOURCE OF INCOME: Social Security benefits, pharmacist salary, pensions, Dade City commissioner's stipend
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Steve Van Gorden
BACKGROUND: 28, is an assistant principal at Hudson Middle School who ran unsuccessfully in 2000 for an open commission seat. He holds degrees from the University of South Florida and Saint Leo University, and he is pursuing a doctorate of education at USF. He's a member of the Dade City Recreation Board and is involved with Take Stock in Children. He and his wife, Jennifer, have a daughter, Kaitlyn, 3, and an infant son, Aiden.
