VETERANS VS. NEWCOMERS: Six Republicans compete for a spot on the County Commission. They vary widely in age, experience and ideology.
By WILL VAN SANT
Published August 24, 2004
The District 1 Republican primary for County Commission pits experienced campaigners against political novices. It also boasts the greatest age range of any of the primary contests, with Anthony Palmieri, 75, and Luke Frazier, 19, both in the field.
In addition to Palmieri and Frazier, Rose Rocco, Richard McDermott, Jeff Stabins and Donald Whiting all seek the seat, which is now held by County Commissioner Mary Aiken. Aiken has decided not to run for re-election.
The victor will face Democrat D.W. "Bill" Fagan in the Nov. 2 general election. Fagan does not face a primary challenge.
Palmieri, who now sits on the Planning and Zoning Commission, echoes many in the race who feel county spending is out of control and that the current commission has passed unenforceable and intrusive ordinances.
If elected, Palmieri said he would seek to restrain spending by freezing the county budget at its present level for about four years, making the only increases cost-of-living adjustments. The aim of the freeze, Palmieri said, would be to increase budget reserves and allow for tax cuts.
To prevent the rapid urbanization of the county and protect agricultural land, Palmieri said he would not be as quick as current commissioners to grant exceptions to the county's comprehensive plan for developers. And to conserve water resources, Palmieri supports requiring developers to plant drought-resistant plants that require less watering.
Palmieri is supporting his campaign with $30,000 of his own money and is not accepting contributions because special interests, he said, play too great a role in politics.
"If elected," he said, "I want to be my own free man."
Jeff Stabins, now a teacher of at-risk students for the county school district, served as the District 44 state representative from 1992 to 1998.
At the top of Stabins' platform is growth management. He supports the idea of the County Commission holding a summit of board members and the business community to generate ideas on how best to manage growth and extract more significant concessions from builders.
"Developers are eyeing our county as if it was the last girl left standing at the high school prom," Stabins said. "We need to get more from them, because what they are taking is irreplaceable."
He supports a moratorium on county government building projects until the rate of growth in Hernando's budget slows to more closely match population and inflation increases.
In response to a Times questionnaire, Stabins said conservation rates that charge customers more as their consumption of water increases should be introduced in Spring Hill. Such so-called inclining block rates are in effect elsewhere in the county. The move should be coupled with a decrease, Stabins said, in the base rate the most most frugal consumers pay.
Rose Rocco moved to Spring Hill in 1993 and has since become a force in local community organizations. In 2002, she lost a bid for the District 2 commission seat to sitting board Chairwoman Nancy Robinson.
While Rocco opposes building moratoriums or impact fee increases, she considers better management of growth critical to the county's future. Rocco said the commission needs to more diligently consider whether adequate roads and schools are available before approving developments.
She argues that the county wastes money on consultants while ignoring the expertise of those on its staff.
Rocco said her visibility as a community activist gives her an edge over opponents. In the last four years, Rocco said, she has attended countless civic gatherings, talking with voters about their worries.
For her rivals, she had this question: "Where were you?"
Luke Frazier is easily the most conservative candidate in the field.
A Christian who has said he would base his decisions as commissioner on Biblical teachings, Frazier charges that most government levies, from animal registration fees to impact fees, are not legitimate and should be done away with.
Because he favors the privatization of most government services, Frazier is quick to criticize what he sees as wasteful spending policies by county leaders on projects such as THE Bus, the county's public transportation service.
According to Frazier, the proper role of government involves maintaining roads and an able military as well as providing law enforcement.
"That's really about it," Frazier said. "That's all I think government is good for."
Donald Whiting, who sits on the county Aviation Authority, came to Hernando in 1983 and owns Whiting Insurance Agency in Spring Hill.
Whiting's chief criticism of county government is that it is not run enough like a business. Spending on ventures like THE Bus is wasteful, and, though Whiting supported the county's purchase of the Florida Water Services utility in Spring Hill, he said too much was paid for the system.
"They spend money like they've got it to burn," Whiting said of the current board.
Had commissioners gotten out of their chairs and actually looked at the condition of the utility, Whiting said, he is certain the county could have gotten a better price.
Recent figures developed by county officials suggest Hernando did quite well in comparison to other governments that bought Florida Water assets last year.
As a successful business owner, Whiting said he was seeking office not for personal gain but because he thinks he has skills to offer that the county needs. Whiting said he believes voters will appreciate the business sense and cost-to-benefit approach he would bring to county government and support him.
Richard McDermott works as a marketing director for the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain. In 1996, he ran for the District 5 commission seat and lost in the primary.
Like Frazier, McDermott said Biblical teachings must be a touchstone for making political decisions. Like Whiting, McDermott charges that county leaders have "micromanaged" on issues and failed to use basic business sense.
To curb the growth of county bureaucracy, McDermott said, a bonus structure should be created that would distribute among department employees a portion of expenditures that departments manage to cut.
He supports lowering impact fees and making them apply not only to new development, but also to the resale of existing homes.
"I believe that my business expertise, my leadership qualities, as well as my ability to work with others, will get things accomplished," McDermott said.
THE JOB
County commissioners are elected to four-year terms by the county at large but must live in the district they serve. Commissioners adopt ordinances governing the county and the budget. Commissioners are paid $51,058 a year.
REPUBLICANS
LUKE FRAZIER, 19, was born in Brooksville and has lived his entire life in Hernando County. He is single and a self-employed cell phone dealer. A candidate who seeks to bring Biblical values to county government, Frazier is active in several area churches. He enjoys fishing and riding horses. Frazier was educated at home and passed a high school equivalency test. He has taken some courses at Pasco-Hernando Community College, but has not received a degree.
ASSETS: home, bank account
LIABILITIES: none.
SOURCES OF INCOME: savings.
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RICHARD McDERMOTT, 33, was born in St. Petersburg. He moved to Hernando County in 1990 after having lived in Nebraska. He is separated and has a son and daughter. McDermott has worked as a training manager and marketing director for fast-food restaurant chains and helps with his father's contracting business. He enjoys golf, bowling and car racing. In 1996, McDermott lost a Republican primary bid in what what was then commission District 5. He is a graduate of Elkhorn Senior High School in Elkhorn, Neb. He received a bachelor's degree in criminology from Saint Leo University and is pursuing a master's in business administration with a criminal justice concentration at the school.
ASSETS: two horses.
LIABILITIES: bank loan.
SOURCES OF INCOME: salary.
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ANTHONY PALMIERI, 75, was born outside Naples, Italy. He came to America in 1948 and to Hernando in 1988. He settled here permanently in 1994. Palmieri is divorced. He sits on the county Planning and Zoning Commission and is a member of the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce. As a young man, Palmieri worked in the jewelry manufacturing business in New York. He went on to serve in the Air Force and took an entry-level job at Chase Manhattan Bank. He retired from Chase Manhattan in 1985 as vice president of the mutual fund custodian department. He holds various certificates from the American Institute of Banking in New York and took some classes at New York University, but did not receive a degree. ASSETS: home, bank accounts.
LIABILITIES: none.
SOURCES OF INCOME: pension and Social Security, interest on bank accounts and IRA distributions.
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ROSE ROCCO, 63, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. She purchased property in Spring Hill in 1987 and moved there in 1993. She is married and has two daughters and a son. She is founder of the civic organization Operation Pride. Among her positions in various community groups, Rocco sits on the board of Business and Professional Women of Hernando County and is president-elect of the Spring Hill Rotary Club. In 2002, she lost a bid for the District 2 commission seat to current board Chairwoman Nancy Robinson. Before coming to Hernando, Rocco worked in the customer service divisions of utility companies in New York and New Jersey, then as a sales representative for import distributors in New York. She graduated from East Side High School in Patterson, N.J., and attended the State University of New York's Stony Brook campus on Long Island, but did not receive a degree.
JEFF STABINS, 41, was born in Watertown, N.Y. He moved to Hernando from New York in 1987. Stabins is now a teacher of at-risk students for the county school system. He ran for School Board in 1990 but lost in the general election. Stabins was District 44 state representative from 1992 to 1998. He lost the Republican primary that year to sitting state Rep. David Russell. Stabins has a bachelor's degree in history and political science from the State University of New York at Albany. He received a master's degree in education from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.
ASSETS: home, retirement account.
LIABILITIES: credit union loan.
SOURCES OF INCOME: salary.
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DONALD WHITING, 58, was born in Detroit. He came to Florida in 1977 and to Hernando in 1983. Whiting is married and has three daughters and two sons. He has owned Whiting Insurance Agency in Spring Hill since 1983. Whiting sits on the board of the county Aviation Authority. He is a member of the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce and has a long record of involvement with youth athletics. Whiting graduated from Henry Ford High School in Detroit and attended Wayne County Community College there, but did not receive a degree.
ASSETS: home, rental property.
LIABILITIES: mortgages, auto loan, airplane loan.
SOURCES OF INCOME: rental property and business income.
