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MICHAEL SANDLERAt the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club, the officeholders test the mettle of two candidates.
FEATHER SOUND - For a while, it was an easy afternoon Thursday for County Commission hopefuls Norm Roche and Ronnie Duncan at the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club candidates' forum.
But then three county commissioners began firing questions at them, and the candidates found their efforts to criticize the current board short-circuited.
"I thought this would be a great opportunity to find out what they really think we did wrong," Commissioner John Morroni said. About 100 people attended the luncheon that featured Roche and Duncan. The civic club has a tradition of inviting public officials and political candidates to address the group, awarding a stuffed tiger to the member who asks the toughest question.
That honor went to Morroni, who called both candidates on their repeated criticism of the commission during the campaign.
He was joined by commissioners Ken Welch and Karen Seel, who asked their own questions.
Morroni asked: "If you were on the commission the last four years, which single decision would you disagree with?" Roche, a Democrat, said he would not have supported letting a St. Petersburg developer build homes near the county's solid waste facility.
"We need to learn from our mistakes," Roche said, noting that many people in Feather Sound have complained about noise from nearby St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.
Duncan, a Republican, said he did not like the way commissioners allowed "no-fee" zones in St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor and Pinellas Park to expire after listening to arguments from the three cities affected.
"I don't know if I would have come to the same conclusion," Duncan said. "But the way it was handled created more problems than it should have."
Welch was next, and asked what single change each candidate would make if elected.
Duncan said he would work toward building better relations with the cities. Roche said his No. 1 priority would be bringing average citizens back into the process.
Seel raised perhaps the most pointed question, asking their positions on annexation - possibly the most controversial issue facing city and county officials.
Roche said he would call for a moratorium on all annexations until everyone can agree on a solution, comparing the problem to a leaking toilet. Duncan said he opposed involuntary annexations, but did not think all annexations could be stopped. He said commissioners must re-examine the ordinance and make changes.
Afterward, both candidates said they expected the commissioners to ask tough questions.
"They are going to be working with one of us, so it's a great opportunity for them," Roche said.
Duncan agreed: "I knew that after Mr. Morroni started, the other two were not going to be outdone."