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Lacking challenger, mayor gets third term

Only commission Seat 1 will be contested March 8 as qualifying for Safety Harbor elections closes.

By MEGAN SCOTT
Published January 15, 2005

SAFETY HARBOR - Mayor Pam Corbino was automatically re-elected to a third term Friday when no one else filed to run.

And Kara Bauer, who has no experience in public office, will take Safety Harbor Commission Seat 3 without opposition. She replaces interim Commissioner Debbie White.

The only race that drew two candidates was the one for Seat 1. White, who was appointed to the commission in August to replace Robin Borland, is running against attorney Andy Steingold.

Election day is March 8.

Corbino is a Safety Harbor Middle School teacher who served seven years on the commission before being elected mayor in 1999.

During her 13-year tenure, she has helped renovate Marina Park and the gazebo on Main Street, construct a veterans memorial and secure a parking lot on Second Avenue.

"We have such an exciting time ahead of us," Corbino said. "I'm looking forward to the good changes that I think are about to happen in Safety Harbor."

Bauer, 41, a mother of two, has served on the Charter Review Committee and is a volunteer at Espiritu Santo Catholic Church. She was a news and public service director for Cox Broadcasting before leaving in 2001 to stay home with her girls, ages 3 and 4.

For more than two years, she has lobbied against the expansion of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. She said airplane noise often awakens her two daughters.

"The airport situation came about because my then 2-year-old was terrified in her own house," Bauer said. "I thought that was outrageous. It's not like I live in an industrial park."

Pinellas County planners often forget about Safety Harbor, said Bauer, who moved to the city in 1991.

"Someone needs to say, "Oh no, not okay,' " said Bauer. "It's really important to me that things are done well and thoughtfully."

White, 50, was president of the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce from 1994 to 1996. She serves on the board for the Morton Plant Mease Foundation and the PAC Foundation at Ruth Eckerd Hall. She has also worked for the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Commissioners selected her from 18 candidates to replace Borland. As a condition of her appointment, she agreed not to run for that seat. She later decided to run for one of the other seats.

Seat 1 was occupied by Neil Brickfield, who resigned to run for Pinellas County Commission. Former city commissioner Fran Barnhisel is serving in the interim.

"I'm committed to Safety Harbor," said White, who has lived in the city for 20 years. "I'm still concerned about downtown Main Street and that it continues to grow in the right direction - with good growth and keeping the small town feeling."

Steingold, 43, is a partner with the Limberopoulos, Steingold and Suarez law firm in Tampa, where he handles primarily elder abuse cases.

He was a candidate for the Florida House in 1991 and ran for a Hillsborough County Court judgeship in 1993. He was also on the board of directors for the Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History.

He is concerned about expansion of the airport and development, along with downtown traffic.

"We have a small town atmosphere in Safety Harbor within one of the most densely populated counties in all of Florida. I have three children. I want them to have the benefit of growing up with that small town atmosphere.

"I also want to keep a watchful eye, and ask questions on how our finances are being spent."

Corbino on Friday ended speculation that she may run for another office before her three-year term is up.

She said her focus is on being mayor.

"I love what I'm doing and I love representing the people of Safety Harbor," she said. "These are some exciting times. I think the most exciting thing is the redevelopment that's going to happen in our downtown area."

Besides the race, there are five city charter amendments on the ballot:

1. The City Charter will be reviewed only at the time of a regular city election. (The charter is reviewed every 10 years. If the review year falls in a non-election year, the charter will be reviewed the next year.)

2. Any city commissioner will be removed from office if he or she has two unexcused absences at two consecutive regular meetings or misses a total of four in a year. (The number now is three and eight.)

3. Only 10 percent of the population is required to initiate a referendum petition (it's now 20 percent).

4. Certain city officials would not be required to post a public official bond.

5. The city would adopt its budget and property tax rate in accordance with the state law. (This is already done.)

[Last modified January 15, 2005, 02:35:15]