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Clearwater's mayor eases into new post

New Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard says he has lots of ideas for his administration, but he wisely refrained from sharing all of them as he chaired his first City Council meeting as mayor last week.

Hibbard would want to avoid any comparisons with a previous City Hall "idea man" - Fred Thomas - who made headlines when he dominated his first meeting as a city commissioner by reading off an exhaustive list of initiatives big and small. Thomas lasted one term.

Hibbard has less ego, more political experience and a far better understanding of the community than Thomas'. He also knows two basic truths about being an elected official:

1. It is good to get community support for your ideas before you launch them, and

2. You must act in the entire community's best interest, even when you lack a parade of supporters.

Hibbard was elected to the mayor's post automatically when no one filed to run against him. He is aware that residents did not vote him in, and therefore he cannot be assured of a mandate for his mayoral initiatives. That is all the more reason to leave the gate slowly.

At last week's meeting, Hibbard said he has "a bunch of ideas. I've been thinking of different and new ways we can do things." But he revealed only four proposals.

First, Hibbard said he wants the city to provide a senior center for its older residents. Many local seniors were upset about the recent shuttering of a nonprofit center called the Senior Services Center because of financial problems. The absence of a city-sponsored senior center was felt more acutely then by seniors who had enjoyed that organization's programs, and they have been calling for the city to do something for them.

Providing a senior center will not be a simple matter of just buying or constructing a building. Money will be an issue, since Clearwater already is having to tighten the purse strings on recreational services. And after the center opens, it will have to be staffed and maintained - a continuing strain on an already limited budget.

Hibbard also said he wants Clearwater to participate in Well City USA, a national program that aims to improve the fitness of workers in a city. Only two other Florida cities, Gainesville and Jacksonville, have achieved the designation. And he announced that he wants to start an annual Veterans Day ceremony in Coachman Park downtown, as well as monthly dialogues with small groups of residents at breakfast meetings.

Those initiatives represent a conservative start for Clearwater's new mayor, but we expect to hear much more from him. As a council member for the last three years, Hibbard demonstrated an ability to approach problems creatively, build consensus and keep the big picture in mind. He seems scarcely able to contain his enthusiasm for what lies ahead.

[Last modified January 27, 2005, 00:40:21]