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Letter to the editor

Westchase board adds lone woman

Susan Edgerley comes aboard. John Love exits. Greg Chesney, the new chairman, wants to keep assessments stable.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published June 10, 2005

WESTCHASE - Hoping to add diversity to its ranks, the Westchase East taxing district has named community activist Susan Edgerley to serve as the board's only female member.

Edgerley, 44, who lives on Kingsbridge Avenue, was one of five applicants to replace vice chairman Steve Grossman, who resigned from the board because of business demands. During a brief interview with the board, she touted her experience as a founder of the Upper Tampa Bay Alliance and, before that, a member of the Westchase government affairs committee.

The board also accepted the resignation of chairman John Love, who plans to move outside the district, but did not name a replacement. It did, however, select first-term member Greg Chesney, 35, as the new chairman.

Chesney, who has lived in the Bridges neighborhood since 1996, owns an Allstate insurance agency. He is married with two children.

One of his goals, he said, is to keep assessment levels stable for residents.

"It's not kind to people to reduce their assessments one year and jack them up the next," Chesney said.

That effort should help the taxing district pay down its deficit, he said, and establish a reserve fund for emergencies.

Board members discussed such an option this week during a review of the proposed 2005-06 budget. They reviewed the $5.7-million spending plan with an eye toward detail that some in the community suggested had been ignored under past management.

The two Westchase taxing districts replaced their management team and the longtime grounds crew in the past two months. New manager John Daugirda, peppered with questions about why spending seemed to be rising despite savings in land maintenance, explained that he did not know whether the old budget was valid.

The new team needs time, he said, to determine whether the budgeted work actually took place, and what the actual cost of projects would be. The districts do not want to find themselves with more work than money, he cautioned.

The boards asked Daugirda to refine the budget for future discussion. If unchanged, the general assessment for all homes would decrease. Final adoption of the budget is scheduled for Aug. 8.

In other business, the board learned that improvements to Baybridge Park are almost complete, and that the fields at Glencliff Park should be ready by fall soccer season. A subcontractor has caused delays in the repair of Radcliffe Bridge, however, and it may not be usable until mid July.

[Last modified June 9, 2005, 10:29:11]