Among officials, unabashed bashing
By Times Staff
Published September 26, 2005
Hillsborough commissioners managed to commit more than $400-million toward road work, stormwater projects, parks and other wants and needs this week. But the talk around County Center and those who follow goings on there centered on an end-of-the-day exchange between commissioners Ronda Storms and Kathy Castor .
Actually, the exchange was pretty one-sided.
After having doled out the dough Wednesday, commissioners still had a little more than $40-million they had not committed in sales tax money from the Community Investment Tax for 2008-16. Castor moved to have $25-million of it earmarked to implement several neighborhood redevelopment plans.
Castor, a Democrat running for Congress, has criticized Storms, a Republican, for dropping proposals on the board at the last minute and with little background material. Storms returned the favor.
"You know, you've just got to be kidding me," Storms said, noting that, after three hours of debate, Castor was dropping the proposal in at the last minute.
"I just want you to know I think this is nothing more than raw politics and looking for a byline on your campaign literature."
Castor said that it isn't political to stand up for people who have participated in hours of community meetings to craft their community plans. And she noted that nothing has been set aside in CIT money to implement those plans, though that pool of cash has been used for those purposes in the past.
That's when Storms unleashed the torrent that has kept people talking.
"Well, a debate, Commissioner, is when you actually lay it on the table. You know, either you're the most incompetent politician in the history of the universe that you didn't lay it on the table sooner," she said, not completing the "or' part.
"A competent politician says, Here are the needs of my district. Boom."
The bashing continued unabated for a few moments longer. Commission Chairman Jim Norman , quick to rule citizens out of order if they so much as name a commissioner when they criticize board actions, never intervened.
It should be noted that fellow Republican Ken Hagan did essentially the same thing as Castor the next night with no rebuke from Storms when he slipped $2.8-million into the county budget toward a Citrus Park community center. Same for Storms, who got money to replant a median on State Road 60. Both items had been discussed previously, though.
At that Thursday budget hearing, Storms offered a public apology to Castor for her comments of the night before, saying they were "inexcusable."
SPORTS COMPLEX: Concrete mogul and campaign activist Ralph Hughes has been a longstanding critic of wasteful government spending. He has been particularly critical of how local government has spent proceeds from the Community Investment Tax.
Hughes particularly objects to using CIT money for such things as an art museum and the zoo, rather than infrastructure like roads and drainage.
So it was a little surprising to see him at Wednesday's commission meeting speaking on behalf of Norman's proposal to build a $40-million championship sports complex with CIT money. Not entirely, though, since Hughes has been a big campaign backer of Norman's.
Hughes was joined by Carl Warren , a sidekick of sorts who often shares his smaller government beliefs.
Both praised the sports complex proposal, with Hughes calling it a "win-win" for the community. Kids and athletes would benefit from the center, which he said would ultimately raise money for the county through advertising and leases.
"We have an opportunity to invest CIT money that, for the first time in its history, will pay for itself and then some," Hughes said.
CLEVELAND WITHDRAWS: Steven Cleveland , a Republican from Valrico who had announced his candidacy for the state Senate District 10 seat, said last week he is withdrawing from the race. "He is planning to stay active in the community, and wants to thank everyone for the support with his campaign," read a prepared statement from Cleveland. Remaining candidates include Earl Lennard , Sandra Murman and Ray Young , and Democrat Stephen J. Gorham .
NO TIME-OUTS: Hillsborough County emergency manager Larry Gispert ducked only one question from the notorious crowd of the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa when he addressed them Friday.
One member said he had described to his daughter how the politicians in Hillsborough County have been jockeying for visibility in discussing hurricane preparedness and generally behaving like children. He said his daughter asked if they were given a time-out.
The member asked Gispert if he planned to give anyone a time-out.
"I would not be so bold as to do so," he said.