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Cause may fizzle, so don't fight it

By C.T. BOWEN
Published October 30, 2005

It's a little early to start spending money on public relations in Port Richey.

Then again, you could argue it's much too late to try to change that city's long-tarnished image.

Whatever your position in the current machinations in Port Richey, it strikes us as premature for the City Council to open up its wallet for a legal and public relations team to fight the proposed dissolution of the municipal government.

The paranoia is understandable. Slick mailers to registered voters include newspaper headlines from stories detailing missteps of past councils and administrators, and point out the extra costs Port Richey property owners pay compared to the residents and businesses in unincorporated Pasco County. The political action committee Port Richey Citizens for Lower Taxes is fronted by Drs. Robert Goluba and Steven Johnston, but has the support of some of the usual malcontents including former council members Tom Brown and Dale Massad.

Of course, the delicious irony here is that Brown and Massad were in office while the city government's actions spurred some of those headlines.

Still, the current council's decision this week to allocate nearly 42 percent of the reserve fund ($25,000 of $60,000) for this battle is unnecessary, at least for now.

Tuesday, Goluba and Johnston are scheduled to appear before state legislators to ask for a local bill requiring the city to hold a referendum on dissolving the municipal government. They'll have with them petition cards signed by registered voters. They'll need a little more than 1,000 names to receive consideration. Those are the ground rules as outlined by legislators who said they want 50 percent of the city voters to ask for the referendum before they would even consider sponsoring the bill.

Later, during the delegation's annual meeting at the Ridge Road campus of Pasco-Hernando Community College, City Manager Jerry Calhoun and resident Dolores Stilson are scheduled to rebut the referendum request.

Unfortunately, the conspiracy theories are undermining the facts. Some fear there will be no ballot question next year. Their thinking is the advocates of the referendum will present the signatures and ask legislators to bypass the electorate and simply consider a bill to dissolve the city.

"That will never happen," said state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey. "Never."

Even people who want the city disbanded agree that is not their strategy. The petition cards specifically request a referendum to decide the city's fate, nothing more.

There are expectations in some corners the movement will die Tuesday morning. Petition backers acknowledge they are nowhere near their goal of 1,000 names, so they may simply ask for an extension. Granting the request means the Pasco legislative delegation would have to meet again and hold a public hearing before it could approve a local bill and introduce it in Tallahassee.

Mind you, there is no bill written, nor has anyone agreed to sponsor one. Under legislative rules, local bills must be introduced by a member of the House of Representatives. We don't anticipate Rep. John Legg, R-New Port Richey, or Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, chair of the delegation, to entertain that idea seriously.

Pushing the bill is a losing proposition politically. As noted in this space previously, just ask former state Rep. Debra Prewitt who lost her re-election bid after sponsoring similar legislation in 1997.

Bilirakis, whose state House district includes only a sliver of Pasco, is running for the congressional seat now held by his father, U.S. Rep. Michael Bilirakis. The 9th Congressional District includes Port Richey, so don't look for the younger Bilirakis to do anything politically unpopular (or courageous, depending on your point of view) during his final term in Tallahassee.

"If this goes beyond next week's delegation meeting, I'd be quite surprised," Fasano predicted.

So, the folks at Port Richey City Hall shouldn't be cutting checks too quickly to outside lawyers or image consultants. Agreeing to free up $25,000 for just such work is hardly prudent governing considering there is no referendum as of yet.

If nothing else, it gives potential ammunition to the parties that want the city disbanded.

Imagine a mail piece that says, "Your city government is spending public money to keep you from deciding your own future."

C.T. Bowen can be reached at 727 869-6239 or bowen@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 30, 2005, 01:13:18]