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Growth issues pervade election

The main campaign issue is development in Dunedin and how to manage it. Tuesday's election has two candidates for mayor and seven hopefuls for a City Commission seat.

By JOSE CARDENAS
Published March 12, 2006

DUNEDIN - In this quaint town, the view from Honeymoon Island, Edgewater Drive and points between is dominated by blue skies and aqua waters that shimmer under bright sunlight.

But when Dunedin residents look across the harbor, they see the tall condominium complexes of Clearwater Beach.

If there has been a preeminent theme in the campaign leading to Tuesday's election, it's the fear that such development will overtake Dunedin, too.

"I sent out postcards to about 250 people" asking what their concerns were, said Nancy McIntyre, who is running for the two-year commissioner's seat. "The top issue right now is height restrictions and Dunedin not becoming a South Beach."

The two candidates vying for the mayor's seat are Commissioner Bob Hackworth and resident John T. Conway, a fiscal conservative with a libertarian bend.

The seven candidates running for the two-year commissioner's seat are McIntyre, Ron Barnette, Julie Ward Bujalski, John R. Espey, Michael R. Henkel, Tom Osborne and Mike Wallace.

All nine acknowledge that development is bound to occur.

They just want to to manage its height, density and spacing so that Dunedin maintains its water views, open space and small-town environment.

Among specific ideas, Barnette has called for continued dialogue that involves the community to create a development plan for the entire city.

Bujalski thinks that city building codes should be reviewed to give commissioners the tools to control development.

Conway thinks condominiums should be kept at least across the street from the water.

Osborne cites the rule of "reasonable user" that would take into account the topography of a site, what's already there and what the residents want.

Henkel wants the city to buy and preserve all open space available.

The only sign of fireworks in an otherwise tame campaign have come in the waning days.

In a campaign flier last week, Bujalski accused Barnette - who said he is against commercial development on Honeymoon island - of receiving an illegal contribution from two restaurateurs who have proposed a concession with a patio for weddings at the state park.

The donation in question was an in-kind contribution of $840 that involved a campaign event on Feb. 1 at the Bon Appetit restaurant, which is owned by Peter Kreuziger and Karl Riedl.

Barnette said he did not report the contribution on his treasurer's report due Feb. 10 because the contributors notified him of the value of the event after he had already filed the report.

He reported the contribution on the report due Feb. 24.

He said because he has never run for office, he is learning as he goes about how to handle in-kind contributions.

He said with the help of the city clerk's office, he amended his paperwork so that the contribution ended up being listed on Feb. 9, the day he learned of the value and within the reporting period that covered the Feb. 1 event.

The contributions are now broken into two parts of less than $500 each: one part counted as a donation from Kreuziger and the other as a contribution from the restaurant.

Barnette said that other than having read a story in the newspaper he personally is not aware whether the Bon Appetit owners have proposed a project on the island.

As a state park, state officials oversee development on the island. Dunedin officials can only advocate.

Barnette stands by his position that he is against commercial development on the island.

"I would never compromise that for anything and much less the suggestion that somehow I would be influenced by an in-kind contribution," he said.

Also last week, Barbara Hubbard, the wife of city attorney John Hubbard, sent out an e-mail to friends urging them to vote for Conway.

Hackworth said the e-mail bothered him in part because it had been sent to at least one City Hall employee.

"This relationship between the city attorney and City Commission is a relationship of trust and confidence," Hackworth said. "I think that when his wife makes a public effort to defeat me in the election it certainly makes me question his objectivity."

Barbara Hubbard said the e-mail was personal.

"My opinion is my own," she said.

The candidates relate to Dunedin the same way their constituents do.

Bujalski, Hackworth, Henkel, Espey and McIntyre grew up or have lived in Dunedin or nearby for decades.

Hackworth has lauded the mayor and commissioners of his youth for creating the quality of life he now enjoys. But he said officials need to keep their guard up against overdevelopment.

"You know, Will Rogers had a quote: even if you're on the right track, you get run over if you just sit there," he said.

Barnette, Conway, Osborne and Wallace once visited Dunedin and returned to live there.

The process of "managing growth" and handling other public business will inevitably include eliminating the contentiousness that has been part of the debate among commissioners.

If elected to the commission, Barnette says he has skills as a mediator.

If elected mayor, Conway said he would use his skills from having managed large meetings of macho construction business men in a civil manner.

Hackworth said he, too, would slam the gavel to stop heated debate from becoming personal attacks.

One of the first issues the new commission will deal with is the hiring of a new city manager.

After longtime City Manager John Lawrence retired last year, Assistant City Manager Maureen Freaney was named acting city manager.

While a national search has been launched for a permanent replacement, some in the community want Freaney to get the job.

At least two candidates - Wallace and Conway - said they want to hire someone from Dunedin.

"If you feel that strongly that we can get better candidates from California, let's get our next mayor or our next commissioner from there," Wallace said.

Hackworth said he would want a strong city manager who does not wait for direction from commissioners.

McIntyre said she wants someone who will develop a master plan for the city and look at "equity or inequity" of how resources are spent.

Bujalski and Espey said it is important to look at everyone who is available nationally.

"I might just be happy to vote for (Freaney)," Espey said. "But I would have to see how she takes directions from the commission."

After the election, homeowners may see a reduction in their property taxes if any one of four candidates for the commission win.

Last year, Hackworth and Commissioner Dave Eggers, who was automatically re-elected in January when no one signed up to run against him, failed on a proposal to lower the city's millage rate.

During this campaign, Hackworth, Bujalski, Conway, Espey and Osborne have all said either that the city is taking in more money than it needs to provide services or that excess money that comes into the city should be returned to residents.

Osborne said he would suggest a 10 percent cut on the city's millage rate as his first action; Conway maintains that the city should take in only what it costs to provide services.

Barnette said he is not so sure that commissioners should cut the city's millage rate of $4.4253 in taxes per $1,000 of assessed, nonexempt property value.

"We are only the third lowest in the county to begin with, with the highest output of quality," he said.

McIntyre said she couldn't say she would have voted on the tax cut proposal "because I don't know how much excess revenue we have."

All the candidates also have generally acknowledged that the poorer areas of town as well as the housing problems of the middle-class and poor need to be addressed.

Espey has called for perhaps lowering or eliminating city fees so that developers can build affordable housing.

Bujalski has said that the creation of affordable housing should be considered as part of managing development.

She said she would explore a city-sponsored grant program to help some people who work in the city - perhaps firefighters or teachers - buy homes there.

The area where the candidates differ the most is in the amount of money they have raised.

Hackworth, campaigning on a platform of lower taxes and responsible spending, as of Friday had received $24,573 in contributions from businesses and individuals.

His opponent, Conway, only reported a $500 contribution which he gave to his own campaign.

"If I'm going to be a representative of the people, then I can't be obligated to somebody else," he said. "And that is what happens when you take contributions."

Henkel has raised $746.

Osborne has not received donations but reported a $2,000 loan from himself to his campaign.

The rest reported amounts between Wallace's $1,250 and Barnette's $7,160.

"Something that was really important to me overall was to not accept contributions from developers," Bujalski said. "And I think that was important in this election."

[Last modified March 12, 2006, 01:17:10]