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Concerns over a Hillsborough county mayor

By BILL VARIAN
Published March 17, 2006

Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson has told those behind an effort to elect a county mayor that he has minor concerns about the petition they'll use to try to get the issue on the ballot.

By Friday afternoon, Mary Ann Stiles, who is heading the group Taking Back Hillsborough County Political Committee Inc., had submitted changes in response to those concerns. Johnson's suggestions largely had to do with the layout of the forms voters will be asked to sign, placement of language on each and a typo.

"There is no problem at all," Stiles said. "It's just form."

Johnson will review the new version Monday and has until the end of the day to decide if it follows the rules. If so, the group has until early August to collect 37,202 signatures from registered voters.

Taking Back Hillsborough County wants to ask voters two questions that, if passed, would amend the county's charter to create a major's job. Johnson cautioned in a letter to Stiles that his review is not a judgment on the legal sufficiency of the ballot question.

Unlike state constitutional amendments, neither the Supreme Court nor any other body signs off on charter changes before they are put to voters. A lawsuit in circuit court is the only way to challenge the legality of the measure.

"They (Taking Back Hillsborough County) have that obligation to make sure that the question meets all of the requirements," said County Attorney Renee Lee, whose office helped Johnson craft his concern letter to Stiles.

Lee, by the way, reports to Hillsborough commissioners, a majority of whom have expressed opposition to the proposal, but lawyers in her office also advise Johnson. Lee said that poses no conflict.

"I don't think it really matters in this instance because we are not dealing with the ballot language," she said. "If there was a way to tinker with the language or do something before it's on the ballot, you might say there is a potential for conflict."

Hillsborough Commissioner Ronda Storms initially said she planned to campaign against the mayoral question, but now says she's not sure. After participating in a January debate with Stiles, she said she found Stiles unpersuasive and wondered if she was only helping her fine tune her argument.

"I'm not participating in any more ... public debates on it because I find that I am sharpening a knife that is very dull and very unsharpened," Storms said during Wednesday's commission meeting. "And so, I'm not going to allow myself to be used to sharpen an argument that is very weak in its beginnings."

Stiles dismissed the comment as a personal dig.

"I don't know what to say other than I think she's just doing her normal stuff, which is making personal comments about anyone who challenges anything she says."

Former Hillsborough Commissioner Chris Hart put in an appearance before his former colleagues Wednesday hoping to address them on the charter issue. Hart didn't show up at the public comment period, but rather at the time when the issue was scheduled to be discussed, hoping the board might show him some deference and let him speak then.

Hart wasn't given the opportunity.

Hart was there to protest the board's efforts to stymie the effort, saying they fly in the face of the rights of Americans to petition their government for change.

[Last modified March 17, 2006, 20:42:42]