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Dade City needs Dennis, Black

Dade City is about to grow. Hundreds of acres and more than 1,000 homes are proposed to join the county seat. A motel is planned for U.S. 301. The former Lykes citrus packing plant annexed into the city boundaries and now is home to a citrus-shipping business and office park housing other ventures.

The future looks bright for a city that has longed for growth to aid its stagnant tax base. So much so that current Commissioner Scott Black notes the city now can be choosers instead of beggars for development.

Against that backdrop come the April 11 city elections in which Black and fellow Commissioner Bill Dennis are up for re-election. Tavern owner and longtime gadfly Mike Agnello is running against Black. Camille Hernandez, a stay-at-home mother with a background in health care marketing, is challenging Dennis.

Agnello is energetic and full of ideas, but many are unattainable for such a small city. He envisions a parking garage or a park-and-ride system to better accommodate tourists drawn to the downtown retail district. He thinks Dade City deserves a new elementary school and advocates turing the existing Cox and Elementary school buildings into vocational centers.

He correctly champions open government, wants commission meetings televised and says the city needs to hold more public workshops on controversial topics. He said he favors the city taking over U.S. 301 "in theory," but said there are too many unanswered questions about parking and capital costs.

Hernandez, too, is energetic and intelligent. She graduated from Brown University and holds a master's degree in public health from Yale. But she offers vague criticism of the current commission (except for political pal and campaign contributor Steve Van Gorden) and talks about far-flung unhappiness among the electorate about city services. She cites no examples, except for calling the budget-cutting demise of the city fire department a travesty. Her lack of specificity is problematic. Voters deserve more than campaign buzzwords of inclusive and collaborative governing.

Black, an insurance agent, joined the City Commission in 1990, ironically defeating Dennis. He hasn't faced a re-election opponent until now. He is thoughtful and articulate and hasn't ducked the difficult issues. Early in his career, he made the motion to terminate the tenure of troubled city manager Ben Bolan. He opposed the city's ill-advised participation in a bond deal for a privately owned office building outside the city limits and, as mayor in 2003, he passed the gavel and made the correct motion to contract with Pasco County for fire protection services to close a $1.4-million budget shortfall.

That kind of leadership needs to be retained. Even Agnello acknowledges Black has done a good job, but recommends the current commissioner share his experience beyond Dade City by running for the Legislature. But on April 11, Dade City voters only have one office in which to put Black and that is city commissioner.

Dennis, a retired school teacher, also is a solid member of the commission. He served from 1982-1990 and then rejoined in 1998. Dennis seeks re-election to complete unfinished projects and because he says taxpayers deserve a break. They haven't complained as the property tax rate hovered neared the state Constitutional limit, Dennis says, and now he would like to help craft budgets that will allow new revenues from growth to ease the burden on existing residents.

His experience is a strong attribute. He has represented Dade City on the regional transportation planning board and correctly pushed for higher road impact fees to better prepare the city for growth. Three years ago, he was the only commissioner to vote against sending the retiring city attorney on a taxpayer-financed junket. He was an early and ardent supporter of changing city hall management and helped lure long-time government administrator Harold Sample from a short-lived retirement to guide the city in 2003. The results have been positive. Sample retooled the administration and rebuilt a working relationship with Pasco County government that has been beneficial to working through annexation issues.

The city is well-positioned and voters should keep it on track by re-electing Bill Dennis and Scott Black to four-year seats on the Dade City Commission.

The Times invites candidates not recommended by the newspaper to respond to this editorial. Responses should be no longer than 250 words and must be received by the newspaper by 5 p.m. Wednesday. They can be mailed to the attention of C.T. Bowen, Pasco editor of editorials, St. Petersburg Times, 11321 U.S. 19, Port Richey, FL 34668-1499; faxed to 727 869-6233; or e-mailed to bowen@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 2, 2006, 01:24:20]