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Debate over utilities chief focus of candidates forum

Despite county utilities problems, Commissioner Pat Mulieri stands by her earlier support of Bruce Kennedy.

By DAVID DeCAMP
Published August 31, 2006

NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco County's utilities director is not on any ballot, but his job performance set off political sparks at a forum Wednesday for County Commission candidates.

County Commissioner Pat Mulieri, who seeks a fourth term Sept. 5, gave unsolicited support for utilities chief Bruce Kennedy in February. On Wednesday, she stood by her response to troubles at the system, which faces up to $1.8-million in fines for state environmental violations.

The violations included a raw sewage spill of 21.2-million gallons near Lake Bernadette last summer, expansion of a treatment plant without a permit and the illegal installation of a pipe draining stormwater and partially treated wastewater into the Hillsborough River, Tampa's drinking water source.

Acknowledging a "black eye" on Pasco, Mulieri said, "It was wrong what happened, and with the technology we're working on, it should not happen again."

But that did not sit well with rival Republican Larry DeLucenay, who questioned the wisdom of keeping Kennedy on the county payroll.

"Even though Mr. Kennedy might make a great neighbor, I don't have a great deal of confidence in the job that he does," said DeLucenay, who runs Mad Hatter Utility, a Land O'Lakes utility that successfully sued the county over a takeover attempt in the 1990s.

The third candidate, Realtor Christie Zimmer, suggested the utility struggles represented the inability of higher-level county officials to handle the effects of rapid growth. But after the sparsely attended forum at the SunTrust Bank on U.S. 19, she was not ready to say whether Kennedy should be fired.

"I really tend to believe he is the sacrificial lamb that has been laid out," she said.

The forum, sponsored by the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, featured candidates for Central Pasco's District 2 seat. The election Tuesday is open to all county voters because the field has only Republicans.

The utility issue offered them a stab at a prime issue in the race: Mulieri's diligence and energy overseeing the county. She says she has lots of priorities and activities to move forward.

DeLucenay says the county needs a commissioner who is willing to probe, while Zimmer says she would bring energy Mulieri has lost.

Florida regulators have ordered Pasco to make major improvements and add staff, and the fine is expected to be lowered if other projects are completed. Commissioners will oversee that work.

Though Kennedy denied it, state records say he authorized the secret pipe. Mulieri and other officials said he inherited many of the problems.

Mulieri told the crowd Wednesday she did not remember when she gave unsolicited support, but she quickly questioned the staff on what happened as soon as she learned of it from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The Pasco Times reported she gave support at the Feb. 28 board meeting, saying: "I support Bruce Kennedy."

Agitated by a Zimmer remark that the county couldn't handle a 45-minute water main break, Mulieri spoke out of turn to contradict Zimmer.

"Are we okay?" DeLucenay asked, before giving his conclusion.

"Every time I've dealt with Mr. Kennedy, he's never at fault. Someone else is at fault," he said. "Apparently, listening to what I hear from the commissioner today, the story is still the same."

[Last modified August 31, 2006, 00:03:55]