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Politics

County mayor issue gets a boost

Hillsborough County says the measure got enough signatures for 2008, but lawsuits are possibly ahead.

By MICHAEL VAN SICKLER
Published September 30, 2006

TAMPA - A campaign to overhaul Hillsborough County's government by creating a strong mayor position has enough signatures to qualify for the 2008 ballot, said Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson.

Johnson's decision was cheered by Mary Ann Stiles, chairwoman of the group pushing to swap the current style of government - headed by an administrator who answers to seven commissioners - with one led by an elected mayor with the power to veto commission votes.

"I'm relieved," Stiles said.

Alas, she's not in the clear. Louis Betz, a lobbyist opposing the measure, vowed that the measure won't survive long enough to make it on the 2008 ballot.

"I'm positive there will be a legal challenge," he said. "Not only is this a bad idea for government, but there's some serious problems with the petitions."

Johnson's general counsel, Kathy Harris, said the petitions will be certified within a week. Any legal challenge must be filed within days of the certification date, she said.

Johnson's office won't rule on the legality of the petitions.

"It has the necessary number of signatures," Johnson said. "I have no responsibility for their legal content."

Still, Johnson's decision was a big boost to Stiles' group, Taking Back Hillsborough County Political Committee Inc. It has spent nearly $200,000 to get the strong-mayor question on this year's ballot.

But in early August, Johnson ruled that thousands of petitions filed by the group were ineligible because the names on the petitions didn't match the names of registered voters.

One petition, which would establish the position of a strong mayor, fell about 3,000 signatures short of the required 37,202. A second petition, giving the mayor veto power over the commission, fell 3,700 shy.

After getting rejected, Stiles continued to bring in new petitions to Johnson's office for review. There, staff members and temporary workers reviewed the eligibility of the petitions. By Thursday evening, Johnson's office concluded that both petitions had enough eligible signatures but would have to wait two years to get on a ballot.

"We finished the VETO," Harris wrote Thursday in an e-mail to Stiles. "Congratulations."

Stiles said she was initially let down by the news.

"I don't know why," she said. "I guess it's because this should have happened in August."

By Friday, however, Stiles said the two-year delay would help her cause.

"I have time to raise money, to educate the public and be on the ballot during an election with a good turnout because it's a presidential year," Stiles said.

She plans to raise $1.5-million, which will help pay for public meetings and at least two TV ads.

Stiles resigned as a lobbyist for the county's bus agency last year in protest after county commissioners demanded an audit of the agency. She said that was just one example of how the commissioners meddled into areas that they didn't belong while ignoring business at hand, such as managing growth.

A mayor elected by the people would be more accountable, and effective, she said.

But others said a strong mayor politicizes a job that is done by an appointed administrator - in this case, Pat Bean.

"It removes the professionalism of the job," said Beth Rawlins, a political consultant in talks with groups that plan to oppose the measure. "Politics and cronyism is a byproduct of a strong mayor."

[Last modified October 1, 2006, 09:09:24]