News

2006 Know Your Candidates

Downtown plan at heart of council race

Temple Terrace City Council

By JACKIE RIPLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published October 25, 2006

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TEMPLE TERRACE - Voters will choose from a field of six candidates when they fill three seats on the Temple Terrace City Council Nov. 7.

Incumbents Ken Halloway, Linda Shattles and Glenda Venable hope to be re-elected.

Mark Knapp, Alison McGillivray Fernandez and Ken Tozier hope it's time for a change.

"I feel all the people on council currently are doing what they feel in their heart is in the best interest of the city," Knapp said. "But I disagree with their approach."

That approach has to do with the city's plan to transform the depressed southeast corner of 56th Street and Bullard Parkway into a neotraditional community. Its goal would be to provide a small-town environment where the city's 22,000 residents could work, live and shop.

Halloway said he had hoped the city would have made more progress on the plan by now.

"It's really the reason I ran for the council," Halloway said. "I want to help the city follow through."

Others say there are good reasons to move slowly on the project.

"We need to do it right, not throw it together," said Venable, acknowledging that many citizens are frustrated because the project is not coming to fruition as fast as they would like.

Shattles said the city's downtown revitalization plan is moving forward nicely but said "sometimes you have to drop back and punt."

Fernandez is in favor of the downtown revitalization but said the city should proceed with caution and not get caught up in too grand a plan.

"I think the redevelopment affects all of our property values," Fernandez said. "We need to be careful and not build something that doesn't suit our community."

Tozier said he is less concerned with the project's facade than with the services it would provide.

"It should be the type of redevelopment that provides things that are needed to run your household," Tozier said.

The top three vote-getters will be elected to fill the four-year council seats in this nonpartisan race.

THE CANDIDATES:

Kenneth E. Tozier

Tozier, 56, is president of International Computer Works in Temple Terrace, a provider of computer-based mapping systems. The husband and father of two earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in American Studies and an MBA. Assets: Land, building, business, stock. Liabilities: None. Source of income: Job, consulting work, investments. E-mail: ken@ucwmaps.com.

Glenda Venable

Venable, 59, is a Realtor. A former public school teacher, Venable holds bachelor's and master's degrees in business and office education from the University of South Florida. She is married and has two children. Assets: House, investments. Liabilities: None. Source of income: Husband's law practice. E-mail: gvenable@tampabayrr.com

Alison McGillivray Fernandez

Fernandez, 38, graduated from Florida State University with bachelor's degrees in accounting and in finance. She worked as an auditor for a public accounting firm in Tampa and in Jacksonville. Married and the mother of four, Fernandez has spent the past 10 years working with community and civic organizations. Assets: House. Liabilities: Mortgage, loans. Source of income: Husband's income. E-mail: fernandezalison@hotmail.com

Kenneth Halloway

Halloway, 73, worked as a CPA for seven years after retiring from the U.S. Army in 1985 at the rank of colonel. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and later earned a master's degree in economics from the University of Tennessee. After retirement, the husband and father of five earned an accounting degree from the University of Tampa. Assets: House. Liabilities: Mortgage. Source of income: Military retirement and Social Security. E-mail: Kallow1@tampabay.rr.com

Mark Knapp

Knapp, 40, and married with three children, is president of Knapp & Sons General Contractors. For the past 20 years he has owned and operated his own business. Knapp graduated from Chamberlain High School and attended Hillsborough Community College, studying business administration. Assets: Business and stock. Liabilities: Loans. Source of income: Business and real estate. E-mail: mark@knappandsons com.

Shattles, Linda

Shattles, 64, is married with one child. She is a Realtor and previously owned her own business. Assets: House, stocks, bonds, CDs. Liabilites: Loan. Source of income: Real estate business. E-mail: jwshattles@aol.com.

THE JOB

City Council members

Council members make the major policy and budget decisions. They earn $200 a month, along with a $50-a-month travel and expenses reimbursement.

 

[Last modified November 3, 2006, 15:06:32]

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