For Hillsborough Commission
By THE TIMES RECOMMENDS
Published October 27, 2006
Five races on the Nov. 7 ballot will determine who will guide Hillsborough County into the next decade. Voters should look for candidates who will get the County Commission to refocus on serious issues. With several major redevelopment projects under way and proposals to create a county mayor and regional mass transit system, the board needs commissioners who will confront the reality of managing a growing, urban county.
District 1 (south, west Hillsborough) Republican
Rose V. Ferlita
Republican Rose Ferlita's history in Tampa and two terms on the City Council give her a good perspective of the needs facing this south and west county district.
Ferlita, a 60-year-old pharmacist, keeps her ear to the ground, has an innate sense of fairness and knows that potholes and other local issues transcend party lines. She is a strong neighborhood advocate. On the City Council, she was visible throughout the city. Ferlita would work to improve mass transit, build affordable housing and unify efforts by city and county agencies to remake older neighborhoods.
Democrat Mary Mulhern, 47, a graphic designer, writer and community activist, is a breath of fresh air on the political landscape. Her agenda for managing growth could help the county attract better jobs and cleaner industries. Mulhern's wide community service and regard for ethics would raise the bar for the board.
Ferlita's record of constituent service, though, is hard to beat, and her experience in city government would give her office greater punch. In District 1, the Times recommends Rose Ferlita.
District 3 (central, east Tampa) Republican
Ken Anthony
Many neighborhoods in this east and central Tampa district are poor and predominantly black, and voters must decide if the Democratic label means more than a Republican better suited to put their interests first.
Ken Anthony, 55, a Tampa native and insurance agent, has the agenda, community experience and sense of responsibility to move this struggling district forward. With multi-million dollar redevelopment projects in the works or under way, the district needs a commissioner who can inspire faith in the private sector, attract investment and use the money to improve the lives of existing residents. The Republican is open and serious, and his broad civic work would bring players to the table. His plan to expand affordable housing and mass transit shows he understands how to address two major concerns facing the district.
His opponent, Democrat Kevin White, 41, has an undistinguished record in one term on Tampa's City Council. He is ethically tone deaf and overly arrogant for a job that requires good constituent service. In District 3, the Times recommends Ken Anthony.
District 4 (east county) Democrat
Lisa Rodriguez
Democrat Lisa Rodriguez and Republican Al Higginbotham are both serious and personable with a broad grasp of Hillsborough and the process of governing. Rodriguez, 49, has more to offer. She has better ideas for managing growth and tackling traffic congestion. Her embrace of a regional approach to transportation reflects a broader philosophy. Rodriguez clearly has thought through the district's problems and searched for long-term solutions. In a district where many want to hold on to the old way of life, Rodriguez is a solid bet to protect rural lands, parks, waterways and local control.
Higginbotham, 52, a motivational speaker and author, is a longtime GOP organizer. He seems to be in the dark on some pressing issues. He overemphasizes road-building when the future is mass transit, and he claims the county has largely "done a good job" managing growth. That must be news to commuters between the eastern suburbs and downtown. No-party candidate Jean Batronie is also on the ballot but not serious. In District 4, the Times recommends Lisa Rodriguez.
District 5 (countywide) Republican
Jim Norman
We recommend Jim Norman because he is better than a strip club owner or a political newcomer.
That hardly says much for a board chairman who over 14 years in office has become the caricature of a career politician. Norman, 53, didn't start out this way. But power has gone to his head. He often sides with developers over his constituents, conducts the public's business behind closed doors and ignores critics instead of defending his views in policy debates. As chairman he has set a tone that has worsened the commission's public image.
His one good move the past two years was to prevent his Republican colleagues from gutting countywide bus service.
Still, Norman is more composed than Democrat Joe Redner, a 66-year-old club owner and businessman. No-party candidate Yamel Christina Arronte, 36, has a grasp of policy and a progressive agenda but her governing skills are unclear.
In a District 5 race where the alternatives are worse, the Times recommends Jim Norman.
District 7 (countywide) Republican
Mark Sharpe
Mark Sharpe, 46, has matured since running for Congress as an ultraconservative in the 1990s. In his two years on the County Commission, Sharpe has been a thoughtful voice. He does his homework and tries to keep the board focused on serious business.
Make no mistake: Sharpe is a probusiness Republican who sides with the board's GOP majority on many tax and social initiatives. Yet he has stepped up to the plate on critical occasions.
Sharpe's thorough review and proposals to reshape the county's indigent health care program saved those services from the ax. He rightly objected to Chairman Jim Norman's plan to blow $40-million on a vanity sports park. He supported raising fees to build more schools while most board Republicans cut and ran. Sharpe also has moved to repair the county's relationship with neighboring local governments. He sees the need to address transportation regionally. This impressive record shows what can be done when commissioners drop their partisan blinders and work to solve real problems.
His opponent, Democrat Tom Scott, has largely supported a progressive agenda during his 10 years on the board. The 53-year-old pastor is termed out of his central and east Tampa seat and looking to jump to the countywide seat. While Scott brings issues to the table that black and poor residents have a tough time raising - from protecting health services, anti- drug and crime efforts to expanding affordable housing - he is slow to make things happen and often inept at using the power at his disposal. Scott failed to move two major transportation plans, and his last-minute hold up of a slum's redevelopment called his priorities and timing into question.
This race is not a comparison of records so much as a question of who has more leadership potential. Sharpe's problem is that he wants everyone to like him, which can cause him to flutter. The former Navy intelligence officer, though, has shown he can put politics aside and remain focused on addressing the biggest problems facing residents countywide. In the countywide District 7 race, the Times recommends Mark Sharpe.