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Politics

Court battle behind her, Rocco welcomed aboard

Jeff Stabins, a moderate Republican, is elected commission chairman.

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published January 10, 2007

Commissioner Rose Rocco's swearing-in Tuesday afternoon was satisfying, if only ceremonial.

The embattled commissioner actually took the oath of office Dec. 21, so swiftly following a judge's go-ahead that government insiders are still laughing at her eagerness.

Rocco, smiling broadly, wore a rose-printed scarf and a rose in her lapel. After her swearing-in, supporters gave her a standing ovation, some while waving pink roses.

Also on Tuesday, Commissioner Jeff Stabins, the affable first-term Republican, took the helm of the County Commission after a unanimous vote by his peers. It's the first time the former state representative has held the post. He succeeds Democrat Diane Rowden.

Rowden presented Stabins with a care package including sleeping pills, aspirin for the headaches, Milk of Magnesia for the stomachaches, Band-Aids for the wounds, and a fuzzy red heart.

Stabins said, "I hope the rest of the year goes this smooth."

Stabins was nominated to the post by his former political nemesis, new Commissioner Dave Russell. Russell ousted Stabins from the state Legislature in 1998 after a bitter campaign.

"That was awful nice of him," Stabins said Tuesday of his new colleague.

A good-humored moderate, Stabins spent a good part of his political career on the wrong side of his Republican colleagues.

Last year, he declined to support deeper cuts in the tax rate, arguing that it was too last minute. The District 1 commissioner pushed for a "super majority" measure that forces developers to win approval from four of five commissioners in order to change the county's long-term growth plan.

He criticized Hernando County's "Mr. Republican," Tom Hogan Sr., for remarks Hogan made about Muslims.

Stabins, a proud miser, has been a consistent proponent of government cost cutting, and likes to brag that he spends on average about $10 a year on new clothes. If he can keep to a budget, so can county government, he is fond of saying.

Stabins, a part-time tutor and former teacher, served as the District 44 state representative from 1992 to 1998. He was elected to the County Commission in 2004.

The commission voted in Commissioner Chris Kingsley as vice chairman, and Rocco as second vice chairwoman.

Rocco, who ousted four-term Commissioner Nancy Robinson with a 1,444 vote win, suffered a monthlong delay in her long-sought service when Robinson challenged Rocco's right to take office.

Robinson told the court that Rocco wasn't qualified because she didn't live in County Commission District 2 on Election Day. Rocco said she moved to the Spring Hill district before the results were official. That's all the law required, her attorneys argued.

Judge John Booth on Nov. 20 ordered Rocco to postpone her swearing-in until he'd had a chance to hear the case. He did that, and the morning of Dec. 21 decided in Rocco's favor, and Rocco was swiftly sworn in.

Robinson wants Booth to rehear the case, and it is possible she will appeal the judge's ruling, said Robinson's attorney Robert Morris Jr.

After three tries at a County Commission seat, Tuesday marked Rocco's first meeting on the board.

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352754-6127.

[Last modified January 10, 2007, 07:44:21]