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For Tampa City Council

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published March 17, 2007

Tampa voters go to the polls March 27 in a runoff election for two City Council seats. With taxes, transportation and redevelopment on the agenda, the outcomes will help shape a course for the city and the region. The races are nonpartisan. Winners are elected to four-year terms, which begin April 1, and will be paid an annual salary of $40,000. Early voting begins Monday.

District 1 (citywide)

Joe Redner

The candidates in this race bring many more weaknesses than strengths to the table, and we recommended neither one of them in the primary election. But voters now have to make a choice between two seriously flawed alternatives, and the dilemma is how best to balance their positions on public issues with their conduct in their private lives.

The incumbent, Gwendolyn Miller, has accomplished virtually nothing in 12 years as a council member. The 72-year-old retired teacher won a citywide race in 2003 after being term limited out of her east Tampa district seat. She has little grasp of policy, no vision or agenda and does not particularly excel at constituent service. Though Miller cites her quiet demeanor as a quality that brings people together, she has not put any serious concerns on the radar. She failed to capitalize on one of the biggest real estate booms in modern history to expand affordable housing or create new economic opportunities for the struggling neighborhoods that depend on her leadership. In this election, where voters in the first round solidly backed candidates committed to managing growth, Miller has lauded the record of developers and changed her position on taxes five times. The major accomplishments she cites - renovating a public golf course and closing a nuisance bar - are small potatoes.

Joe Redner, 66, brings considerable personal baggage as a visible, well-known strip club owner. Though he has diverse business interests, Redner is tied to a controversial, though legal, business that tarnishes the city's image and that many residents find offensive and degrading. Redner's business also presents a continuing conflict should he win, which could marginalize him on council.

But Redner is more substantive than Miller on every issue. He better understands how government works, the danger unchecked growth poses to transportation and area water resources and the need to work regionally on Tampa Bay's major problems. His ideas for allowing more density in the urban core as tradeoffs for affordable housing and tax relief are proposals in the right direction. He is far stronger than Miller on open government and free speech issues, and he is more candid and comfortable speaking off the cuff. Above all, he seems committed to getting things done.

Redner has no record on policy, and his ability to work in a collegial environment is untested. The Times has not recommended Redner in his previous bids for office because there were better alternatives with less baggage. In the short term, at least, his election would embarrass the city; Redner's offer of free admission to his strip club for anyone who votes underscores the unease many voters have about his judgment and is not a smart move for someone who should be seeking a wider base of support. It underscores concerns about whether Redner would use public office to advance his pet causes.

But the council needs people who can grasp the big picture. The citywide representative also should have the ability to balance neighborhood needs with the regional role Tampa should play. Miller has failed to demonstrate those qualities in 12 years in office, and there is no reason to believe she will ever do more than occupy space. In citywide District 1, the Times recommends Joe Redner.

District 7 (north Tampa)

Frank J. Margarella

This district, which includes New Tampa, continues to pay for its low turnout at the polls. No issue affects the quality of life here as much as traffic congestion. Frank J. Margarella is best suited to address growth in north Tampa and raise the district's profile.

Margarella, a 56-year-old Realtor, sees the need to expand mass transportation to reduce congestion along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Busch Boulevard and other major north Tampa corridors. He fits the area's conservative mold on taxes and spending, but he also is a realist about the need for public services, particularly police, fire and recreation, in the fast-growing area.

By avoiding some of the parochial rhetoric of his challenger, Joseph P. Caetano, a 73-year-old Tampa Palms businessman, Margarella seems better positioned to bring north Tampa the attention it needs from City Hall, which has long ignored the district because the area is not politically active. Margarella has a grasp of the diversity of neighborhoods in north Tampa, and the people skills to bring the district closer into the city fold. In District 7, the Times recommends Frank J. Margarella.

Want to reply?

The Times offers candidates not recommended by its editorial board an opportunity to reply. Candidates for Tampa City Council should send their responses no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday to Philip Gailey, editor of editorials, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Fax: (727) 893-8675. They also can be sent through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters/. Replies are limited to 150 words.

[Last modified March 17, 2007, 00:46:59]