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Letter to the editor

Candidates for a better City Commission

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published October 21, 2007

After a tumultuous year in Largo city government, four candidates are offering themselves to the voters in the Nov. 6 city election.

For Seat 5, incumbent Harriet Crozier wants another three-year term and is being challenged by newcomer John Mandujano. The Seat 6 commissioner, Gay Gentry, chose not to run for re-election. Woody Brown and Curtis Holmes are vying to replace her.

The St. Petersburg Times has studied the candidates' backgrounds and positions and makes its editorial recommendations here.

For Seat 5

Harriet Crozier

Here's the best thing that Harriet Crozier has going for her: She is a known quantity. Her opponent, unfortunately, is a virtual unknown.

Crozier, 63, has been on the commission for 13 years - from 1993 to 1999 and since 2000. A former computer instructor and office manager who is now retired, she has lived in Largo 35 years.

John Mandujano, 52, just began a new job as a systems analyst for University Community Hospital in Tampa, but has worked for years as a computer consultant. He has lived in Boston and Syracuse and settled in Largo five years ago.

Mandujano acknowledges that the firing of former City Manager Steve Stanton spurred him to run. He feels Stanton was discriminated against because he planned to have a sex change. Mandujano also was disturbed by incidents with racial overtones in city departments. He says he was raised "to speak up when I see an injustice and try to make it right."

However, beyond his visceral - and warranted - reaction to those disturbing episodes in city government, Mandujano has had little substance to offer as a candidate. His attempt to run an edgy campaign has only highlighted his lack of understanding about Largo and its government.

For example, Mandujano announced that the Largo Police Department should be disbanded to save tax dollars. He did so without a detailed study of the pros and cons. He also called for privatization of the city's solid waste and golf course operations. These are ideas that strapped city governments throughout Florida may have to consider, but one would expect a candidate to offer substantive research along with such controversial proposals. Mandujano needs more seasoning, perhaps by serving on a city board and getting more involved in city affairs.

Crozier, on the other hand, devotes much of her life to such involvement, including serving on the Metropolitan Planning Organization and a countywide mass transit committee. We wish Crozier brought more analytical thinking to bear before voting. We also have disagreed strongly with several of her decisions, including her vote to fire Stanton, her opposition to a citywide human rights ordinance and her vote against incentives for a local business.

But with Crozier, you at least know what you are getting. She is a dedicated commissioner and an energetic promoter of the city.

The Times recommends a vote for Harriet Crozier for Seat 5.

For Seat 6

Woody Brown

No contest here. Residents who want smart, positive, honest and progressive leadership on the City Commission will vote for Woody Brown.

Brown, 37, is a chiropractor whose office and home are downtown. He was raised in Indian Rocks Beach, went away to college and returned to Largo about six years ago to start his business and family.

Brown is well-known for his community involvement. He was president of the Largo Rotary Club. He is a member and recent chairman of the city's Recreation, Parks and Arts Advisory Board. He is a member of Jazz Force, a planning group for the Clearwater Jazz Holiday. An avid athlete, he was on the world championship 2004 USA Masters Ultimate Frisbee team, and now he teaches the sport to local youngsters.

Brown said he is running for the commission because he wants Largo to stay a great place to live. He predicts that Largo will continue to grow, so the city must make good decisions about how to grow smartly, he said. A key, he said, is to make neighborhoods more inclusive of all the services they need, such as stores and parks, so that people can walk more and drive less. He supports offering incentives to developers to build affordable housing and to businesses that promise new jobs. Brown wants to see more fun downtown - restaurants, nightclubs and entertainment - so it becomes a destination.

Brown's opponent is Curtis Holmes, 58, who runs an insurance agency and sells whoopee cushions. People who watch City Commission meetings know him from his frequent appearances at the microphone, often to criticize commissioners or city actions. Holmes did not respond to a request for an editorial interview and did not fill out the Times' questionnaires.

Largo does not need a hostile critic with a personal agenda on its commission. It needs the fresh, eager leadership Brown offers.

The Times strongly recommends Woody Brown for Seat 6.

Your voice counts

You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to 727 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

Opportunity to respond

Candidates not recommended may submit a response up to 250 words for publication. Responses may not attack opponents. They must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday to Diane Steinle via e-mail at steinle@sptimes.com or by fax to 445-4119, or in person or by mail to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756.

[Last modified October 20, 2007, 21:16:24]