Power play by Tampa council is a waste of time

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published November 8, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times file photo] Tampa's charter is clear: Mayor Pam Iorio is solely responsible for the proper administration of the city.

What a ridiculous question: Of course the mayor speaks for a city. This shouldn't come as news to Tampa's City Council, which will discuss the matter today, the prelude to a power play with no basis in the law, politics or the reality of running a city.

Council member Tom Scott wants to air a range of questions that a quick read of the city charter easily answers. Among them: Who speaks for the city? What role does council have? And does the legislative branch need its own attorney?

Tampa's charter clearly establishes the mayor as "solely" responsible for "the proper administration of the city." That power is articulated nearly a dozen ways, and indeed is largely open-ended. The council has legislative powers and the right, with restrictions, to hire staff, such as a budget analyst and legal aide. But that's about it. Council members, under a strong-mayor form of government, are supposed to bring neighborhood concerns to the mayor's attention and ensure that the city's different constituencies get a fair share of public services.

Council members point to several recent decisions by Mayor Pam Iorio as a rationale to flex their muscle. But these complaints are minor and show naivete. Iorio objected to the council seeking a legislative change that would give Tampa seats on Hillsborough's environmental board because she feared - correctly, as it turned out - the move would reignite city-county tensions.

This fight is more about jealousies and egos than it is balancing the functions of city government. The practical reality is that mayors run cities. Rather than waste time changing the charter, the council should address the everyday issues of the neighborhoods, and work with Iorio to continue painting a positive picture of Tampa's city government.

[Last modified November 7, 2007, 22:23:59]