Hello, Victor Crist, we are your constituents
A Times EditorialPublished December 4, 2007
State Sen. Victor Crist of Tampa should get better acquainted with his Pasco constituents. ¶ Crist has represented portions of Pasco County since the 2000 election and has three years left in Tallahassee before he leaves his current District 12 seat because of term limits.
Yet, his detachment from the concerns and issues in Pasco became evident last week when he acknowledged he had just learned of a controversial landfill proposed for east of Dade City near the Withlacoochee River and Green Swamp.
The privately owned landfill has been the subject of a public debate for all of 2007 with nearby residents, municipal government officials and environmentalists fearing potential groundwater contamination and excessive truck traffic. Proponents argue the facility will compost garbage, not bury it for eternity, and can provide a cost-effective alternative to an expanded incinerator in Shady Hills. State Department of Environmental Protection permits and a county zoning change are required before the landfill can proceed.
But all this was foreign to Crist until he visited with some Dade City officials Nov. 27 and heard their concerns. His admission of ignorance came in reaction to news that Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, had put his objections to the landfill proposal in writing to the DEP.
Crist's excuse? He reads the Tampa editions of the daily newspapers so he is not current on Pasco news. Perhaps the senator and his staff might find it fruitful to peruse online versions of the dailies or register for Google Alert to stay abreast of the local issues facing their constituents.
State Senate District 12 includes all of Northeast Pasco, Dade City, San Antonio, St. Leo, the southern half of Wesley Chapel, all of central Pasco, and reaches as far west as Little Road, north of Ridge Road in unincorporated New Port Richey and Hudson. It includes more of the county's geography than either of the other two senate seats in Pasco and its residents deserve the same level of attention that Crist shows New Tampa and northern Hillsborough.
Pasco County is more than just a place to glad hand occasionally. It faces the same growth-related stresses, property tax issues, and government spending concerns that confront much of the state. Thursday evening at Pasco-Hernando Community College in west Pasco, the legislative delegation will gather to hear from residents in preparation for the 2008 session.
We trust the senator will be paying close attention.