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Letter to the editor

Hibbard has led city in the right direction

By Times Recommends
Published January 13, 2008

Clearwater voters expect city elections in March, but when they go to the polls for the Jan. 29 presidential preference primary, they will find they need to choose a mayor and make decisions on six city charter amendments.

Two of Clearwater's best-known politicians are facing off in the mayor's race. Frank Hibbard, the current mayor, would like a second three-year term. Rita Garvey, who was mayor from 1987 to 1999, is asking to return.

Hibbard, 40, served on the City Council from 2002 to 2005 and became mayor in 2005 when no one filed to run against him. A married father of two college-age children, Hibbard is a financial adviser and vice president at an investment firm. He has lived in Clearwater 29 years.

Garvey, 62, was first elected in 1980 and served as a city commissioner until being elected mayor in 1987. She volunteers as coordinator of the bookstore at the Clearwater Main Library. A widow with three adult children, Garvey has lived in Clearwater 38 years.

This is a pivotal election, offering Clearwater residents the choice of looking to the future or returning to the past. Frank Hibbard has provided vibrant, forward-looking leadership as mayor. Garvey's record as mayor was mixed, and since she left office, she has not followed city business enough to remain well informed.

The Times recommends that residents give Hibbard their vote.

Though he was young and had only three years in city government under his belt when he became mayor, Hibbard had ambitions for Clearwater. He wanted the stagnation that had plagued Clearwater during the '90s to end. He wanted Clearwater Beach revitalized with modern amenities to support the city's vital tourism industry. He wanted new people living in downtown to help spark a renaissance there. He hoped to get neighborhoods some things they needed, such as traffic calming.

Hibbard takes the job of mayor extremely seriously and spends many hours at it, despite having another full-time job. While Garvey has always called Clearwater a small town and approached the mayor's job from that folksy perspective, Hibbard knows Clearwater is the second-largest city in the most densely populated county in Florida, and therefore a place that needs hands-on leadership. He has helped make Clearwater a player in the Tampa Bay region.

Because of his leadership skills, he has been tapped for other roles, including president of the Pinellas Mayors Council, chairman of the county Metropolitan Planning Organization, and board member of the Florida League of Mayors and the Tampa Bay Partnership. His skills and his interest in solving traffic problems resulted in an appointment to the board of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, a new group wrestling with how to bring modern mass transit to west central Florida.

While Hibbard has been mayor, the city government has been stable and new development has occurred. Condominium towers are under construction downtown. New libraries are open downtown and in North Greenwood. Two neighborhoods have new recreation centers. The Glen Oaks Park project was completed to help divert stormwater that previously flooded homes and streets. City officials finally won voters' approval for a boat slip project at Coachman Park.

The first new hotel built on Clearwater Beach in 20 years was opened and other hotel projects are in the pipeline. Beach Walk is already partially built, and once finished, will provide a great public amenity for walkers, skaters, bicyclists or those who just want to enjoy a meal at a sidewalk cafe.

When he was first elected mayor, Hibbard could not have guessed that a bust in the housing market, a faltering economy and state tax reform soon would challenge officials at all levels of government. When it happened, the Clearwater City Council was one of the first in Pinellas to implement spending controls and propose cuts. The property tax rate was reduced almost 20 percent over the past two years.

While Hibbard has been grappling with the growing complexities of governing, Garvey, by her own admission, has not been paying attention. Garvey says she decided to run for mayor at the last minute when it appeared no one else would challenge Hibbard.

It is important for voters to remember Garvey's last months in office. On Nov. 5, 1998, Garvey was on her way to City Hall to preside over an important meeting at which city commissioners would vote on a plan to build a roundabout and massive fountain at the entrance to Clearwater Beach. She crashed her car into a parked van, walked back home and had her husband drive her to City Hall.

Two weeks later, police announced that she was being charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence. Tests placed her blood alcohol level at 0.335, more than four times the level at which Florida presumes drivers are impaired. Garvey announced that she was an alcoholic - an admission that followed several months of unusual behavior by Garvey at City Commission meetings.

Garvey lost her bid for re-election in March 1999 to Brian Aungst. She also lost a campaign for a commission seat in 2001 - a year in which she now says she relapsed and sought counseling again for her alcohol problem. It is not clear how much Garvey drinks today.

Garvey's decision to run again has reopened public discussion about both her alcoholism and her record as a city official. Some of those supporting Garvey recall her tenure with nostalgia. In the role of small-town mayor, she popped up at pot lucks, neighborhood meetings and ribbon cuttings. Commissions on which she served built branch libraries, approved a new bridge to Clearwater Beach, instituted a strict sign code and planted flowers around town.

However, commissions on which Garvey served also created the costly Harborview Center, approved new city office buildings that were too small and whose construction was bungled, and ignored the decline of Clearwater Beach until the tourist area became dilapidated.

Hibbard, on the other hand, is determined to preserve a high quality of life for Clearwater residents - a determination reflected in the successes of his first term - and he has several issues he wants to continue working on in a second term. He is still trying to find a developer who will build a movie theater in the city. He and other officials are meeting with landowners as they continue the difficult task of finding affordable land for a parking garage on Clearwater Beach. While there may be fewer city projects in the years ahead, Hibbard believes his financial background will be useful as the city tries to find creative ways to finance quality-of-life projects in a tax-cutting era.

Hibbard has worked hard and accomplished much, and done it with dignity and intelligence. He is a mayor for the future, not a mayor from the past.

The Times strongly recommends a vote for Frank Hibbard for mayor.

FAST FACTS

How to respond

Candidates not recommended by the Times may submit a response for publication. Responses should be no more than 350 words and may not attack opponents. Responses must be submitted before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, to Diane Steinle, St. Petersburg Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756; or they may be faxed to her attention at 727 445-4119 or e-mailed to steinle@sptimes.com

Candidates answer questions

Want to see the Clearwater mayoral candidates in action? The City of Clearwater will host a televised candidate forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Clearwater City Hall. The public may attend and watch candidates Frank Hibbard and Rita Garvey respond to questions asked by a moderator. The forum also will be broadcast live in Clearwater on the city government television channel, which is Bright House Networks digital channel 615 or Knology channel 15.

[Last modified January 13, 2008, 00:42:39]