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Politics

Hopefuls square off for pair of commission seats

Races for two spots on the Safety Harbor commission feature three newcomers, one veteran.

By EILEEN SCHULTE, Times Staff Writer
Published January 27, 2008

SAFETY HARBOR - Last week, this small city of 17,800 suffered a political jolt.

The depth of the sometimes scandalous infighting on the City Commission was exposed when former Vice Mayor Kathleen Earle blasted former Mayor Pam Corbino and others for harassing her and instigating a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into her qualifications for office. Earle was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Despite the apparent dangers stepping into public life in Safety Harbor could bring, three newcomers and one seasoned politician want to serve on the commission. They are asking for citizens' votes at the polls Tuesday, the same day as Florida's presidential primary.

Mark Taylor is challenging Commissioner Nadine Nickeson for Seat 3. Nina Bandoni and Robin Fornino are seeking Seat 4.

Andy Steingold and Mary Lynda Williams qualified without opposition for mayor and Seat 2, respectively, and were automatically elected.

Taylor and Fornino have such similar campaign styles and ideologies - both support more green space and say the current commission does not do the will of the people - some in Safety Harbor say the candidates appear to be running as a ticket.

Not so, said Fornino, although she could see why residents have that impression.

The two live a few doors away from each other in the same neighborhood, have many of the same volunteers working for them and "generally agree" on several issues, including turning unused city property into mini parks.

Fornino said that if elected, she wants to slow the pace of development and revisit the budget to "see how they are spending my money."

To fund her campaign, Fornino raised $3,915. Most of it - $3,300 - is her own money.

Safety Harbor resident Pilar Gomez, who said she is going to vote for both Fornino and Taylor, contributed $37.50 to Fornino's effort.

"They are not pro-growth," she said. "It appears to me that the other candidates who are running are for money and growth. I'm more into the beauty, quaintness and keeping it small."

Taylor told the Times several weeks ago that he is funding his own campaign and only accepted $75 from a supporter who insisted he take it.

"I'm not in anybody's pocket," he said.

But the financial report he submitted to the city clerk Friday revealed that Taylor apparently changed his mind. It showed he has raised $4,652. Among his supporters are Clyde Rigsby, brother of the late two-term Safety Harbor Mayor Claude Rigsby, and Terrie Dahl-Thomas.

"I would like to have some people in there that will listen to the residents and not just the developers and business owners," Dahl-Thomas said. "It's a hard job to do."

She said Taylor's opponent, Nickeson, has an "unforgiveable" voting record.

"Harbour Pointe is not done," Dahl-Thomas said, referring to the controversial multiuse complex at Main Street and Bayshore Boulevard. "There are still 70-foot condo towers to be built that will forever change the character of this city. She voted for that."

Nickeson has raised $7,505 for her run for office, according to her financial statement.

Jim O'Neill, a retired police officer who has known Nickeson for a decade, is one of her supporters.

"She's just a person who is dedicated to improving our city," he said. "And she's not afraid to make a decision, even if it's controversial."

Nickeson said since she was first elected to the commission in 1997, more than 20 acres of green space has been added to the city.

She pointed to her votes for the Gazebo at John Wilson Park, the skate park and a new dog park, which hasn't opened.

"I welcome the voters to examine my record to see where Safety Harbor has come since my first race in 1997," Nickeson said, adding that the city is coming closer than ever to having a vibrant downtown.

Bandoni raised $4,290 for her campaign. Her backers include Arc-3 Architecture, the Realtor's Political Action Committee and Wayne Mineo, a lawyer who has an office in downtown Safety Harbor.

"I like that she's a businesswoman with a heart," Mineo said. "Part of her business is working to get housing for people who wouldn't necessarily be able to purchase their own home."

Bandoni is president of Turnstone Properties, a home-based company that develops residential and commercial real estate projects and assists nonprofit organizations with their real estate needs.

Before founding her own company, she ran Clearwater's housing department, and worked for an organization called Neighborhood Lending Partners and for St. Petersburg's Housing and Economic Development Department.

One of her goals, if elected, is to assist people with a low incomes realize their dreams of home ownership.

"It's still a challenge for people to buy a house in Safety Harbor," Bandoni said.

She also wants to help create a policy to determine how the sale of public land is handled to pre-empt an uproar like the one after the commission considered selling a slice of land where the Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History sits.

"One of the things that is very important is that it be very fair," Bandoni said.

Eileen Schulte can be reached at schulte@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4153.

Safety Harbor municipal election

Seat 3

Nadine Spring Nickeson, 57

Occupation: Outgoing Safety Harbor city commissioner

Family: Married to Dr. Robert W. Nickeson Jr.; two sons, Matthew, 25, and Stephen, 21.

Education: University of Texas, Stephen F. Austin University, University of Houston and University of Texas School of Public Health.

Community involvement: City commissioner from 1997 to 2006 and 2007-2008, Suncoast Transit Authority, Pinellas Planning Council, Pinellas County Redevelopment Task Force steering committee, Kiwanis Club, Safety Harbor Garden Club, Habitat for Humanity, YWCA of Tampa Bay, Pinellas Assembly, Florida Municipal Government Advanced Institute for Elected Municipal Officials, Safety Harbor Elementary School Advisory Council, GFWC Clearwater Junior Woman's Club among many others.

Hobbies: Volunteering

Quote: "I'm passionate about my community. I would not be here if not for two resignations (of commissioners). ... We have had too much change in Safety Harbor on the administrative level. I'm just there to guide it."

Mark Taylor, 42

Occupation: Pharmacist

Family: Divorced; father of two boys, Austin, 8, and Blake, 6.

Education: Lincoln Memorial University, University of Kentucky.

Community involvement: Safety Harbor Little League (coach), Coutryside Jr. Cougars, USTA Florida.

Hobbies: Coaching kids

Quote: "I provide a better long-term vision, fresher ideas and a little bit of a perspective that may not have been had by the commission in years past."

Seat 4

Nina Bandoni, 48

Occupation: President of Turnstone Properties, Inc., a home-based company that develops exclusive residential and commercial real estate projects in the Tampa Bay area and in Traverse City, Michigan. It also consults with nonprofit organizations and helps with their real estate needs.

Family: Husband of 16 years Rock Bandoni and a young daughter.

Education: Bachelor's degree in business management from Eckerd College.

Community Involvement: Safety Harbor Family Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hillsborough County Housing Steering Committee, Junior League of St. Petersburg, and volunteered as a mortgage mentor/budget buddy for the Community Service Foundation.

Hobbies: Competitive figure skating, reading, art, cooking and gardening

Quote: "I felt I would be a very good fit to take the city to the next level from visioning to fruition."

Robin Fornino, 49

Occupation: Financial adviser for UBS Financial Services in Clearwater

Family: Husband Robert Cangemi and a 9-year-old son.

Education: Bachelor's and master's degree from City University of New York, College of Staten Island.

Hobbies: Walking her dogs, gardening, hiking

Community involvement: Leadership Pinellas, Top of the Bay Zonta women's club, Women in Philanthropy and the Pinellas Woman's Philanthropic Circle.

Quote: "You have to remember why people moved here in the first place and not disturb it."

[Last modified January 26, 2008, 21:34:16]