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The New Port Richey man kept City Council members on their toes and ''made people think.''
By MATTHEW WAITE
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 7, 2001
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Frank Janczlik Sr., the fiery gadfly who was winless in 18 tries at political office, died Monday. He was 86.
Janczlik was a fixture for years at New Port Richey City Council meetings, known in his later days for loud, rambling diatribes about desalination and the ignorance of council members about it. The only trouble was, they were usually discussing variances or zoning laws at the time.
"I still think he sort of made people think, if by default," current council member Tom Finn said Tuesday. "I wish him peace.
"He was very involved, whatever his reasons, and that needs to be commended."
Janczlik died Monday at Bay Pines Veterans Administration Medical Center in St. Petersburg. He was born in Old Bridge, N.J., and came to Florida in 1961.
Janczlik was a builder. He built the New Port Richey band shell in Sims Park. He also was a World War II veteran and served in both the Army and the Navy.
But he was known more for his opinions than his buildings.
In 1990, when he ran for mayor of New Port Richey, he introduced himself as "Mark Tanner" when he spoke to school officials about their budget.
The same year he introduced himself as "Rumpelstiltskin from Nova Scotia" at a candidate forum and then left before the forum began.
In 1998, when asked why he was running again for City Council, he said: "I don't know why I'm running. I have no platform. Bye-bye."
His last run for City Council in 1999 also was his most successful. He took in 89 votes, or 7 percent of votes cast. That bested his previous high of 4 percent.
Janczlik is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann; two sons, Frank Jr. of New Port Richey and Henry Putek of Las Vegas; and one granddaughter.
- Staff writer Matthew Waite can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6247 or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6247. His e-mail address is waite@sptimes.com.