Candidates focus on traffic as election nears

Busy Pasadena Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare, should be less traffic-friendly and more pedestrian-friendly, they say.

By AMY WIMMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 27, 2000

SOUTH PASADENA -- In this year's city election, candidates are pledging to make South Pasadena more than just a place outsiders pass through on their way to somewhere else.

Candidates want to put the city's visioning plan into place, unite South Pasadena businesses and beautify the city.

But the biggest change could come in how traffic moves through the city. Some candidates are seeking ways to make South Pasadena -- a municipality less than three-quarters of a square mile that is split in half by busy Pasadena Avenue -- less traffic-friendly and more pedestrian-friendly.

All the candidates are pledging those goals; some offer cautious plans, others offer broader and ambitious ideas.

Four candidates for City Commission will compete March 7 for the two seats currently held by commissioners Joe Catalfamo and Dick Holmes. The two top vote-getters win. A third seat on the commission, vacated when Commissioner Al Edmiston died suddenly two weeks ago, will be filled in a special election May 9.

A. "Lou" Ippolito, a former commissioner who is trying to regain a seat on the panel, is taking a cautious approach to suggested changes to Pasadena Avenue. He is unsure about a plan to reduce the number of driving lanes from six to four in South Pasadena.

He suggests temporarily shutting down two of the lanes -- possibly with something as simple as traffic cones.

Candidate Joan Runyon said she thinks the six-lane section of S Pasadena Avenue hurts local businesses.

"I think some of the merchants are at a disadvantage when you go north on Pasadena Avenue because there's no turn lanes into their business," Runyon said. "People use all the lanes to go as fast as they want to where they want to go."

In addition to the obstacles Pasadena Avenue might create for merchants, some candidates also are questioning whether South Pasadena is being well-represented by the Gulf Beaches Chamber of Commerce.

Catalfamo said he is pleased with the chamber's leadership but wonders whether a small city like South Pasadena would be better served with a group of its own.

Runyon said she believes local businesses can remain involved in the chamber, but she would like to see them join together to have a bigger voice. She said she recently was surprised to learn that the chamber's leadership was unaware that Upton's, a major anchor in a South Pasadena shopping center, had closed, leaving the big retail space vacant.

"Our shopping center is looking rather depressed," Runyon said.

Also on the business front, Holmes has identified the sale of Palms of Pasadena Hospital as one of the major issues facing the city within the next few years. Nashville, Tenn.-based IASIS Healthcare, a company that is less than two years old, bought 15 hospitals, including Palms of Pasadena, in August.

"It's an unknown," Holmes said of the company.

Holmes said he hopes the hospital will continue to be a good corporate citizen. Many retirees choose to live in South Pasadena because of the proximity to the hospital, he said.

Catalfamo also expressed concern about the city's relationship with Palms of Pasadena Hospital. He said he is proud of the work he did to lobby Congress against President Clinton's 5.7 percent cut in payments under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System.

"We need to make sure we have good facilities to service the people," Catalfamo said.

South Pasadena's charter calls for the city to review the document every six years to consider changes. Next year will be the year for charter revisions, and perhaps to address the question of whether South Pasadena should continue its current form of government.

The city is run by the five commissioners, each of whom is assigned a department to oversee. The commissioners have equal power, and the mayor runs the meetings.

Under a city manager form of government, the city would hire a full-time administrator to manage city staff. Such a change would require a voter-approved amendment to the city charter.

While all the candidates said they would not object to placing the issue on the ballot to be considered in a voter referendum, not all agree on whether hiring a full-time manager would be good for South Pasadena.

"I'd go for a strong mayor form of government before a city manager," Catalfamo said.

Runyon and Ippolito agreed that hiring a city manager might be too expensive.

"It's expensive to convert to that, so it has to be looked at as, are we more interested in changing our form of government, or are we more interested in upgrading the quality of life in South Pasadena?" Runyon said.

"This five-commissioner-type government is the cheapest form of legislature you've got," Ippolito said. "If you bring in a city manager, you're going to have to cut in other places."

Holmes said he has been collecting information on how other cities are organized. He thinks the issue merits exploration during the charter review.

"We're a dying breed commission form of government," Holmes said.

To vote

The city of South Pasadena has two polling places. Residents west of Pasadena Avenue vote at City Hall. Residents east of Pasadena Avenue vote at Bethany Tower on Oleander Drive. Polling sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 7.

The job

Commissioners in South Pasadena are elected citywide. South Pasadena does not have a city manager; instead, the four commissioners and mayor each oversee a city department. The two candidates with the most votes March 7 will win two available seats on the commission. The recent death of Commissioner Al Edmiston has created a third vacancy on the panel, and that seat will be filled in a separate special election May 9. Qualifying for that race will begin after the regular election. South Pasadena commissioners serve three-year terms and earn $5,700 annually.

JOE CATALFAMO, 77, was born in Cohoes, N.Y. He served in the U.S. Army for two years during World War II, then went on to work 23 years at the U.S. Department of Defense. He was elected to one term on the commission in 1994 but did not run for re-election when his term expired in 1997. He also ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1992. Catalfamo was appointed by the commission in May to fill the remaining 10 months in the term of former Commissioner Dottie Wade, who resigned to move to Pasco County. Catalfamo is responsible for the city's public works department. He served on the Pasadena Cove Owners Association board of directors, including a tenure as president. Since 1995, Catalfamo also has been a member of the board of directors for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's Agency on Aging. He is married and has two children.

ASSETS: Home, money markets, certificates of deposit, city salary.

LIABILITIES: None listed.

SOURCES OF INCOME: Retirement pension and Social Security.

DICK HOLMES, 67, is originally from California. He graduated from Michigan State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in labor and industrial relations. He retired to St. Petersburg after spending most of his career at General Motors, then moved to South Pasadena in 1994. He was elected to the City Commission in 1997 after losing a 1996 bid for a commission seat to Al Edmiston and Lou Ippolito. Holmes has supervised public safety for the city and is particularly proud of bringing a soon-to-be-launched community policing program to South Pasadena. He graduated from the Sheriff's Community Policing Institute and served on the city's Planning and Zoning Board, among other civic activities. He is married and has three children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

ASSETS: Condominium.

LIABILITIES: None listed.

SOURCES OF INCOME: Retirement pension, Social Security, city salary, investments.

A. "LOU" IPPOLITO, 62, has lived in South Pasadena for 10 years. He served two terms on the commission from 1993 to 1999, alternately running the public safety, finance and building departments. He lost a bid for re-election last year to Commissioner Chris Burgess and the late Al Edmiston, who died two weeks ago while in office. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ippolito served in the U.S. Army for three years and joined the Suffolk County Police Department in 1967. He also holds a bachelor's degree in behavioral science from the New York Institute of technology and an associate's degree in criminal justice from the State University of New York at Farmingdale. He retired from the police force in 1988 and worked briefly for a private investigation company before moving to South Pasadena. Outside of city politics, Ippolito has been involved with the Citizen Emergency Response Team, the Civic Association and the American Legion, among other groups. He is married and has six children.

ASSETS: Home, savings accounts.

LIABILITIES: None listed.

SOURCES OF INCOME: Retirement pension and Social Security.

JOAN RUNYON, 62, has lived in Pinellas County for 33 years and in her South Pasadena condominium in Harbourside for seven years. A year ago she applied as a potential candidate to fill the remaining term of resigning Commissioner Dottie Wade, a post the commission appointed Joe Catalfamo to fill. Now she is running in her first bid for an elected City Commission seat. Runyon has an extensive record as a volunteer, and her list of community activities includes: the South Pasadena Beautification Committee; co-captain of the South Pasadena Citizen Emergency Response Team; director on Harbourside Condominium board; and chairwoman for the 2000 Spring Art Block Party. She is married and has three children and five grandchildren.

ASSETS: Condominium, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, savings account.

LIABILITIES: None listed.

SOURCES OF INCOME: Social Security.

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