Northpinellas: Oldsmar hopefuls: Water tops concerns

OLDSMAR -- The town's first and only City Council candidate forum covered a range of topics, but most candidates cited water as the most important issue facing the city.

About 50 people attended Tuesday night's forum, sponsored by the Greater Oldsmar Chamber of Commerce.

The exchanges between former Mayor Jerry Beverland and City Council member Ed Manny got testy at times, but generally the other five candidates remained genial and even humorous.

City Council candidate Marcelo Caruso, who grew up in Rio de Janeiro, struck a light note when he described how he ended up running for office here.

"I could have run in Brazil, but I could get killed there, so I decided to run in Oldsmar," he said. "Much safer."

Mayor's race

Both candidates for mayor spent much of their time debating the need for reclaimed water and Manny's proposal for a city-run charter middle school Manny and Beverland also said they both were against a proposed apartment complex on Forest Lakes Boulevard and said the city needed to build a park on that road where several new subdivisions have been built.

After Manny said the statewide water shortage was the most important issue facing the city, Beverland criticized Manny for voting to send more reclaimed water to the city's industrial area instead of residential neighborhoods.

"We need to use less potable water," Manny said. "How do we do that? One way we can do that is to use more reclaimed water throughout the commercial and industrial area where they are using . . . potable water as processed water. We can replace that with reclaimed water, which will reduce our usage of potable water."

Manny said that while Beverland was mayor, the City Council agreed to sell about 800,000 gallons of reclaimed water per month to Pinellas County. As part of the deal, the county would pay the city to treat about 300,000 gallons of wastewater a month to turn into reclaimed water.

"Mr. Manny is not telling you the truth," Beverland said. "That came after I was off as mayor."

But city records show that the final agreement, signed in March 1998, bears Beverland's signature.

Manny, 72, also reiterated that the charter school proposal would not cost any city money, while Beverland claimed it could end up costing the city millions of dollars. He also contended that more than half of the school's students could come from outside the city.

"Jerry, what you are saying is not true," said Manny, who has been on the council for four years.

Beverland also reminded the audience of his accomplishments as a resident and during his four years as a council member and four years as a mayor.

"I think my leadership, what I have done, and the way I have led, I think Oldsmar is where it is today partly because of me and mainly because of the council as a whole," said Beverland, 65. "We have to project ourselves as a leading community. We have to be progressive at all times."

Seat 2

In the race for council Seat 2, candidates Marcelo Caruso, Deborah Chapman and Jean Jorgenson differed on what was the most important issue facing the city.

Chapman, 41, said her top priority would be improving city services for families and children. Jorgenson, 77, agreed with Manny that the "water issue" was most important. Caruso, 29, said he also had "issues" with water, but the first thing he would tackle if elected was the proposed apartment complex on Forest Lakes Boulevard.

"I absolutely promise that I will vote no," Caruso said. "If we get sued, yes, we get sued. That's what we have attorneys for."

Chapman and Caruso opposed a city-run charter middle school, especially if city taxes would be spent on the project. Jorgenson favored the plan.

"I think it's a good idea and I'm in favor of a charter school, but I think we have to investigate what it costs and where that cost money is going to come from," Jorgenson said.

Chapman and Caruso faced questions about their past.

Caruso was asked how he could be trusted as an elected official when he misrepresented himself as a police officer in 1992. Caruso said he used a friend's fake police badge to break up a bar fight that had spilled into a parking lot where Caruso was working as a tow truck driver.

"It was nothing," Caruso said. "If it was something very serious, I would probably be in prison now. And I tell you one thing, the reason why I got arrested was because the lieutenant's wife's car was impounded about a month before by the same company I worked for. So he wasn't very happy."

Chapman was asked how residents could be convinced that she would be a champion for children when she was fired from her job as a city recreation leader after she failed to turn in money collected from children. Chapman said there were other reasons for her firing in 1996.

"There were some other problems," Chapman said. "I was not a team player. I was not happy that they were trying to change the way the children's programs were going. They decided to make it an issue at that point, but it was not unusual for me to take money on a weekend and then come back on the following weekend. I only worked during the weekends most of the time."

Seat 4

In the race for Seat 4, candidates Don Bohr and Dale Renbjor agreed that the statewide water shortage is the most important issue facing the city.

When asked what they would do to stem the city's recent building boom and ensure a small-town feel, Bohr, 64, said the city could not stop the growth.

"I was one of those who can say I was here when we were a very quaint village," said Bohr, who has lived in Oldsmar since 1973. "We can't go back. We have to move forward. We can't stop growth. We have to grow in the proper method."

Both also were asked for thoughts on where the city should relocate its library, which soon will outgrow its current home on State Street. Bohr said he hadn't given it much thought.

Renbjor, 50, said the library should stay where it is and use the adjacent land where the fire station is as an extension. The city plans to move the fire station to Pine Avenue N.

"It's an anchor point," Renbjor said. "My opinion is to leave the library where it is . . . and to build an architecturally similar extension."

The two candidates also shared their vision for downtown Oldsmar.

Bohr said the city needed to move ahead with redevelopment efforts with the chamber's help.

"I think we have a gem there if it is developed properly," Bohr said.

Renbjor said the mix of businesses that would come into the redevelopment area would be "market-driven."

- Staff writer Ed Quioco can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or quioco@sptimes.com.

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