A Times Editorial

Silencing rail talks

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 19, 2000

Here's a measure of the political paralysis in Hillsborough: County Administrator Dan Kleman can't even make a routine lobbying trip to Washington.

Kleman had booked a flight to the nation's capital last week, but commission chairman Pat Frank was afraid Kleman's presence would signal the county's support for light rail. So Kleman canceled the trip and his scheduled meeting with one of the most powerful lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Nixing the administrator's chance to meet with U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young of Largo, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, is a setback for transit, an embarrassment for Hillsborough County and a gratuitous slap at regional cooperation.

Frank is right that the commission has not given Kleman guidance on a transit plan. That's the problem. The commission formed a committee, debated a year, then threw in the towel. Now a delegation of public and private-sector leaders on both sides of Tampa Bay is trying to fill the void, but Hillsborough County seems bent on spoiling that effort, too.

The conspiracy theories about rail are enough to fill Raymond James Stadium. But let's be practical. Young reads the papers. He knows support is weak in Hillsborough for rail. He also knows the limited authority the county administrator brings to the table. Kleman has survived as a public administrator for years by not backing his elected bosses into a corner. He's perfectly capable of giving Young the picture from Hillsborough without being micromanaged by the commission.

Kleman's absence robbed Young and the intercounty delegation of a perspective about rail from the very county that will make or break a regional commuter system. If the dream of coast-to-coast rail in Florida is flawed, Kleman could have voiced concern or at least reported back to commissioners on the substance of his talks. And the meeting with Young involved a host of projects that stand to benefit Hillsborough County.

The flap exposed a problem far bigger than rail. Civic leaders are tackling regional problems on their own initiative, frustrated by the leadership void in county government. The Tampa Chamber of Commerce played a key role this year in helping to save Tampa General Hospital -- another asset of regional importance -- as the commission dithered about financial problems at Tampa General beyond the county's control.

Kleman works for a board where accomplishment is measured by what individual members stop. He could have taught Washington a thing or two about gridlock.

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