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Mural idea adds spice to primary
By ALISA ULFERTS © St. Petersburg Times, published August 31, 2000 NEW PORT RICHEY -- It's the closest thing to a sex scandal the County Commission District 5 race has seen. "Do You Want To See A Giant Naked Woman Painted On The Outside Wall Of A Downtown Building?" Eileen Ferdinand's latest flier asks. "Peter Altman Did . . ." The two former mayors -- she's from Port Richey, he's from New Port Richey -- will square off in the Democratic primary on Tuesday. The winner will face the Republican primary victor in the Nov. 7 election. Altman acknowledges his suggestion that the woman in question, pictured in a tourism poster from New Port Richey's sister city in France, be reproduced for the city's first mural wasn't his greatest. Even though most of her private parts were covered, he chalks it up to the occasional bad idea that comes with being a visionary. The concept never made it past the discussion phase and cost the city nothing, despite Ferdinand's claim that he was willing to pay $50,000 for the mural, Altman said. Either way, Ferdinand thought the public should know. "As a woman I'm offended, as a mother I'm outraged," Ferdinand declared in her flier. Although she resigned her mayoral post in June, Ferdinand retained her title in her flier and urges voters to pick "Mayor Eileen Ferdinand" for the District 5 Democratic primary. (District 5 also is home to most of the county's adult entertainment establishments, which are the subject of a pending county ordinance.) While on the New Port Richey council, Altman, 42, led the effort to redevelop the city's downtown and to set aside land for the James E. Grey Preserve. He also has served on the Metropolitan Planning Organization and on the boards of several charitable organizations, including Lighthouse for the Blind and the American Red Cross. When she was on the Port Richey council, Ferdinand also served on the Metropolitan Planning Organization, as well as on the Chasco Fiesta steering committee and other governmental committees. Both Altman and Ferdinand say they are ready to take on county-size challenges. There are no naked women in the District 5 Republican primary, although two of the three candidates do share a name with a famous person. William Faulkner and Jack Armstrong, neither of them an author nor a radio personality, share the ticket with Ed Poulin, president of the Concourse Council. Armstrong, 31, is a sergeant with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, where he has worked for more than 11 years and has won several police awards. He was the first candidate to jump into the race for the District 5 seat; he announced his candidacy in May 1999. Faulkner, 54, is an electrical contractor and part-time instructor. A New Jersey native, Faulkner moved to Florida in 1957 and lives in Port Richey. He has served as a Scout master, a girls' softball coach and is active with his church. Poulin, 54, is the co-owner of Dinettes Plus in Hudson and has worked in furniture sales for 20 years. He founded the Foundation for Computer Education and has served with several other civic organizations. Where economic development is concerned, Faulkner has said he'd like to see more technical-education opportunities for Pasco's students. This will lead to better quality of life for everyone in the county, he said. "I would really like my kids to say "I really enjoyed growing up in Pasco' to their kids," Faulkner said during a recent interview. Armstrong has said that bringing clean, environmentally friendly businesses into Pasco is one of his top objectives for the county. That desire is shared by Poulin, who has said he wants to find more incentives to encourage businesses to locate in Pasco County. But he doesn't think the county's Economic Development Council is doing enough to attract industry. "I believe more jobs have left Pasco than have come in," Poulin said, though he could offer no proof. On the topic of locating a desalination project in Pasco, the three Republicans have floated their own ideas. At one public forum Armstrong suggested charging $1 per 1,000 gallons of water pumped from Pasco, generating $73-million, according to his estimate. The county would use the proceeds to build its own desalination plant and pipe the water to Pinellas. Faulkner has said he wants to build several small desalination plants around the Tampa Bay area to eliminate the not-in-my-backyard syndrome. Poulin has said he would support a desalination plant in Pasco County and the jobs that would accompany it, but he thinks the shallow water of the Gulf of Mexico won't allow it. Whoever wins the Republican primary will face the Democratic primary winner in November, unless none of the three candidates wins 50 percent plus one percent of the vote. In that case, the top two vote-getters will proceed to an October runoff. - Alisa Ulferts covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is ulferts@sptimes.com.
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