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Seat on community board stays vacant after tie vote
By LOGAN D. MABE, Times Staff Writer WESTCHASE -- The Westchase Community Association hit an impasse trying to select a new board member to fill a vacant seat Thursday night, with the board's two factions squaring off in a 4-4 vote. Board member Jon Stein nominated resident Linda Centofante for the post because in the last round of elections she was the highest vote-getter not to win a seat. Board member Harold Hackney agreed, noting that 12 of 16 of the community's voting members had endorsed either Centofante or resident Peter Shoemann, who got as many votes as Centofante in the election but recently declined to be considered for the seat. "I say we have to appoint Linda," Hackney said. "The voting members are our conscience basically and they speak for the people," said board member Harriet Meier, who also endorsed Centofante's selection. Voting member Nathan Lafer threw another name into the ring, Elaine Novak, a former board member who had to resign because she moved out of the community temporarily while her new house was being built. But Novak couldn't be considered because she will not close on her new home until Dec. 28 and was not officially a Westchase resident last week. Meier urged the board to take action. "I think we have to make an immediate decision," she said. "We are working in a very unbalanced situation. I don't think we can keep procrastinating." But when the vote was called, it was divided along partisan lines. Hackney, Meier, Stein and board member Kathy Thomas voted for Centofante. Board members Ruben Collazo, Kris DiGiovanni, Chuck Schroeder and Leroy Sullivan voted against. The board will try again at its January meeting. In other business, Hackney asked that DiGiovanni be publicly reprimanded and asked to apologize for her part in an e-mail battle between the two that went public at the November meeting. Hackney's motion died without a second. That's when he gathered up four-ring binders of e-mails he saved and walked out of the meeting. "You guys can all go to hell, every single one of you," Hackney said as he left. He returned about 20 minutes later and apologized for his "display of temper." Also, representatives of Florida Publishing Group, an arm of the company that publishes the Tampa Tribune, asked for the WCA board's endorsement to name a new publication serving the community, the Westchase News. Florida Publishing puts out weekly newspapers in communities all over Hillsborough County, including Plant City, Brandon, South Tampa, Carrollwood and Town 'N Country. "Thank you for coming down, but I don't think we should endorse it," Meier said. The board voted 6-2 against such an endorsement. Florida Publishing officials are also considering calling the publication the 33626 News, 33626 being the ZIP code for Westchase. - Logan D. Mabe can be reaced at 269-5304 or at mabe@sptimes.com.
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From the Times |
