Better Commission Contingent On Wiser Choices By Voters

Published: Aug 13, 2006

The Hillsborough County Commission soon will have three new faces, but that's no guarantee it will start facing and solving the county's biggest problems.

On growth issues, the existing board has done the bidding of a few politically active businesses eager to develop as much of the county as fast and as cheaply as they can.

Voters have been misled by anti-tax rhetoric from the same commissioners who run up big debts in the form of roads unbuilt and schools underfunded. Voters should back candidates whose records suggest they will represent county residents and refuse to be manipulated by behind-the-scenes operatives.

District 1

District 1 covers more than 50 miles of shoreline, from Upper Tampa Bay Park to Cockroach Bay, including urban south Tampa.

Next month's primary will decide which of four Republicans faces Democrat Mary Mulhern in November. The seat has been held by Kathy Castor, who is running for Congress.

The clear edge in experience goes to Tampa City Council member Rose V. Ferlita. She has worked effectively in her neighborhood and in eight years on the council has voted with independent thoughtfulness. She correctly says the commission has supported too much growth in the wrong places.

The candidate promising the least change is Brad Swanson, who works for a consulting company. Despite the backlog of county needs, he is campaigning for lower fees and more sprawling growth.

Swanson would expand the urban service area and put more houses farther from the county's business centers. He thinks, incredibly, the county does too much to preserve land.

Swanson's campaign has made irresponsible attacks on Ferlita. He is jovial but gives the impression of a candidate being told what to say.

A superior candidate is Don Kruse, sales manager for Bill Currie Ford. The personable Krause promises to attack waste, but he is politically inexperienced. Also running is Gary Santti, a civil engineer overly focused on permitting procedures.

Ferlita is by far the best choice. She has been active in improving the city neighborhood where she runs a drugstore. She understands that Tampa is a vital part of Hillsborough County.

When tax dollars are at stake, she pays careful attention to detail. Ferlita tolerates no nonsense and is feisty without being petty.

Most appealing is her independence. She told us, "I would rather go back to my drugstore full time than to be a puppet."

In the District 1 Republican primary, The Tribune endorses Rose Ferlita.

District 3

District 3 includes a big part of the urban heart of the county, including Ybor City and some of the county's poorest neighborhoods.

Democrats will choose one of three candidates to face Republican Ken Anthony and unaffiliated John Michael Craig.

Tom Scott now represents the district but is term-limited and running countywide.

The most impressive candidate to replace him is Chloe J. Coney, long active in the neighborhood. She worked for 14 years as director of the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, a nonprofit agency successful at a number of projects designed to counter blight.

Coney, a former parole officer, has a passion for bringing jobs and better housing to the district. What sets her apart is her proven ability to achieve practical results.

"I have been the voice and face for East Tampa," Coney says. "I have been a woman who has kept my word."

She would bring diplomatic skills and a calm demeanor to a board where grandstanding and personal attacks have become a regular feature.

Her main opponent is Kevin White, a city council member and former police officer who shares Coney's agenda of affordable housing and better jobs but lacks her record of accomplishment.

White is outspoken and informed, but his judgment is suspect. His use of campaign contributions to buy himself expensive clothes is a troubling indicator of misplaced priorities.

A third candidate in the race is Dorothy Nicolle Admire, a relatively new county resident who can't match Coney and White in experience.

In the District 3 Democratic primary, the Tribune endorses Chloe J. Coney.

District 4

Democrats in Brandon and eastern Hillsborough will chose between two longtime residents to see who faces Republican Al Higginbotham and unaffiliated Jean Batronie in November.

District 4 has been represented by Republican Ronda Storms, who is running for the state Senate.

Both Democrats are making their first bid for office, but both have useful experience in the district.

Lisa Rodriguez grew up in Brandon and is a small-business owner. She is the widow of civic activist Sandy Rodriguez, for whom the building housing the Brandon library is named.

Rodriguez says her campaign has convinced her that voters don't believe the present board is listening to their concerns.

She calls herself a conservative Democrat and says partisan politics is part of the county's problem. Rodriguez has a deep appreciation of local history and understands the need to keep residential growth within the urban service area.

"The more we spread," she says, "the harder it is to provide transportation."

Her challenger is James Rowell, a retired sheriff's deputy who is now a reserve deputy.

He has patrolled much of the region and understands the danger of dumping more traffic onto two-lane roads.

Rodriguez promises to be the stronger advocate for the district. She has been active in a number of civic projects and would bring a fresh and effective voice to the board.

In the District 4 Democratic primary, the Tribune endorses Lisa Rodriguez.