From The Desk of Mary Ann Stiles
February 8, 2008
Dear Concerned Citizen:
RE: ELECTED COUNTY
MAYOR
We are on the ballot for the 2008
General Election. Because we were
successful in getting on the ballot,
we now must raise the campaign funds
to get our message out to the voters
of Hillsborough County as to why
they should vote yes on these two
petitions.
We cannot do that without assistance
and contributions from you. This is
an exciting time in the history of
Hillsborough County. We as citizens
have the chance to change the manner
in which we are governed. We are
presented with an opportunity to
ensure that Hillsborough County
governance is by checks and
balances. We have an opportunity to
elect a mayor who will give us an
additional voice in the future of
this County.
This county has grown too large to
continue to be managed by a 7 headed
committee without anyone with
authority to speak as one.
Do not let anyone mislead you. The
county commissioners will continue
to be the legislative body for this
County. Contrary to our opponents,
the mayor will not be able to raise
taxes or enact an ordinance unless
he or she can convince the 7 members
of the commission to do so. What
the mayor will be able to do, in
addition to having an agenda to
improve the lives of the citizens of
this county is the ability to veto
legislation (ordinances) passed by
the county commission. Any mayor’s
veto can be overridden by the
commissioners. Think of a system we
are fighting for as the current
governance system we have in
Tallahassee: a legislative branch
and an administrative branch which
is overseen by the Governor. Can
you imagine this state being run by
the legislative branch (House and
Senate) with no Governor? Well that
is the type of governance that
Hillsborough County currently has.
We mean to change that.
The most significant change will be
that the mayor will not be hired by
the county commission. Instead of
this position being appointed by the
commissioners, it will be held by a
person that is elected by the
voters. He or she will be the
administrative head of the County
with full authority to oversee the
administrative functions of this
County. However, just as the
Governor has to get approval of his
budget by the legislative branch so
too would an elected county mayor.
Any proposed budget by the mayor
would have to be approved by the
county commission. Such approval
would also be necessary for any
ordinance that the mayor might
champion. The mayor would have to
use his or her abilities to convince
the county commission that any
ordinance the mayor may champion is
in the best interest of Hillsborough
County. Without a majority vote for
such an ordinance pushed by the
mayor, it could not become law.
For the first time; however, one
person would have a mandate from the
people. Contrary to the current
system of an appointed county
administrator, if the mayor does not
perform in the best interests of the
people of Hillsborough County, the
electorate can vote the mayor out of
office. Today, it is the county
commission that controls the
administrator; determines the
administrator’s term of office, pay
and pay raise; and, whether or not
to terminate the administrator.
How does that scenario best serve
the citizens of Hillsborough County?
It does not! We as citizens deserve
to have a say in who that person is
and how long the person responsible
for the administrative side of
government holds that position.
One of the reasons that some county
commissioners are opposed to an
elected county mayor is that each
would have to abide by our current
Charter which states:
III. Separation of Powers
Section 3.01. Separation of
Legislative and Executive Powers.
The power of the county government
shall be divided between legislative
and executive branches. No person
belonging to one branch shall
exercise any powers appertaining to
the other branch unless expressly
provided herein.
Our Charter goes on to state:
IV.
Legislative Branch
Section 4.01.
All legislative responsibilities and
powers of local self government of
the county not inconsistent with
this Charter shall be assigned to
and vested in the board of county
commissioners.
The powers of the county
administrator are also spelled out
in our Charter:
V.
Executive Branch County
Administrator
Section 5.01. County
Administrator.
The executive responsibilities and
powers of local self government of
the county not inconsistent with
this Charter shall be assigned to
and vested in the county
administrator. One or more assistant
county administrators may be
appointed by the county
administrator with the advice and
consent of the board and shall serve
at the pleasure of the county
administrator.
Note the above language
carefully. Our opponents argue that
the election of a county mayor will
only add another layer of
government. How? We are only
advocating replacing the current
appointed administrator’s position
with that of an elected position.
The one way that you can assure
yourself that we will have an
elected county mayor that will run
for that office in 2010 is to
contribute funds today to support
the campaign. Please send your check
payable to Elected County Mayor
Political Committee, Inc. or
use the url
www.countymayor.com ,
where you can contribute online.
I am looking forward to working
with you for the betterment of our
County and its future.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann
Stiles
2006
"An
Elected County Mayor for Hillsborough County"
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2006
THE POWER IS VESTED IN THE PEOPLE TO AMEND THE
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY CHARTER BY INITIATIVE
By Mary Ann Stiles
April 20, 2006
Section 8.01 - Amendments to the Charter provide
that power is vested in the people to amend the
Charter by initiative. This power may be invoked by
filing with the Supervisor of Elections a petition
that contains a copy of the proposed Charter
Amendment.
The petition cannot be voted upon until 37,202
registered voters/residents have signed the petition
and the Supervisor of Elections has certified the
validity of the signatures.
WHY TWO PETITIONS?
Because petitions initiated by the people can only
address a single subject, two petitions are
necessary to create an elected county mayor
position. One is to create the position and the
second is to grant veto power to the elected county
mayor over the legislative acts of the Board of
County Commissioners. The Supervisor of Elections
certified the first Petition 06-5, creating the
county mayor position on April 11, 2006. Petition
06-4, authorizing the veto power, was certified by
the Supervisor of Elections on March 30, 2006. Each
petition must have 37,202 valid signatures.
WHY DOES ONE OF THE PAST COUNTY ATTORNEYS, WITH
NO VESTED INTEREST IN THE OUTCOME, SUPPORT AN
ELECTED COUNTY MAYOR?
In l999, Fred Karl, who served as the County
Attorney in Hillsborough County, said it better than
anyone else: “I am convinced we need an elected
executive to lead the county. Hillsborough County is
a major governmental entity which spends billions of
taxpayers’ dollars each year providing services for
almost a million people. It can’t achieve maximum
efficiency as long as seven people make the
important executive decisions; and it cannot be
effective when there is no one empowered to speak
for the county government. I doubt the people of
Florida would want their governor appointed by the
Legislature or the presidents of the United States
appointed by Congress, and I am certain they would
not want the legislative bodies to have executive
powers.”
The prophetic statement should have been heeded.
Look at where we are now. We have problems with
growth management; sufficient schools for our
children; lack of any transit system or even a plan
for one; traffic that is gridlocked; communities
being built without thought to additional roads,
sidewalks, or bike lanes. And what is going to
happen in the future when the water wars really
start to make headlines? Are the city and the county
ready for an emergency? Under an elected county
mayor, the commission could not refuse to allow the
mayor of the county to meet with the mayors of
Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City, to address
hurricane preparedness. We are over a million
people, with even a larger county budget; and we
still operate this county with a committee of
seven.
Let the people decide what kind of government they
want to serve them. We deserve the right to vote on
this issue! Go to the petitions and review the
language for yourself. If you agree and want to
support this effort to, at least, get this issue to
the ballot, download the petitions, execute and
forward them to the address listed on each petition.
If you want to join the effort and help gather
signatures, email us and let us know. We
welcome your help!
2006
HELP ELECT A
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY MAYOR!
It’s time to act on our bid for a
County Mayor. Now is the time for
us to fight for accountability and
leadership for our county.
Under our current system, no one
person is held accountable for
actions taken by county government.
There are seven county
commissioners, all with different
views on where Hillsborough County
needs to go.
And
it takes four commissioners to
remove the county administrator they
must appoint, an unelected
administrator who works behind the
scenes and who has very, very broad
power to run the day-to-day
operations of our county as she sees
fit.
In
Hillsborough, no one person is
responsible, and as a result, no one
person can be held accountable since
citizens cannot vote the county
administrator out of office.
As The Tampa Tribune wrote in an
editorial: “Hillsborough needs a
leader, someone who can rise above
the petty squabbles and address the
greater good. We need someone who
can talk to the mayors of the
county's three cities and build good
relationships with them. The current
structure of seven equally powerful
commissioners allows each to duck
accountability for the overarching
challenges gripping this county.
Rather, it fosters a climate where
commissioners grab headlines on
issues of the moment, while ignoring
the big picture.”
A
lack of accountability has resulted
in soaring property taxes, which are
breaking the backs of citizens,
businesses and homeowners alike.
Since 2001, Hillsborough County’s
property taxes have increased by
93.1%, almost three times more than
growth and inflation combined.
The
chart below is a very telling
example of how this county’s
property taxes are out of control.
Do
these statistics upset you? And the
County Administrator, an unelected
official, has been arguing against
property tax cuts in Tallahassee.
The
county government also collects the
Community Investment Tax, a local
sales tax which is in addition to
property taxes, that is supposed to
be used for needed capital projects.
From now to 2026, the county
expects to collect some $2.1 billion
(yes, Billion) from the CIT tax.
Hillsborough County is bulging at
the seams, and has quadrupled its
operating reserves to $125.6 million
since 2000. This is all happening
while people can’t afford to live in
their own homes, and businesses are
failing.
An
elected County Mayor would stand up
to the County Commission when $40
million in CIT funds is proposed for
a sprawling sports complex in a
remote area of the county at a time
when there are pressing needs to
build new infrastructure like roads
to ease traffic congestion.
And
a lack of accountability means the
appointed county administrator --
without public notice or discussion,
can quietly give all commissioners a
$3,600 increase in their annual
mileage allowance, which was
discovered by The St. Petersburg
Times: “Add the monthly perks to
commissioners’ already not-so-modest
$91,966 annual salary, and you’re
pretty close to the six-figure.”
When was the last time you gave your
boss a pay raise?
By
having a county mayor, we will have
an elected official –one person – to
hold accountable to make sure our
tax dollars are spent where they are
needed most. An elected mayor for
Hillsborough County, who would be
the voice of the people, would have
a mandate from the public; would be
the person working to bring about
change, and planning for the future
of this county, and the needs of its
citizens.
And
if the County Mayor does not
perform, or, for example, fights
against sorely needed property tax
relief, the County Mayor’s name will
appear on your ballot at election
time -- and can be defeated at the
polls.
Prior to the special session on
property taxes, the Hillsborough
Legislative Delegation held a public
hearing on June 5, 2007. Rep.
Michael Scionti (D) asked: “The
question that keeps reoccurring in
my mind that I recognize as well as
we all do that Hillsborough County
is one of the four donor counties in
the state, and to me, a donor county
tells me that we are collecting more
taxes than we actually need. In
fact, we’re able to share those
taxes with surrounding counties.”
No
one could answer just what
percentage of Hillsborough County’s
property taxes goes to fund the
school systems of other counties;
however, it was made clear that that
is a legislative mandate that
Hillsborough County share its
collected taxes with other counties.
The reasoning was that there is a
constitutional requirement that
education be funded equally across
the state and in those counties that
cannot raise sufficient taxes, other
counties such as Hillsborough County
donates some of its property taxes
to other counties to insure
“high-quality universal education
throughout the state.”
This begs the question: Does
Hillsborough County collect too much
or does it collect what it needs to
operate? Does the county collect
extra money from you to make sure
that whatever amount that is donated
to other counties does not cut into
the county’s operating budget? As
taxpayers, we have the right to
know.
At
this meeting, the County
Administrator stated: “We have been
very cognizant of the need to keep
our taxes in line for the benefit of
our citizens. Over a period of 14
years, our Board of County
Commissioners has reduced the
property tax millage rate in our
countywide ad valorem funding 14
straight years for a total reduction
of 1.58 mills.”
Rep. Trey Traviesa (R) countered by
stating: “I think the millage
argument is a terrible argument. . .
. That a millage cut is not a tax
cut. We all know that. You can cut
millage 11 years in a row, you can
cut millage 111 years in a row, and
you could still be taking more money
from the people, more money than you
should. There is no relationship
between a millage cut and a property
tax cut. . .”
(To
add insult to injury, during the
legislature’s special session on
taxes, Hillsborough and other local
government officials were at an
Orlando convention paid for by
taxpayers. The registration fee was
$325 a person and $142 a night for 3
nights. Private companies spent a
total of $236,000 to have booths or
sponsor events such as a “Death by
Chocolate” reception sponsored by
Waste Management and a golf outing.
Yet county officials have the nerve
to say they have no place to cut the
budget.)
The
local governments have the ability
to override the property tax cuts
passed by the legislature, and you
can bet the bureaucrats are already
scheming how to keep their
self-created empires and also make
the state government look like the
villains.
Do
you think it’s fair that an
unelected local government official
gets to use your hard earned money
to travel to Tallahassee so they can
argue against property tax
cuts? Furthermore, is it fair to
fund an all expense paid weekend at
a resort hotel in Orlando, and still
complain that tax cuts are not
practical and all county spending is
prudent?
The
elected Hillsborough County Mayor,
will be the voice of the people, the
one to reign in government run
amuck, to build and plan for all our
futures and that of our children.
Our
forefathers founded a country that
gave the government to the people
for safe-keeping. The document that
is the center of our government and
our country begins with the phrase
“We the People…” Our founding
fathers and the Constitution made
democracy the central idea of this
great nation, and the right to vote,
one of the most important rights we
hold.
An
appointed county administrator who
is appointed and works for the Board
of County Commissioners has
tremendous power and is a position
that we the people cannot
vote against. A County elected
mayor will give the power to the
people. When Hillsborough County
was small and rural, maybe such
power was not necessary; however,
with the growth of the county,
and the county’s increasing
budget, such power must be vested in
we the people and not in an
appointed position.
An
elected Hillsborough County Mayor,
will be the voice of the people, the
one to reign in government run
amuck, to build and plan for all our
futures and that of our children.
Members, the time to rise up is now:
It is clear that we need our own
Hillsborough County Mayor; a person
who will serve at the pleasure of
the people, an elected official we
can hold accountable at the ballot
box.
I
hope that I can count on you to help
me further this goal.
As
you know, our initiative is on the
ballot for the general election of
2008. To get our message to the
people, we need your support. It is
estimated that we will have to raise
approximately one half million
dollars to fight those who will no
doubt lose some of their power and
will pull out all stops to defeat
this citizens’ initiative. Status
quo for our county government is not
longer acceptable.
You
can help by either sending a check;
go on-line and make a contribution
to the cause; ask your friends and
neighbors to contribute, or if you
know of a group that wants to hear
more on this issue, we have speakers
who will appear and tell our
message.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Stiles
Several of my friends
have asked why I support the concept of an elected
county mayor for Hillsborough County. Some have asked
why the Charter Review Board has not proposed it while
others have concerns regarding the “wrong person” being
elected to the office. I will address those questions
(maybe a few more) here.
While serving on the
Charter Review Board in 2000 I discovered that several
members had no intention of allowing any meaningful
change to the charter. This attitude was not limited to
one side of the political spectrum. While some of us
were diligent with the review others were sandbagging
the operation. Charter Review Board members are
appointed by the body that would be affected by any
changes and several commissioners are reluctant to
appoint independent thinkers to the board. Some see any
change to the structure of government to be a threat to
their power.
No one has told me
they believe the County Commission is working just
fine. In fact, the normal nickname I hear for the
commission is the “Seven Headed Monster.” People from
the left and right side of the political spectrum seem
to agree that what we have does not work very well.
When on the Charter Review Board I came to the same
conclusion.
I studied other
counties to see what seemed to be working. Pinellas was
held up as an example of a well working
commission/manager form of government. I looked at
Pinellas (Florida’s most densely populated county) to
see if I could determine what was different. Were the
commissioners that much better? NO! I have known
several of them over the years and they come from the
same pool from which we draw our commissioners. Was
Fred Marquis really a great County Administrator? Fred
was a great guy, great fun at a Ducks Unlimited banquet,
a competent individual but not head and shoulders above
the administrators we have worn out in Hillsborough.
The primary difference between Hillsborough and Pinellas
is the presence of twenty-four municipal corporations in
Pinellas to only three in Hillsborough. Neighborhood
issues are decided at the neighborhood level. The
Hillsborough County Commissioners are saddled with the
minutia of the neighborhoods throughout the county.
Most will resist giving that up because they perceive
that to be the base of their power.
Hillsborough County
has a bigger population than Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware and Montana. The
population of Hillsborough is nearly equal to the
population of Utah. Each of the eight states mentioned
is governed by a Governor and a bicameral legislature.
None of these states, not even the State of Florida, is
clamoring to dispense with the elected position of
Governor. I shudder when I think of the legislature
running things with their hand-picked “State Manager”.
The State Manager would need to be the toughest
individual in the country. Without true executive power
and subject to the political whims of 120 people it
would be an impossible position in which to succeed.
The only difference in Hillsborough County is 7
commissioners vs. 120 legislators, still an impossible
position.
We have had some
terrific County Administrators. They were shining stars
before their arrival and the shone after leaving
Hillsborough. Norman Hickey was daily maligned prior to
his departure from Hillsborough but then was very
successful in San Diego. Brown received many awards
before and after his time in Hillsborough. This county
has a habit of chewing up administrators. I hope Pat
Bean can avoid this fate, but given enough time I
believe she will be fodder for it as well.
Some ask what will
happen if we get the “wrong person” in as County Mayor.
That will happen. We have had good and bad Governors
and everywhere in between but we still survive because
of the checks in the system. Right now there are NO
checks in the county system. I believe the populace
does a pretty decent job of selecting their political
leaders. I don’t always agree with the selection, but I
don’t feel slighted by it either. No one can argue with
the statement that there is a leadership void on the
commission and always has been. We have had
commissioners that could have been great leaders if
elected to that position, but with the always equal
method none can rise to the level needed to LEAD the
county. An elected County Mayor would have to campaign
county-wide and expose a platform that would be
acceptable to a majority of the voters. Right now we
have three commissioners elected at large and none with
a mandate to accomplish anything. If an elected County
Mayor does not perform he can be replaced the next
election.
The commissioners have
a very difficult job and an impossible task if they are
expected to “represent” the people. The three
commissioners elected at large effectively have more
than one million constituents to represent. The four
single member commissioners represent more than a
quarter million people each. Each district runs the
gamut of extremely wealthy to below the poverty level.
Exactly WHO are they to “represent”? It
simply is clear that “representation” cannot occur with
our current form of government.
It is a basic
management requirement that authority and
responsibility must match or things won't work right.
That is why the CEO approach is so widely used in the
private sector. The CEO has both the authority and is
held accountable for getting things done. If things
don't work right, you know who to change. A
seven-member commission (which is really a hold over
from a time when Florida was rural, population was low,
and demands on government for services were few) lacks
accountability. Who do you blame when you are stuck in
traffic? In the City, you dash off an email to the
Mayor and he/she has both the authority for the budget
and is responsible and accountable for the end result.
The Council can override, but at the risk of upsetting
the citizens if the mayor is following the announced
platform. In the County, who knows who is responsible
and accountable for the end result? Everybody and
nobody is not a good answer.
If you have read all
of this you have a pretty good idea where I am coming
from on. You may not agree with me, and that is okay.
Debate of ideas was necessary and helpful in forming
this great nation and can be just a valuable in
reforming the structure of Hillsborough County
government if we keep a mind open to new ideas. Using
not only logic in our deliberations but including the
knowledge we have of the way humans respond will greatly
enhance the effort.
I believe the citizens
should have the opportunity to address this at the
ballot box. Please help in that effort. If you can
make a contribution, please send it to: Taking Back
Hillsborough County Political Committee, Inc. 315
Plant Avenue Tampa,
FL 33606
David L. Hurley
" For those who support letting the
people decide on the type of government that runs Hillsborough County,
they should go to
www.takingbackhillsboroughcountypolicalcommitttee.com, download the
petitions, execute and get to the address on the form on or before July 8,
2006, said Bob Samuels another citizens behind this effort. "
2006
Why I Believe We Need a
County Mayor – Why not let the people decide?
By
Bob Samuels
After
retiring from a 31-year career as an executive in the banking industry, in 1995
I was appointed to serve as a member of the Hillsborough County Charter Review
Board. After a year of meetings and reviewing county operations, it was obvious
to me then that we needed to restructure the way our county was being managed.
I believed that the county‘s commission-dominated form of government was no
longer the most effective form for leadership of our county, as we made the
transition from a rural to an urban county. As a charter review member, I
proposed a number of resolutions to be adopted, including: that all county
elections be non-partisan, that the county establish a business advisory
committee to help it find more efficient and economical ways to perform its
operations, and that the county have an elected CEO to lead the county and
become the CEO of Hillsborough County. I was defeated 13 to 1 on each of my
resolutions.
As a business executive, it was obvious
to me then that the current commission- dominated structure was not the best
method to lead and plan for future growth. That old structure served well when
Hillsborough was primarily a rural county, but we were transforming into a major
urban county, with all of the challenges of a major area: growth management,
transportation, health, and education.
Recent events have demonstrated that we
have finally reached the point where we need to ask the citizens if they prefer
the current structure or would prefer to have an elected leader.
Our population has almost doubled over
the last 25 years from 647,000 in 1980 to almost 1.l2 million in 2005. A recent
article stated that Hillsborough County
expects to be Florida’s
fastest growing large county. Hillsborough is expected to grow by 550,000
people, to a population of 1.7 million. If Hillsborough County,
with our over one million population were a city, we would be the tenth largest
city in the nation. The other nine are not managed by a committee. They have an
elected leader. The current structure worked well when we were basically a rural
county and were concerned with roads and rural issues.
We have all the ingredients to be a
great county. However, we need a leader to provide us with a vision and focus
us toward realizing our full potential. Our founders understood the need for
balance in government between the legislative and administrative functions. That
is why we have a congress and a president, a state legislature and a governor,
and a city mayor and city council. However, Hillsborough County
is still run by seven elected mini-mayors, all with different goals, and their
primary concern is getting reelected to their next political office.
The current structure does not allow for
clear leadership, with vision and strategic planning for dealing with the major
issues of our county. We need leadership that will unite all sections of the
county and focus our efforts in a unified direction to allow us to reach our
full potential. Instead of strategic planning for our future, we get
grandstanding and political posturing. Meanwhile, we, the citizens, have to deal
with a lack of leadership in dealing with issues like: growth management
planning, education, affordable housing, and transportation, while our
mini-mayor politicians keep us sidetracked by talking about bikini bars,
homosexuality, nudity, and building more sports stadiums.
It is quite apparent that the
Hillsborough County Commission has become a dysfunctional group and is not
focused on creating a better community for all of the county's residents. The
clear lack of leadership by the County
Commission - - either as a whole, or
as individuals -- further justifies the demand by citizens for a change
in county government structure.
This void in leadership in county
government provides a strong base of support for creating the County Mayor
position.
If the county is expected to grow with
the concerns and respect of its citizens as a priority, then it will take a
strong leader who is sensitive to blending diverse thoughts and addressing
complex needs.
In today’s world, Hillsborough County
is a major metropolitan area with a population expected to double again in the
next 25 years. I say, let the citizens decide if they prefer the current
leadership structure or would they prefer to elect someone to lead our county
into the future.
Little time remains to sign the two petitions
necessary to place the county mayor proposal on the ballot. Sign them both.
The deadline for signing the petitions is July 10, 2006. I encourage
all Hillsborough County residents
to download both petitions at www.countymayor.com,
execute them, and mail them to the committee at 315 S. Plant Ave., Tampa,
FL 33606. Let the people decide how they want their county government to be
operated!
