Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

In April, Commissioner Pat Frank decided to quit the commission to run for Clerk of Court. Republicans who want to succeed Frank include Bob Blair (no webpage), Jim Davison, Deb Oxley, and Mark Sharpe (also no webpage). Blair and Oxley are running for public office for the first time. Davison and Sharpe have lost campaigns before.

Davison came in third in the 2002 GOP primary for the District 2 seat that Ken Hagan won. A resident of New Tampa since 1993, he claims that his experience with the county gives him an edge over the other candidates. He points out that the total revenue the county collects has doubled to $1.4-billion over the last decade, yet very little of that is spent on transportation. A top priority is to trim wasteful administrative costs to finance more roads. Therefore, raising impact fees or the sales tax would be unnecessary. Why he’s running. Unique stance on issues.

Sharpe has lost races for the U.S. Congress in 1992, 1994 and 1996. He was born at MacDill Air Force Base. He’s currently an analyst on weapons of mass destruction in the Naval Reserve. One of his main concerns is security, and he wants to seek greater coordination among various agencies to improve security. Combining city and county functions would also cut down on spending. By Sharpe said the county could save money while improving services. Instead of raising taxes, he prefers to entice more high-tech companies to move here.

Blair’s top priority is the county’s youth. He wants faith-based groups to provide some of these services. He says he is antitax and would bring a “common sense” approach to the job, demanding better response times for fire rescue and better roads in New Tampa.

Oxley’s accounting background gives her an expert look at the budget. The county has transportation needs, and wants more money devoted to road construction. Like the other candidates, she says the answer is not higher taxes, but better money management and innovation. Other issues.

Sharpe has won endorsements from the Tribune, the Times, and now, Sticks of Fire.