Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Buddy Johnson is a buffoon.

Or worse, he is manipulating local elections.

Either way, he should be fired, suspended or otherwise relieved of his duties.

The St. Pete Times followed up on the polling place changes, and found that he has been making untrue statements in regards to the fiasco.

Johnson says the Korean United Methodist Church did not want to be a polling site. Church Officials deny it. Either way, Johnson failed to inform voters that the polling site changed. Frank Riddick missed out on a runoff by only 37 votes. He’s understandably concerned, and filed a complaint with the Justice Department.

Furthermore, the online story ends with this nice wrapup:

Not notifying voters about precinct changes is the latest in a string of voting problems under Buddy Johnson.

• August 2004: At an early voting site, one of Johnson’s workers leaves a voting machine in the “test” mode, resulting in the loss of 245 votes. Johnson’s staff does not report the lost votes to the state for 13 days, making the 245 votes void.
• September 2004: Johnson’s vote tabulation machines slow to a crawl, delaying final vote counts until almost dawn, making it one of the slowest vote counts in the state. Johnson blames the failure of a “software indexing system.”
• November 2004: Witnesses say Johnson tries to butt in line to vote in a crowded early voting site at the College Hill Library. Johnson backs out after being caught on videotape, denies doing anything wrong and later votes on Election Day at his Plant City precinct.
• July 2006: A private group seeking to put the question of a county mayor on the 2006 ballot fails. After a private audit, the Taking Back Hillsborough Group says the petition drive failed because Johnson’s office lost hundreds of petitions and inexplicably rejected many others that bore valid signatures.
• March 2007: A total of 2,535 voters in precincts 215 and 217 in Tampa receive no written notification of a relocation of their polling places. An untold number of voters fail to vote.

Although the County Mayor petition mixup sounds as if someone got paid off, most of these could be seen as simple mistakes. But plenty of simple mistakes show a disturbing pattern of incompetence.

Hey Governor - Buddy Johnson needs to be relieved of his duties.

Joe Redner’s daughter was arrested this past weekend, and I experienced a keen sense of deja vu.

You might recall last time Joe ran for office, another Redner daughter was arrested.

Coincidence?

Some say no - that’s just more of Tampa’s Back Door Ways.

Either way, Teresa Louise Redner-Maida says a person in her group got into an altercation with a bouncer and had been hurt. “The police officers weren’t helping at all.”

The only times I see a helpful police officer in Ybor City, is when the young, pretty, white girl stops to flirt ask a question.

The St. Pete Times endorses Joe Redner for Tampa City Council, but don’t want anyone to know. In the editorial, they berate Redner with backhanded compliments, and published the endorsement on a Saturday.

I don’t blame them.

Redner is connected to the adult industry that many people find offensive, if not downright immoral. And let’s face it. Of all the shady businesses to own, a strip club is among the very darkest. The nature of the business brings out all sorts of drunks, drug addicts and just uneasy people.

Those of us who subscribe to the “live and let live” policy would like to envision the girls using their natural talents to pay for college. And yes - the business is legal. But the truth is that many of them get hooked on the money, drinks, and drugs and end up getting physically abused by some cockroach.

But the local paper HAS to recommend a candidate. And Redner’s opponent is just not any great shakes, either. Again, the Times:

The incumbent, Gwendolyn Miller, has accomplished virtually nothing in 12 years as a council member.

She is continuing that trend during this campaign, doing nothing to distinguish herself from Redner.

But in the choice between bad taste or no taste at all, the Tribune chooses Miller, saying Redner would turn the city into a circus.

Joe Redner won a chance at a runoff against incumbent Gwen Miller. For the first time in his many attempts at reaching public office, Redner seems to stand a decent chance of winning.

Common sense wins over prudishness, right?

For one, consider the competition - Miller has accomplished the seemingly redundant challenge of being an unimpressive city council member. That’s hardly an attractive trait for the few who care enough to vote.

So Redner would seem the perfect antidote to nothing. He’s worked tirelessly - though up to this point fruitlessly - for years to affect change in the city. He’s more than happy to show you what’s in his pockets, namely a lack of developers. He talks about the need for mass transit and controlled development - he even sounds halfway intelligent when talking about it.

But ideas do not a complete candidate make. Public office will always require the ability to find compromise with others who disagree with you; that ability requires you not incite others to lunge chairs at you, among other things.

Even if Redner did not provoke that type of action from other council members or the city’s population, his controversial business ventures could very well be the context for each and every issue he brings to the table.

Don’t for a minute think that a Redner win would be a mandate to ignore the Mons - a Redner win would more likely be a sum of Miller’s blank slate plus low turnout. One need only look at very recent news in Tampa and surrounding areas to know that this area is not yet ready to embrace anything like a progressive outlook.

What supporters of Redner’s ideas need to consider is that Redner could potentially hurt his and their cause rather than move it forward.

It may sound unfair and disheartening that Redner’s controversial but legal dealings could keep him from being an effective council member, but that may not even be the point. The bigger obstacle for Redner success may be that he’s not a good candidate.

(Disclosure: I make no judgment on whether Redner is at least a better candidate than Miller because that’s not my thing, but also because as a Temple Terrace resident, my opinion is electorally inconsequential. But because a majority of my non-sleeping hours are spent in Tampa limits, I feel I have a perfectly good reason to care. However sad the choices may be, I suggest Tampa residents care all the more and pick someone.)

Joe Redner and Gwen Miller met this afternoon for an hour of serious discussion on issues affecting the city of Tampa. Councilmember Miller displayed a good knowledge of the issues and offered unquestioning support for the programs of Mayor Iorio and the directions established by City Staff. Joe Redner raised clear questions as to her leadership and initiative abilities after serving 12 years on the City Council.

Panel member Ed Turanchik asked Joe Redner about his involvement in various legal efforts against the city and about his adult businesses. Mr. Redner made it clear that he owned only one adult business - Mons Venus - and that he would not vote on any issues that came before the council regarding any adult businesses, although he made it clear he would speak up about those issues. He further stated that he has had no code enforcement or criminal actions against Mons Venus and that prostitution, drug use / sales, or any other criminal had never been tolerated at his club. Councilmember Gwen Miller said she would let code enforcement and law officers determine any of those issues.

In a question concerning the top three things that Gwen Miller was proud of accomplishing, the issue of purchasing Gene’s Bar was one, while Mr Redner indicated the city had other actions available rather than the purchase of the bar. Gwen Miller indicated her support in the renovation of the Babe Zaharias Golf Course was one of her best accomplishments while Joe Redner indicated she had failed to take any steps toward the providing of any mass transportation - light rail solutions.

The exchange between candidates stayed very much on the issues and we appreciate the candidates time and candor on the issues. We also thank our panelists for asking some great, thought provoking questions. Tampa Digital Studios provided us with a 3 camera crew and great technical team to make sure the forum is presented to you clearly audible with good visuals of the candidates.

Please take the time to view our forums (district 7, district 1), you will learn a lot about the candidates and the issues if you do. Remember to vote on March 27!

Joseph Caetano is running for City Council district 7. He was scheduled to show at the TampaGold candidates forum this morning. He did not call, he did not show up.

Frank Margarella did show up, and took the entire hour of questioning from the panelists, and by all accounts did a great job.

Too bad Caetano did not take the time to allow you great citizens of Tampa to see him in action. Or perhaps you saw exactly what you can expect from him. Of course, if New Tampa doesn’t bother to get off their ass and vote, New Tampa deserves to get whatever they get.

Update 12:56: Added photo by Jonathon.

Okay, despite working in Pinellas County for four years - from 1998-2002 - I realize I haven’t covered the upcoming elections as much as I wanted to. But today is election day in Pinellas, so here is a quick preview. (I won’t be live blogging these results, but will post a recap tonight.)

Penny for Pinellas

The language on the ballot reads:

Shall the “Penny for Pinellas” one-cent (1¢) local infrastructure sales surtax be extended for an additional ten (10) years to finance county and municipal projects, including roads, bridges, parks, land and environmental preservation, drainage, public safety, hurricane sheltering, and other authorized capital improvement projects.

The Conventional Wisdom is that voters hate taxes. This perspective is often the basis for the success of more economically-conservative candidates. In general, I would agree. When Walter Mondale admitted he would raise taxes, he was swept away in a landside. When the first President Bush broke his “No New Taxes” pledge, he was ultimately defeated. Yet, there is a but.

And it’s a big “but.”

Voters will approve taxes that have tangible results they can see. In 1995, voters in Hillsborough County voted against two sales tax increases (one for schools, one for law enforcement). A year later, the same voters passed the Community Investment Tax, in part because it paid for a stadium for the Buccaneers. But the Penny for Pinellas and the CIT pay for infrastructure projects, public safety, and various capital projects. The voters can see their tax dollars at work, which tends to be a good thing for most voters.

Now, some people - like Tom at the Bartlett Park blog - have pointed out some concerns with the Penny for Pinellas program. One criticism is that the funds can not be spent on social services to help the disadvantaged. That is simply not the intention of this sales tax - which is supposed to fund the debt service for fixed capital services. Another question arose around the $146 million surplus the County has amassed for potential future emergency needs (such as after a major hurricane passes through). [Sidebar: Aren't some people fickle? The same people who fault elected leaders for not spending all the money, will be the first to criticize the same leaders if an emergency happens and there is no money to help.] There was also a Clerk of the Circuit Court audit in 2004 that showed some problems with the program.

All of that being said, I still think the voters of Pinellas County will approve the extension of the program. The visitors to Pinellas’ beaches help pay a large portion of the tax, and the resdents are the primary beneficiaries. Without the tax, the county will have to delay or cancel proposed projects or fund them with ad valorem revenue - which is at risk from the Florida Legslature.

City Elections

Okay, I don’t have my fingers on the pulse of the myriad cities in Pinellas County - so I can’t predict who will win these. The only real interesting races are to see if three mayors get re-elected: Seminole Mayor Jimmy Johnson (no, not me), Gulfport Mayor Mike Yakes, and Tarpon Springs Mayor Beverly Biliris. And the Voters in the city of Belleair Beach will decide if they want to keep their own police department or contract with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Check back later for elections results.

[Cross posted at State of Sunshine.]

TAMPAGOLD.COM in conjunction with Tampa Digital Studios will host two one hour Live Online Internet Broadcast Candidate Forums on Tuesday, March 13.

District 7 Candidates Joe Caetano and Frank Margarella at 10 AM
Questioning Panelists will be

• David Brickhouse, Director, Department of Governmental Relations & Legislative Advocacy, USF Student Government
• Jim Johnson, Contributing writer for Sticks of Fire and Editor of State of Sunshine
• Terry Neal, President, Temple Crest Civic Association

District 1 Candidates Gwen Miller and Joe Redner at 3 PM.
Questioning Panelists will be:

• Greg Truax, Editor and Publisher of Front Page Florida
• Tom Keating, President and CEO of the Ybor Chamber of Commerce
• Chris Vela, Member, Friends of Kiley Gardens and Tampa Bay Architectural Designer
• Ed Turanchic, former County Hillsborough County Commissioner and President, Intown Homes

Moderator for both forums will be Bill Sharpe, Editor of TampaGold.com.

To see the Forums Live, all you will need to do is visit TAMPAGOLD.com and look for the link from the home page.

The hour long forum will additionally be archived for later viewing at anytime on TampaGold.com. The archived edition will be available within about two hours of the conclusion of each forum.
Tampa Digital Studios is located at 718 S. Howard Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606

A previous online forum with two of the District 4 Candidates was viewed 549 times from the archived event.

TAMPAGOLD.COM will again host live online forums for both remaining council seats. ALL runoff candidates have agreed to attend.

Both Forums will be held on Tuesday, March 13

The District 7 Race with Joseph Caetano and Frank Margarella will be broadcast online at 10 AM. (Sticks contributor and State of Sunshine writer Jim Johnson will be one of the panelists.)

The District 1 Race with Gwen Miller and Joe Redner will be at 3 PM.

Should you miss the live broadcast, they will both be posted on TAMPAGOLD.COM later in the same day for your viewing. Again, thank you to Tampa Digital Studios for helping us to make this happen.

*Editor’s Note: We could only find the campaign websites for two of the candidates. If Gwen Miller and/or Frank Margarella have websites for their campaigns, please let us know about them in the comments, and we will update this post.