PBA must stand for Police Buffoonery Association. Benevolent it is not. Nor fair. Nor politically savvy.
That was evident last week as those dozen or so PBA protesters gathered in front of Union Station to take an unconscionable cheap shot at City Council member Linda Saul-Sena. The five-term City Council member was inside announcing her formal bid for Hillsborough County Commission. The PBA dolts carried signs saying: “Linda Saul-Sena: The Criminal’s Best Friend.” They really did.
That was PBA payback because she had recently voted against a police step-pay increase. Saul-Sena is hardly anti-cop — let alone “the criminal’s best friend” — because she joined a council (super) majority in requiring all city employees, including police and fire, to take one for Team Tampa during a devastating recession. In so doing, some layoffs were benevolently avoided.
Interestingly enough, the lone council vote in favor of the police pay increase was cast by Joseph Caetano. Does that mean “Clueless Joe” is the police department’s only “friend” on council? Please.
By the way, Saul-Sena will be vying for the District 5 countywide seat being vacated by the term-limited Jim Norman. Her main opposition will be Commission Chairman Ken Hagan, who will resign his District 2 seat.
While Saul-Sena is known as the avatar of the arts, the goddess of green and the patron saint of preservation, she underscored growth management, transportation and city-county collaboration as key themes she hopes will resonate countywide. It’s no longer about “Build, build, build,” she declared, but “Jobs, jobs, jobs.” Expect to see her play up her Metropolitan Planning Organization experience – especially in response to those inevitably portraying her as a South Tampa elite out to advance a liberal agenda.
It speaks volumes that she has Mitch Kates, the street-smart, take-no-prisoners strategist, on board. He’s the same advisor used successfully by Kevin Beckner against Brian Blair and by Mary Mulhern, who upset Shawn Harrison. Look for Kates to take the gloves off in referencing Hagan’s stands on the environment/wetlands/developers as well as a reputation for ducking debates.