Category: Tampa Bay

Congratulations are certainly in order to Debbie Gill Leslie, Hillsborough County’s Teacher of the Year. Good — let alone exceptional — teachers certainly don’t get enough recognition. And reward. In this case, the Pride Elementary School kindergarten teacher received $2,000, a ring, round-trip airline tickets, a crystal apple, tickets to various sporting and entertainment events and more. By all accounts, she was still under-rewarded.

As admirable — and fitting — as such an honor is, the selection process needs improvement. It needs to be fair. Hillsborough County selects its Teacher of the Year from its total ranks, K-12.

The comparisons are challenging enough when comparing elementary teachers to each other — or secondary teachers to each other. To choose one winner among all the elementary and secondary teachers, however, is beyond challenging. It’s impossible — if fairness is to be more than a nominal consideration.

Call it the pedagogic equivalent of the apples-to-oranges metaphor. Only here it’s the more child-oriented, patience-of-Job elementary teacher incongruously compared to the more subject-oriented, adolescent-relating secondary instructor.

Surely, what’s worth rewarding is worth rewarding fairly.

“School choice.” By now, it’s become a shibboleth of modern education. It’s also a euphemism for “make sure there aren’t schools with too many black kids.” The unspoken, (otherwise) politically incorrect rationale: too many blacks together just doesn’t make for a good learning environment. In any other context, this would be abhorrently racist thinking. But not with the “school choice” crowd.

Instead of, say, assuring that all schools have parity when it comes to physical plants, curricular materials, course offerings and instructional staff, the aim is to insure that housing patterns don’t re-segregate our schools. Hence various kinds of “magnets” and “attractor programs” for students to attend a school other than the one that is closest — the one that just might foster a sense of community identity. And parental involvement. Remember those days?

Anyhow, this county is now throwing brochures, color-coded maps, resource centers and public meetings at parents to help them navigate the tricky shoals of “school choice” and make informed decisions.

Which brings us to parents from the Hunter’s Green area of North Tampa. Their kids go to Hunter’s Green Elementary, a school with a healthy sense of community and parental involvement. It’s also earned a nationally recognized academic reputation. For obvious reasons, the parents like it that way.

That school, however, is slated to become an attractor program. Apparently, it’s not attractive enough as is — merely an academic exemplar. The attractor program will be in sports.

Now that’s an interesting priority; there was certainly no Hunter’s Green groundswell for it. Perhaps it’s because we, as a society, are already saturated in sports — as well as the dysfunctional role models they too frequently yield.

So there is some skepticism from Hunter Green parents.

It just might be that they see right through this game of social engineering.

Among the myriad problems associated with public housing is image. As in stereotypes. As if those living where curb appeal is non-existent and drug-related crime pervasive, somehow deserve to be there. As in being part of the problem — especially residents who represent a multi-generation pattern.

Which brings us to recent happenings in East Tampa, where “distressed” — a bureaucratic euphemism for decrepit — public housing units have been razed and replaced by attractive, mixed-income housing. The architecture is not neo-barrack. Projects these are not. These are 860 rental units and 36 owner-occupied homes. It’s all part of the city’s $32.5-million federal HOPE VI grant to help revitalize a blighted area.

Arguably enough, the folks most in need of such housing upgrades are those who lived on the site when it was “distressed.” Notably enough, however, most of those former residents will not be moving in.

That’s because standards for readmission are higher than they were when the Tampa Housing Authority was running things. Tanya Street, property manager for Interstate Realty, the company that will oversee the new “Belmont Heights Estates,” explained. Bluntly.

“If we let everybody back in, then we’re just going to have what we had before,” she told the St. Petersburg Times . For good measure, she added: “They don’t have to be brain surgeons, they just have to have a little bit of desire to make their lives better and stick to it.”

Which says volumes. As in some things you can’t subsidize.

Here’s what’s surprising about the “clarification crisis” over at Sanchez headquarters. None of us should still be writing about it.

Whether you agree with it or not, Sanchez’s controversial stand is, by all accounts, vintage Sanchez.

“Discrimination in any form by government, by important social organizers, is debilitating

At some point all this euphoric basking in the afterglow of a Super Bowl win will end. But not quite yet.

It’s been too long coming and too sweet happening not to be savored some more. Let’s revel with a cause; we deserve it.

Let’s hear it for the “yea-sayers” — and keep the chronically carping at bay just a little longer. Malcolm Glazer will never be Albert Schweitzer, but so what? He’s not Hugh Culverhouse or Al Davis either.

And enough of the Community Investment Tax tantrums. Even former mayor and suit-filing, CIT antagonist Bill Poe, chairman of Poe Financial Inc., declared a “Bucs Day” for his employees. Even mandated a Bucs’-colors dress code.

The real point is this. Although this area, particularly this city, has just seen its name recognition ratcheted up nationally, we’re still awash in economic uncertainty. Terrorists have forced us to live in their knave new world. The timing for a celebration — even one generated by a vicarious sports thrill — couldn’t have been better.

“Of course, there are many more important things,” acknowledged Mayor Dick Greco. “Just look at the end of our peninsula. The war on terrorism is being fought out of here. The reminders are with us every day. And, really, that’s a reason why there’s so much interest in this. This is important because it’s FUN. It is something that makes us feel good about ourselves and our community. It’s a wonderful thing

*A young man approached me the other night before a political forum at the Doubletree Hotel Westshore. “Could you help me with this?” he asked. “I don’t do these.” As it turned out, he needed assistance with a necktie. I tied it on myself and then looped the striped tie back over my head and gave it to him. It clashed with his floral shirt, but he was no longer tie-less.

It was Kelly Benjamin, the 27-year-old community activist who is challenging Rose Ferlita for her District 2, citywide seat on City Council.

*Mayoral candidates participated in the Doubletree forum, which was sponsored by the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs, the Tampa Bay Male Club, the Tampa Bay Black Republican Club and 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay. They spent a lot of time talking about drug holes and economic development in East Tampa. As in addressing the former to have hope for the latter.

*Most of the candidates cited track records of inclusiveness. The evening’s most candid line came from long-shot candidate Don Ardell on the subject of black-vote courtship. “I’ve got the black vote sewn up,” he joked. After the good-natured laughter had subsided, he added, “I have the good sense not to go to your churches. You don’t want me there

Has the Port of Tampa taken a bum rap when it comes to the issue of Cuba? George Williamson, the port’s director, thinks so.

“There’s a lot of rhetoric out there,” says Williamson. “This is not a political issue to me. I believe the media did a disservice to us.

“We’re portrayed as having no interest in business in Cuba. Full stop. We have limited resources, but we’re interested. We’re interested in all trade, wherever it goes. If opportunity is there, we’ll chase it down.”

So how did such a “disservice” happen?

For openers, it sure did look like the Port of Tampa had been, well, missing the boat when it came to business opportunities — present and future — in Cuba. Mayor Dick Greco, who serves on the Port Authority, could lunch with Fidel Castro, and County Commissioner Pat Frank, who’s also on the Port Authority, could advocate legal trading with Cuba, but seemingly nothing had changed at the port. Although the hard-line Bush Administration had eased the 42-year-old trade embargo in 2001 to permit the sale of food and agricultural products to Cuba on a cash-only basis, it didn’t appear to prompt any “chasing” at the port of Tampa. Next month U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa becomes the first Florida congressman to make an official visit to Cuba.

Item: There was that agricultural expo in Havana last fall that drew 285 American exhibitors. No state was better represented than Florida — with 31. The Port of Tampa was a no show — even though no other American city can match Tampa’s cultural and trade roots with Cuba. While Windfalls-R-Us hardly beckons right now, Tampa’s overall business potential — from cargo to cruise-and-ferry passengers — remains substantial.

If nothing else, it was a chance to better position Tampa for opportunities with post-Castro Cuba. Relationships count in matters of international commerce.

Item: To assure that its policy was clear, the port issued this statement: “Unless or until the official U.S. government position changes, the Tampa Port Authority will not conduct sales and marketing trips to Cuba and will not be joining regional, Florida or U.S. trade missions (sanctioned or not) to Cuba in the pursuit of business.”

Not exactly the anthem of a port proactively — or even reactively — “chasing business.”

Item: Earlier this month there was the very public criticism of the port by a prominent shipping agent. Arthur Savage, who is licensed by the U.S. Treasury to do business with Cuba, told the Tribune that “The Port of Tampa is doing nothing to promote trade with Cuba and I’m baffled.” He recently expedited a dicalcium phosphate shipment to the Cuban port of Cienfuegos — by way of Port Manatee.

“Tampa Bay has a geographic and cultural advantage in trading with Cuba,” added Savage. “We need to begin taking advantage of it before we lose out to our neighboring states and counties.”

Item: A fortnight ago Dagoberto Rodriguez Barrera, the chief of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, barnstormed into town to talk to local business people and media. Of course, he’s a pitchman for the Cuban government, and he made the standard case for ending the U.S. embargo.

But he also extolled Tampa as a “perfect” fit for Cuban trade. He then cautioned against being left in the wake of more aggressive ports, such as Manatee and Jacksonville. His comments made local headlines. He met briefly with Louis Miller, executive director of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, but not Williamson, who was out of town. Some port staffers, however, did sit in on a session.

Within days of Savage firing his blamethrower and Rodriguez Barrera courting the local business community and media, Tampa Port Authority Chairman Joe Diaz said the port should be pursuing trade opportunities with Cuba as long as those pursuits “stay within the confines of the law.” Moreover, he’s now actually asking staff to check it out — meaning researching the fine print of embargo exemptions. He also has directed the marketing and legal departments to get up to speed on Cuban trade possibilities by next month’s meeting.

This much seems apparent. A series of events — from Hurricane Michelle-prompted embargo exemptions and an influential mayor’s sortie to Havana to insider fault-finding and high-visibility media criticism — have taken a toll. Call it pragmatism — goosed by some bad press.

It’s an about-face, and it’s about time.

Granted, Tampa’s top-priority markets are China and Mexico, and, no, the port doesn’t have competitive container facilities. And Havana-bound grain shipped down the Mississippi isn’t a logistical match with Tampa. And, yes, the port has but a two-man marketing department. But practicable options now exist. Exercising them may still make waves — but not tsunamis — with Tampa’s dwindling, embargo-enamored Cuban community.

“Fertilizers could certainly move out of here,” acknowledges Williamson. “That’s a good piece of business for us to go chase. Our job now is to focus a bit more on that market and see what our opportunities are.”

So don’t be surprised to see the Port of Tampa, two-man marketing staff notwithstanding, showing the flag at an upcoming Havana exposition. And it should shock no one when the phosphate market actually includes Cuba. In fact, a lack of such scenarios would truly be a disservice.

As for the politics? That’s the way it (embar)goes.

First the good news.

There’s no lack of public forums for mayoral candidates in this town. Voters, therefore, should know who — and what — they’re getting.

Neighborhood associations, from Carver City to Ybor City, host candidate conclaves on a seemingly daily basis. Chambers of commerce, the University of Tampa and various business and professional groups sponsor more such gatherings. Forums-R-Us. That should make for good democracy. Present yourself to the people, put it on the line and be accountable.

Now, the bad news.

To accommodate as many as six candidates, the response time to submitted queries is necessarily brief. Exhibit A: the recent luncheon sponsored by the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce at the Columbia Restaurant. It featured the four major candidates — Bob Buckhorn, Pam Iorio, Charlie Miranda and Frank Sanchez — plus arid activist Neil Cosentino and Don “Fit-Fun-Free-and-Functional” Ardell. With one minute for an opening, a closing and answers to three Ybor-related questions, it was a forum fit only for sound biting. The food was good; the food for thought much less so.

Consensus ruled. All candidates noted how valuable Ybor is as well as how vulnerable it is if the synergy with downtown and Channelside isn’t realized. Everyone wanted a better business mix in Ybor, and no one, presumably, wanted 7th Avenue turned into a teenaged vomitorium.

Not everyone, however, is equally adept at such faux forums. Charlie Miranda, for example.

“Plain Charlie” has lots of hands-on history around here. The chairman of City Council is also an infrastructure insider. He’s folksy, blunt, knowledgeable, relatively old school and relatively old. Arguably, he’s affected most by forum-lite. His three major, 40-something opponents are more media flexible.

With less than two months to go, these additional campaign trail snapshots:

*So far, Sanchez, who says he wants to be the city’s “Chief Vision Officer,” is the only candidate to incur any serious aspersions, even if typically indirect. Initially it was from both Miranda and Buckhorn over his failure to, in effect, pay his dues by not living here for more than 20 years. And putative help from influential friends of Dick Greco was characterized as dirty pool and a slap at Miranda, who had been close to Greco. They both had fun with his given “Francisco” name, implying that “Frank” was some politically expedient, mid-life reinvention.

Recently the thinly veiled criticism comes mostly from Buckhorn, who’s skewering Sanchez when he reminds audiences that “Vision without substance is an illusion” and that “Talk is cheap.” For good measure, there are periodic references to not needing “cue cards.” Buckhorn, with 16 years of City Hall-related experience, was an assistant to former Mayor Sandy Freedman before being elected to two City Council terms.

*Sanchez, Tampa-born and fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, is a professional negotiator and mediator who had never run for political office before. He seems to be adapting to the drive-by crucibles.

For openers, he works in his educational credentials and governmental experience without sounding snooty. If one must account for having been out of the local loop for two decades, it helps to reference Harvard, Bob Graham and the White House, as well as international contacts and business acumen. He’s also learned the value of bullet points when time is at a premium. His unique, beyond-the-bay background gives his “growing the economy” mantra a major measure of credibility and conviction. Notably on his game in this area.

*Street-smart Buckhorn is still the best debater. He’s been preparing himself for this job since he was a Freedman Administration aide. And he sounds it. His position papers are the standard for detail.

*Pam Iorio, the recently resigned supervisor of elections, hasn’t had to take an unpopular stand in 10 years. For many voters she is synonymous with good government and good character. Whoever criticizes her probably does it at his own peril. She is for excellence in everything — and can be as glib as the next guy.

*Don Ardell is not a serious candidate, but he’s a seriously funny one. A tedium buster with a nothing-to-lose, sometimes self-deprecating sense of humor. He typically follows Sanchez in alphabetical rotations. At an international business forum at UT, he acknowledged on several occasions that he was in total agreement with “everything that Frank Sanchez just said, so there’s no need for me to repeat it.” Brought the house down at a Plant High gathering by referencing the Gasparilla Parade as “A bunch of drunks in the streets, littering the place. What’s to be proud of?”

*Ardell has already won a “run-off.” It happened recently when the accomplished road runner and triathlete was working out at Coleman Middle School. When a P.E. class appeared, he asked the instructor if he wanted to motivate any of his students to “challenge the old guy.” A dozen or so took on the 64 year old — and were smoked at 220 yards.

The metaphor was perfect: downtown Tampa’s protean skyline and cultural-arts-district-to-be as seen from the Hillsborough River.

A bank of the Hillsborough was an ideal spot for Pam Iorio to officially launch her mayoral campaign. In her formal announcement, she pretty much covered the waterfront of all the good things we all want to happen, no matter who is elected mayor. No one is against progress or in favor of leaving anyone behind. No one is for more garages on the river. No one wants an ethics-challenged City Hall. No one doesn’t want a “can-do” mayor. Everyone wants a mayor who sounds this positive and this good, even with laryngitis.

But more pointedly, the site behind the University of Tampa was reinforcing to a major theme of her candidacy. She is not, she avowed in a still raspy voice, about pitting downtown interests against neighborhoods. Hers is a Pam glossian scenario — the best of all possible Tampas.

“Residents sometimes feel that big ticket items take away from an investment in everyday needs — sidewalks, drainage, roads, parks, public safety,” stated Iorio. “I believe we can have both

Across too many years, through too many administrations, for all kinds of reasons, stormwater has been the stepchild issue of Tampa. Schools, police, fire, parks, playgrounds, garages, a stadium and downtown development dominated budgets. Priorities and politics.

That toad-strangler on New Year’s Eve was the most recent reminder that no-wake zones aren’t limited to the Hillsborough River and that too many canals have morphed into run-off ditches. Would that kayaks at certain South Tampa intersections were always exercises in hyperbole.

Finally, however, stormwater has standing.

Recently City Council served notice to the county tax collector of plans to impose a stormwater fee this year. This election year. The proposal, at the behest of lame duck Mayor Dick Greco, will come before the Council next month. A “yes” vote would result in single-family homeowners being charged $12 a year. Multi-family residences would ante up $6 a year per unit. Businesses would be billed based on the size of their buildings.

It’s not a perfect solution. That would have had to occur years ago — as Tampa’s pipes grew ancient and filters became all the rage. But it is reasonable and long overdue. The tax would raise about $4 million a year toward city drainage projects. Tampa’s current — and manifestly inadequate — stormwater budget is $9.4 million per year. The additional funding would also make the city eligible for numerous federal grants. It could help leverage more loan dollars as well.

The most formidable obstacle standing in the way of doing what should have been done a generation ago is potential political posturing and parochialism. This is not the time to re-fight the Community Investment Tax allocations or question the timing of the mayor’s forget-me-not fee on the way out of office. Nor is it proper to foster scenarios that pit neighborhoods against each other because not all residential areas are equally vulnerable to stormwater surges.

For example, South Tampa, where elevation is low and density high, will require a sizable share of the stormwater funding. On balance, however, flooding is a citywide issue. Tampa is an increasingly crowded, waterfront city that is finally addressing this chronic growing pain that has drained patience and quality of life for too long.

City Council Chairman Charlie Miranda, a mayoral candidate who will vote for the fee, put it best. “Say there’s no flooding problem where I live (in West Tampa), but I also drive on Kennedy Boulevard,” noted Miranda. “You have an enormous problem there.”

And that’s everybody’s enormous problem, including the next mayor’s.