Commentary on Bay Area issues
Reportedly, Democrat Phyllis Busansky is considering a run for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office. Republican Buddy Johnson is the incumbent.
“There needs to be more integrity in the process,” Busansky has noted, “and I don’t see it.”
Item: A recent sample ballot mailed to more than 200,000 registered Hillsborough Republicans included the name of “Rudi” Giuliani.
Reportedly, Busansky is closer to a decision.
Ybor, we understand.
Too much wet-zoning, too many teens, too many places that have too many good reasons to pat down for weapons. That’s why there are curfews, code crackdowns and an obvious uniformed police presence. It’s what you do, and you don’t let up — because Ybor’s that important.
But even still, if you don’t go near certain establishments at certain wee hours, you’re almost certain not to have a problem.
But downtown St. Petersburg? BayWalk? Christmas evening?
For the second time in less than three years, BayWalk, centerpiece for downtown St. Pete’s well-documented renaissance, has been raked by out-of-control crowds. The latest incident included gunfire. Pepper at BayWalk is to be ground, not sprayed.
It’s obvious what’s at stake: downtown’s continued revival.
Suggestions: For openers, don’t treat these disturbing incidents as if they are mere by-products of “bored teenagers” and “troublemakers.” This is no time for Crowd Control 101, “Best Practices” guidelines, criminal euphemisms or oxymoronic appeals to parental supervision. We’re talking about serious curfews seriously enforced by highly visible, uniformed police officers. That’s because we’re also talking punks and thugs.
Second, think twice about downtown events that attract precisely those that are the problem. Or is that still not clear enough?
We’re now a couple of weeks removed from that rhetorical shootout at City Council over city jobs proposed for elimination as part of City Hall budget cuts. Still time for serious reflection.
Mayor Pam Iorio had proposed that as many as 88 jobs could be jettisoned in janitorial and security services alone. The plan is for such jobs to be privatized.
It’s certainly a subject for debate. The employees who hold these jobs – and the families affected — deserve no less. To privatize or not to privatize? And if so, where is it most applicable? And have attrition and re-hiring scenarios been sufficiently scrutinized?
Not relevant, however, was the recent undue focus on the racial and ethnic composition of those in the affected areas. According to analysis by City Council Finance Chairman John Dingfelder, an inordinate number of impacted employees are black or Hispanic.
Not to be insensitive, but – so? Would this have been an issue if a bunch of Euro-Americans were being laid off? Would the compassion for those who would lose health-care benefits be as palpable? Would grandstanding have been part of the fact-finding?
The point is this. There are legitimate reasons to at least challenge the city’s budget-cut priorities. As there are reasons to label City Hall communications-challenged.
But don’t make this a minority issue. That’s the wrong bottom line. As wrong as “No justice, no peace.”
Whenever an employer – whether government or private sector – cuts a budget, it’s no secret what such a process is shorthand for: people losing jobs.
The city of Tampa is no exception. When Mayor Pam Iorio announced that more than $3 million would be sliced from the City Hall budget, it also meant that as many as 88 jobs could be jettisoned in janitorial and security services.
In this case, the city says it will show savings from privatizing such services. While bottom line prudence is always expected, nobody is celebrating the loss of jobs and the people who hold them.
While a budget – and the priorities and judgment calls of those who oversee it – is always fair game, recent criticism of the privatizing plans took a decidedly misguided turn. It focused unduly on the racial and ethnic composition of those in the affected areas. According to an analysis by City Council Finance Chairman John Dingfelder, an inordinate number of impacted employees are black or Hispanic.
Not to be insensitive, but – so? Would this have been an issue if a bunch of Euro-Americans were being laid off? Would the compassion for those who would lose health-care benefits be as palpable? Would grandstanding have been in evidence?
The point is this: It’s pertinent to make the case, for example, that privatizing isn’t the way to go. Or that these are the wrong departments to privatize. Or that attrition and re-hiring scenarios haven’t been sufficiently scrutinized. Or that City Hall continues to be communication-challenged.
And it’s laudatory, if unrealistic, to raise the specter of across-the-board salary cuts for everyone – although every job isn’t equally important.
But don’t make this a minority issue. That’s the wrong bottom line. As wrong as “No justice, no peace.”
Part of the landscape of every presidential political season is high-profile fundraising. Often the hosts are familiar. Around here, they have names like Scarritt and Lykes. And then there are those who are curious about getting involved. A few pointers.
*Hosts lend their credibility as well as their digs. No scandals and a big veranda.
*Hosts cannot be network challenged.
*Campaigns spring for security. The Secret Service is not typically assigned until a candidate becomes a nominee.
*Campaigns meet with city officials and fire marshals to pre-empt issues.
*Campaigns will take care of valet parking.*Hosts must actually dial down. Hold the caviar and champagne. Go with moderately priced wine, not liquor. And get as many in-kind donations as possible, including catered fare, musicians and bartenders.
“The biggest challenge (for prospective hosts) is that these are people who are used to entertaining, and they want to treat royally any guest in their house,” says Tampa’s Frank Sanchez, a key Barack Obama advisor and Tampa Bay organizer. “But you have to tell them not to spend a lot of money. ‘Don’t go overboard.'”
A host can spend up to $2,000 – a donation in kind – points out Sanchez. “Over that, the campaign has to pick it up. We would rather tap the coffers for TV time.”
Norma Gene Lykes, whose Obama fundraiser brought in nearly $250,000 back in April, has no regrets – and some salient advice.
“If you really believe in somebody, do it – and do get some help,” advises Lykes. “Go to the grass roots office. It has a ripple effect.
“We were very pleased with how it turned out,” she recalls. “Very diverse; not just the traditional high rollers.”
Lykes also was pleased that the experience at her Bayshore Boulevard home didn’t leave her feeling as if she had been in royal company.
“There’s all this excitement and attention to detail, but at the end of the day it was just like having a wonderful house guest. Obama’s a very nice man. Incredibly likeable.”
After going into late-night overtime the week before, the Tampa City Council finally gave its blessing – or at least its majority vote – to the rezoning plans of Wasserman Real Estate Capital to redevelop Hyde Park Village.
Despite all the histrionic fuss, partisan controversy and inevitable divisiveness, there’s actually a lot for most interested folks to agree on regarding the 10-acre Hyde Park Village and attendant plans to help revitalize it.
*Hyde Park Village is not what it used to be. Selena’s is still missed. Sharper Image won’t be back. Jacobson’s is gone forever. No more movie theater.
*Nostalgia is not a strategy for success.
*Wasserman’s motives aren’t altruistic. It wants what’s best for Wasserman.
*Compromise has occurred.
*An open air, urban village is for real shoppers, outdoor diners and imbibers, and serious strollers – not roving, mall-magnet teens. This is good. In fact, it’s very good.
*Upscale living proximate to retail works. Europe’s been doing it for centuries.
*(To virtually all but Councilwoman Mary Mulhern), the status quo has become notably lusterless and unacceptable. Not vibrant enough and not nearly enough retail traffic. International Plaza, WestShore Mall and Channelside are more than formidable. Synergy with downtown visitors has never happened.
*Tell-tale signs of a prominent, mid-neighborhood retail loser is a worst-case scenario for every stakeholder – from shop owners to nearby home owners.
*There is no pleasing everybody.
Even Wasserman should agree that shoehorning two mid-rises and 163 condos –along with improved curb appeal and more retail and business space — into the village is less than ideal. But the numbers on a $100-million investment have to work, and it’s not as if the immediate vicinity is totally devoid of structures taller than 40 feet.
Holding out for the Panglossian ideal in an imperfect marketplace has already bequeathed us the Woolworth and Newberry plywood palaces downtown.
Some observations from the recent City Council dynamics involving the Village vote:
*Do not do important business after 1:00 a.m. Some members, notably Linda Saul-Sena, seemed frazzled by the endurance test a fortnight ago. This is no way to decide matters of magnitude.
*Those members who live farthest away – Joseph Caetano, Tom Scott, Gwen Miller and Charlie Miranda – favored the redevelopment plan.
*While a lot of articulate, caring members of the public crowded into City Hall to speak up, nobody made a more pointed comment than Kit Stewart, who owns Kit’s Well Heeled & Well Dressed shop. “There are more people in this room than there are (shopping) in Hyde Park Village,” noted Stewart.
Amen.
Whenever an employer – whether government or private sector – cuts a budget, it’s no secret what such a process is shorthand for: people losing jobs. The city of Tampa is no exception. When Mayor Pam Iorio announced that more than $3 million would be sliced from the City Hall budget, it also meant that as many as 88 jobs could be jettisoned in the janitorial and security services areas.
In this case, the city says it will show savings from privatizing. While bottom-line prudence is always expected, nobody is celebrating the loss of jobs and the people who hold them.
While a budget — and the priorities and judgment calls of those who oversee it — is always fair game, recent criticism of the privatizing plan has taken a misguided turn. It has focused unduly on the racial and ethnic composition of those in the affected areas. According to an analysis by City Council Finance Chairman John Dingfelder, an inordinate number of impacted employees are black or Hispanic.
Not to be insensitive, but – so? Would this have been an issue if a bunch of Euro-Americans were being laid off? Would the compassion for those who would lose health-care benefits be as palpable?
The point is this: It’s pertinent to make the case, for example, that privatizing isn’t the way to go. Or that these are the wrong departments to privatize. Or that attrition and re-hiring scenarios haven’t been sufficiently scrutinized. Or that City Hall continues to be communication-challenged.
And it’s laudatory, if unrealistic, to raise the specter of across-the-board salary cuts for everyone.
But don’t make this a minority issue. That’s the wrong bottom line. As wrong as “No justice. No peace.”
Last week the Pinellas County School Board approved a plan to steer students to schools in their neighborhoods. What a concept. Alas, two generations of public school students have had to endure failed social engineering to reach this common-sense point.
It’s no secret that USF has been ambitious lately on a number of fronts – from prioritizing neonatal care and diabetes research to collaborating with SRI International and Merck & Co. to establishing the Patel Center for Global Solutions.
Now add one more: the Confucius Institute.
These are Chinese language and culture institutes on college campuses that are formally sponsored by the government of China. Each one is a collaboration with a Chinese counterpart. There are about 150 worldwide and 30 in the U.S. This is the first for Florida.
The competition is keen to land one. Among those also actively interested: the University of Florida, Florida International University and the University of Miami.
“The Chinese have thought this through carefully,” assesses USF Dean of International Affairs Maria Crummett. “Education is absolutely critical to the Chinese. They’re looking to establish a global presence in multiple ways. They also value people-to-people diplomacy.”
After about a year of negotiations and an on-site visit from the Chinese consulate in Houston, USF was selected to pair up with Nankai University in Tianjin. This will be the second U.S. affiliation for Nankai, which has had an ongoing relationship with USF for some 25 years. Nankai’s other U.S. partner is the University of Maryland.
“At USF, we are an institution that is globally engaged,” explains Crummett. “We’re in an era where education — by definition — is global. So, the Confucius Institute is part of our strategic focus. If we’re not educating our students about China and India, we’re doing them a disservice. We are preparing the global workforce of the future.”
According to Crummett, the manifest interest from faculty, students, researchers, the business community, regional campuses and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce carried the day on the consulate’s site visit in early fall. “From the beginning, we were overwhelmed by faculty interest,” recalls Crummett. “And like any university, faculty members don’t need more meetings! And then we were stunned by the community interest and support.”
The Chinese government will commit $100,000 a year for at least three years. USF will provide space and personnel resources that will more than match the Chinese funding. Among USF’s foremost priorities: providing Chinese language instruction for K-12 teachers.
“USF will certify instructors,” emphasizes Crummett. “This has statewide implications.”
Initially, the Confucius Institute will be housed in a suite of offices on the fourth floor of Cooper Hall. Ultimately it would seek space in whatever is built out for the Patel Center. Courses will be offered starting this February when several Nankai professors arrive.
Among the first students: Crummett. She’s already signed up for Mandarin Chinese.
Much is being made of plans for the Prime Meridian Center in downtown Tampa. And not just because it’s been 15 years since the last office building was added to the skyline.
From the get-go, the PMC project, which is being developed by the Trammell Crow Co., has been shooting for certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Two points.
First, efficient, environmentally smart design promotes conservation and sustainability. This is, of course, good.
Second, it’s also enlightened self-interest. Going green, it turns out, can lower operating costs, please employees and enable new metro towers to compete with suburban office buildings.
Talk about historic.
When ground was formally broken earlier this month for the new Tampa Bay History Center, the event itself made history. Imagine, when the 60,000-square-foot center opens — the target date is December 2008 — it will have been the result of that rarest of occurrences: textbook collaboration among the city of Tampa, the county of Hillsborough and the private sector. For a region too typically mired in petty parochialism and political in-fighting, this is truly historic.
And how fitting that the perfect storm of cooperation will yield this $52-million project. Before there was a Jamestown or a Plymouth landing, there were Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernando de Soto exploring parts of present-day Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. The Tampa Bay History Center will graphically – and interactively – remind us all of what we have in common, not conflict.