GOP Hillsborough County Commissioners: "A Profile In Cowardice"

Tea Party rules around here!
The county commission voted 4-3 on Wednesday night to reject the proposed 30-year, half-cent sales tax, refusing to put it on the November ballot and letting voters decide.
here

----------

"Sadly tonight a majority of the County Commission has refused to give the citizens of Hillsborough County an opportunity to decide for themselves whether their future includes a better transportation system. Rather than a profile in courage this vote was a profile in cowardice." Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn

----------

"I am very disappointed that after years of work this board was not able to build consensus, I do look forward to the continued dialogue at our upcoming meeting and I'm hopeful that we might still be able to come to a consensus on such an important community issue as transportation." Kevin Beckner

----------

Matthew Durshimer was all for the 30-year sales tax. He said it was the only way Hillsborough would attract corporate relocations and a younger workforce. Only the 30-year tax, he argued, would allow the county to build a real transit system. "And if the answer is no, then expect all the problems of today to get worse tomorrow," Durshimer said, "and expect all the young professionals like myself to leave this commununity.

----------

Sandy Murman wants the board to hold yet another transportation workshop in the near future. It passed unanimously. GO Hillsborough was meant to fail from the begining. It was all a sham. here

We can start with Murman! here
Please note, it was smart what they did. It would not have passed. 
To much for roads and not enough for rail.

sanctions for Commissioner Sandy Murman

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and State Attorney Mark Ober found no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing in how county staff, commissioners, and private consultant Beth Leytham acted in the months leading up to the selection of Leytham's client, Parsons Brinckerhoff, for the lucrative "Go Hillsborough" project. But the report corroborates 10Investigates findings that Leytham made a habit of influencing decision-makers behind the scenes. 
And Ober suggested sanctions for Commissioner Sandy Murman - and training for other commissioners - over non-criminal public records violations. here

Speak Out Against TBX In Tampa

3.1 - 9AM DOWNTOWN TAMPA

Tell the MPO Board, especially

 Les Miller, Sandy Murman,
Lisa Montelione and Harry Cohen

• We don’t appreciate our concerns being ignored and voted against at the Aug. 4 MPO board meeting!
• We want TBX stopped and removed from the TIP.
• They should be vigorously fighting for and defending their constituents, who are being asked to give up so much for zero benefit. info

Scandalous Year In Tampa

Florida Ethics Commission Investigating

Ken Hagan, Sandy Murman 

And Bob Buckhorn

Bob Buckhorn Kissing FDOT Ass

Cuban Spies In Ybor City

Tampa To Lose Cuban Consulate 

Because Of Bob Bucknorn

Bargain Bob's Talents

Bob Buckhorn's Fringe Groups

Tampa's Pay To Play Culture

2015: Florida GOP Highlights

Sandy Murman/Tea Party Transit Plan

Ted Yoho: We should eject Muslims and others with a Middle Eastern background

Marco Rubio Voted Against Barring Suspected Terrorists From Getting Guns

Manny Diaz Jr. and Greg Evers 

Siding With Polluters

Florida gets a D

Failures Costing Taxpayers Over $1M

Dick Cheney Dinner In Orlando Sold Out

Pam Bondi

Florida’s New “Religious Freedom” Bill

Feds Say No

more

Sandy Murman's Tea Party Advisors

Murman became a no vote on the Go Hillsborough referendum. She has another idea, well it closely reflects ideas and even language put forth by tea party members and a prominent anti-tax activist from 

Pinellas County. here

----------

Tea Party activists, who had been imploring county commissioners to shut down Go Hillsborough and forget the sales tax, cheered Murman’s bold move.

----------

“Sandy, I can’t tell you how proud of I am of your stepping out to lead on the transportation issue. It is fantastic. Thank you for your courage and your dedication to finding the best way for the county." Ken Roberts, Tea Party

Roberts had every reason to be proud. Murman’s plan borrowed heavily from one he had been shopping to commissioners for months.

Florida Ethics Commission Investigating Ken Hagan, Sandy Murman And Bob Buckhorn

The Florida Ethics Commission is now investigating complaints filed against Hillsborough County commissioners Ken Hagan and Sandy Murman, as well as Tampa Mayor DINO Bob Buckhorn, following a series of 10 Investigates reports into their relationships with controversial consultant Beth Leytham. here

Attend MPO Board Meeting Today: Stop TBX

6 PM

Tell the MPO Board, especially Les Miller, Sandy Murman,Lisa Montelione and Harry Cohen, that:

• We don’t appreciate our concerns being ignored and voted against at the Aug. 4 MPO board meeting!
• We want TBX stopped and removed from the TIP.
• They should be vigorously fighting for and defending their constituents, who are being asked to give up so much for zero benefit.
• Tell them how you feel- be there, and bring 5 friends with you!

Frederick B. Karl County Center
601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Second Floor, Tampa
info

Hillsborough County GOP E-Mail Scandal

Hillsborough County Commissioners Sandy Merman and Ken Hagan possibly violated Florida Sunshine Laws when they failed to produce  Emails they said didn’t exist. It was not until community activist Tom Rask threatened to sue that Hagan and Merman agreed to release dozens of previously hidden emails relating to county business.
----------
Ms. Murman is sorry

“I didn’t mean any harm”

And Hagan blamed his staff.

here

 The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

Corruption Scandal In Tampa

Beth Leytham
Documents obtained by 10 Investigates detail how a senior political adviser to Mayor Bob Buckhorn and other local leaders is wielding influence behind-the-scenes of City of Tampa and Hillsborough County business, potentially in violation of local and state ethics laws. And the politicians she’s closest to – including several county commissioners - have allowed it.

here

-----------
"Go Hillsborough, our transportation plan for the future of Hillsborough County, was awarded more than a million dollars (so far) with no-bid contract to Parson Brinckerhoff and Beth Leytham. Beth Leytham who outlined the no bid process to the county administrator has been paid $190,000 for her own part in the deal. Beth Leytham is not paid as a political consultant and registered as a lobbyist as she should be. Instead lucrative taxpayer contracts are steered her way so that taxpayers are footing the bill. In the case of Go Hillsborough it was a no-bid contract. That's just wrong." 

Patricia Kemp

Tampa's shady underword

Bob Buckhorn

 Sandy Murman

Ken Hagan

Are invoved

We Want A Referendum To Kick Out The Hillsborough County Commissioners Because They Ignored The Referendum

Nearly 80 percent of voters in 2008 approved a referendum to give up to $200 million to the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program to purchase pristine, sensitive land for preservation. Now the program is broke and its leadership blames the county. here

"It's a disgrace,what are they waiting for, another referendum for the next election to kick them out because they ignored the referendum?" Jan Platt

---------------------

Two Republicans get it.

People overwhelmingly approved that amendment, that was the message and we can't forget or lose sight of what that message was." Sandy Murman

----------------

Stacy White said he expects to unveil a new proposal within six weeks to fund and "revitalize" ELAPP. Where is Kevin Beckner on this? 

Does Ken Hagan need the money for  Corporate Welfare or to give to Hollywood filmmakers?
Remember White and Miller wanted to use some of the BP money. 

Hillsborough County GOP Corruption

The wage theft ordinance

(Miami-Dade model)

pitched by Hillsborough County Commissioner 

Kevin Beckner was pushed aside by the five Republican members of the Hillsborough County Commission in favor of a watered down version that might cost the county more in the long run. They seem to favor an ordinance in Palm Beach County that sends $125,000 in public money to a local legal aid society to handle wage theft complaints. here

The Palm Beach model happens to be the one favored by the Florida Retail Federation, which lobbies on behalf of retailers and contacted
Hillsborough Commission Chair 

Sandy Murman 

before the debate over Beckner’s proposal.

"The vote against adopting the Miami-Dade model seems more grounded in appearances and in appeasing a powerful lobby." Tampa Tribune

Call Sandy Murman

Organizations around the state of Florida will be uniting to demand support for
‪#‎DAPA‬ 

which would protect thousands who are undocumented! Be sure to participate in Hillsborough County's!

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

Commission Chair, Sandra L. Murman

Phone:(813) 272 - 5470

Email:murmans@hillsboroughcounty.org

Hillsborough County, Florida. Land Of Corporate Welfare

Recent giveaways

$3.4 million to Citigroup

$60,000 to an unidentified logistics operation 

$78,500 to a Tampa financial services firm. here

Need CASH, call Sandy Murman 813.272.5470

If Ms. Murman is busy, try Ken Hagan

813.272.5725

Locals need not apply 

The stain on Hillsborough County's reputation

 A majority of the commissioners — four of the seven — have expressed to the 

Tampa Bay Times their qualified support for expanding Hillsborough's human rights ordinance to also ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in hiring, housing and public accommodations. here

Democrat Les Miller and Republicans Victor Crist and Sandy Murman told the Times they support barring discrimination against gay and transgender people, but would need to see the actual ordinance in writing first. Commissioners Al Higginbotham and 

Mark (Sailors Haven) Sharpe, both Republicans, wouldn't weigh in before Wednesday.

One local conservative activist has started mounting an effort to defeat the ordinance. Terry Kemple, a Hillsborough School Board candidate, called the offices of several commissioners Monday to express his concerns. "It's bad policy, and this is a huge issue," Kemple said in a phone interview. "This puts government in the position of trampling on people's religious liberties in favor of people's sexual preferences."

Tampa HART

Hillsborough County leaders are drawing up plans to remake the HART bus system into an expansive agency that can oversee construction of countywide transportation projects ang the authority to build roads and rail and create new bus routes.....more

Commissioners Kevin Beckner, Mark Sharpe and Sandy Murman all nominated HART.

Mayor Bob likes the idea, so do we. If anything is right around here it is them. 

“When you’re talking about transportation, for me it’s logical to think HART, why would you recreate the wheel and create a whole new agency.” Kevin Beckner

The Hypocrisy Of Commissioner Sandy Murman

Patrons who buy time at internet sweepstakes cafés say they do it to escape boredom, make new friends and possibly win some money. But to Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, the cafés are illegal gambling joints that need to be prohibited. Today, Murman will try to get fellow commissioners to support an ordinance to put them out of business altogether.
here
Republicans are suppose to be pro-business. What about all the people these places employ?

Just what we need more people out of work.

Throwing Hillsborough Transit Into Reverse

These are major, systemic problems. County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, who serves on the board, gets it; he changed his mind and supported a tax increase for HART, which would cost the average home­owner about 41 cents a year. But his colleague, Commissioner Sandy Murman, a fellow Republican, is still playing politics. Murman said she won't support an increase "even if it's a penny."

Even if it's a penny? This is the mind-set Hillsborough needs to change if it hopes to address transportation and job development in a meaningful way.

From a letter to the St. Pete Times, more.

Bigots In The Hillsborough County Commission

Organizers of this year's GaYBOR Days have received a proclamation from Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Even President Barack Obama's office has sent one. But it doesn't look like Hillsborough County Commissioners will send one after five of the commissioners declined to sign a proclamation for this year's 4-day festival.
Earlier this month, Terry (#1 Bigot) Kemple, who is a member of the county's Human Relations Board, sent an email to all the commissioners warning them that signing such a proclamation would violate county policy.

Kevin Beckner, along with Commissioner Les Miller, are the only board members to have signed a proclamation for this year's GaYBOR Days.

The five commissioners who did not sign this year's proclamation are
Republicans
Sandy Murman, Victor Crist, Al Higginbotham, Ken Hagan and Mark Sharpe.
more
What Happens When You Don't Vote!

FedEx At Tampa International Airport

Hasn't paid county property taxes since 2000. They just got caught last year.
here
Republican County Commissioner Sandy Murman told fellow adjustment board members that she worried about imposing a new tax on local businesses.