Community Forum on Transportation - February 13, 2019

Opening comments by Commissioners Mariella Smith, Kimberly Overman and Pat Kemp (left to right)
 

Please forgive me if the video and sound are slightly out of sync in these videos. In the rush to get this post out today, I neglected to preview the final edited versions of the videos. The sync should be close enough that you won't be distracted from the message.

Two days ago a Community Forum on Transportation was held at the Seminole Heights Library. It was hosted by the Sierra Club, a well recognized environmental advocacy organization that has been around since 1892. Considering the critical impact our new transportation initiative will have on the immediate and long range plans for transportation within Hillsborough County, I expected a huge turnout of both community activists, or advocates if you prefer, and public officials directly charged with implementing new plans for improving transportation here . I saw neither.

Questions and Answers

There were about 50 people representing the interests of the public and a grand total of 3 public officials on the panel. In this first serious attempt to establish a line of communication between our government officials and the public, of the 7 members of the County Commission, only 3 bothered to answer the open invitation to attend, Commissioners Mariella Smith, Kimberly Overman and Pat Kemp. Of the 14 members of the HART Board of Directors, only 3 members attended and coincidentally they were, Mariella Smith, Kimberly Overman and Pat Kemp. Of the 7 members of the City Council of Tampa, not one councilperson showed up. In the audience, there was 1 candidate for the upcoming election for mayor, Topher Morrison, and 2 candidates for councilmen, Walter L. Smith II and John Godwin. This dismal turnout of county government officials and candidates seems to me a clear indication that, despite the rhetoric to the contrary, the large majority of present and future hopeful officials have their own agenda of how they intend to spend this new transportation windfall and have no serious interest in the wants or needs the public, who voted for the initiative and is financing it in full. I have to add that John Turanchik, the son of Ed Turanchik, candidate for mayor, spent some time outside the event handing out flyers promoting Ed's "Go Plan", his agenda for transportation. John didn't attend the event itself. If your interest is in the people who actually rely on the bus system in Hillsborough County, I can only add that, when the host of the event asked for a show of hands of how many people in the audience had taken a bus to get to the event, only 1 person, myself, raised his hand. When he asked how many WOULD have taken a bus if there was one available to get them there, nearly half the audience raised their hands. I think the host was trying to make a point of how lacking our bus system is by asking these questions but I, personally, interpreted the responses completely differently. I found the responses rather odd because the HART MetroRapid has a stop 3 blocks from the event and I find it difficult to believe that I alone among the 50 or so attendees of the forum live near enough to a bus line capable of getting me to the event. I hope you get my point.

I also hope that, in the near future, I will see a real concerted effort to establish a working relationship between our government officials and the citizens of Hillsborough County. I'd like to see the schools in the county handing out notices to their students, to take home to their parents, advertising upcoming forums in their school auditoriums. I'd like to see questionnaires on all the buses that can be filled out and returned to any driver, asking riders what they want from the new bus system and inviting them to future outreach events. I'd like to see an upsurge by the public, demanding of the county officials, who THEY elected and whose salaries they pay for, listen to their concerns about the future of the transportation system they are funding. I'd like to see an indication by our county representatives that they will at least make an effort to reach out to the public they supposedly represent. Voting for the transportation initiative is a fine example of talking the talk. County officials telling each other how important it is to establish a concerted program of community outreach is a fine example of talking the talk. I'm hoping to see many, many more of these people begin actually walking the walk......but I'm not holding my breath.

Finally, there are thousands of Hart patrons who rely on the buses to get back and forth to work or school every day and will continue to suffer a dismally broken bus system for at least another year thanks to a lawsuit, meant to completely undermine the intent of the transportation initiative, filed by the self-serving Commissioner Stacy White. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican or any other political affiliation, you must know that Stacy White does not represent you and should not have a seat on our county commission. I urge everyone to keep this in mind when the elections come around next year.

Words of Jeffrey Zampitella

People ask me why I took the job as campaign manager for Topher Morrison. This is why.

When I ran for county commission I tried to use public transit every time I could to go to speaking events (or walk or bike).

Topher is the only candidate that will arrive tonight at the Hillsborough County LGBTA Democratic Caucus forum by bus. That's what I admire about him, among many things. It's not something he does because he's a candidate it's something he's been doing for years, 9 years in fact. It's been that long since he has owned a car.

www.topherformayor.com

Beat the Drum Spread the Word The RAYBOR scam isn't over

As anyone who has been seriously following the Tampa Bay Rays franchise's efforts to move their baseball team to Hillsborough County knows, the intricacies of the negotiations between the Rays and both St. Petersburg and Hillsborough County have been very complex, confusing and uncertain. One thing that is clear though is that these negotiations are far from over. 

I'll start with a video containing excerpts from the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) January 9 meeting, which makes it obvious that our County Commission has postured itself to continue negotiations with the Rays to entice them to move the team to Hillsborough County. To avoid claims of  my taking comments of the commissioners out of context, the video of the complete meeting can be found HERE (The motion and discussion begins at 3:28:24).

I'd like to give a shout out to Noah Pransky of WTSP for his relentless pursuit of the truth behind the secret negotiations being held between Ken Hagan and the Tampa Bay Rays, negotiations so secret even fellow commissioners were left in the dark. Thanks to Mr. Pransky, the Ybor activists were able to organize and react to Hagan's attempts to close a deal using $500 million of public funds to build the Rays stadium in the heart of Ybor City. We must stay on our guard though because Hagan, who secretly revealed the Ybor location to influential friends of his before it was made public, has openly stated that negotiations WILL continue under the umbrella of the Tampa Sports Authority (TSA), of which he is a board member and whose activities are even further outside the light of the Sunshine Laws.

So what can happen now? The Tampa Bay Rays, who have a contract with St. Petersburg which terminates in 2027 will most likely go back to the St. Petersburg City Council and present an ultimatum, threatening to sell the Rays team to another owner, as they did in 2010 to begin these negotiations in the first place, the intent being to coerce them into extending their time for negotiations with Hillsborough County. It seems more than a coincidence that the lawyer, Irwin Raij, originally retained by Hillsborough County and now retained by the TSA, is also a consultant for a group in Portland, Oregon who is looking to bring baseball to Portland. There are also those who were given inside information who have most likely invested heavily in properties in Ybor City on the promise of a Rays stadium there. They are not going to be too anxious to give up on the deal.

By the efforts of a good investigative reporter and the dedication of the Ybor activists who faced the BOCC and whose "shot across the bow" made it clear that we would not allow our county to appropriate a half billion dollars of public funds without the word being spread to the citizens of what was being done, we managed to throw a rather big wrench into efforts to scam an unwitting public.

Lastly, for those who really love Ybor City, I want to bring something to your attention. Part of the plan to build the new Rays stadium in Ybor City would most likely rely on revenues from  4 million square feet of new development in the area of the stadium. Using an online mapping tool, I measured the area of land that would be the most obvious location for this new development, bounded between 6th Ave. to Adamo Dr. and Nuccio Pkwy to 22nd St., and found it to be almost exactly 4 million square feet. As Ken Hagan admitted in his interview with Sports Talk Florida, this new development, modeled after the Atlanta Braves deal, which was also conducted secretly, would consist of new restaurants, bars, retail spaces, and high-rise hotels and apartment buildings. It is completely absurd to pretend that this new development would not drastically change, perhaps destroy, the culture and historical value of Ybor City.

In conclusion, I find it mind boggling that so many people, including at least one candidate for Mayor of Tampa, choose to believe the word of those who have the most financial interests at stake when they claim that the "Rays deal is finished" rather than clearly documented evidence that this is far from the truth, It isn't over.

AND WE MUST STAY VIGILANT!

To MPO or not to MPO

Always looking for the most exciting news in the Tampa Bay area, last night I went to a meeting of the Hillsborough MPO, Metropolitan Planning for Transportation.

The Hillsborough MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) is tasked with policy making for long-range transportation needs in the county. Last night's meeting was a presentation of the results of several workshops conducted by TBARTA (Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority) intended to assess the feasibility of merging the MPOs of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties into a single regional MPO. The presentation was given by Scott Lane of Stantec Consulting Services, Center for Transportation Research, a consulting firm commissioned by TBARTA.

So, buckle your seatbelts, folks, and get ready for the ride (pun intended). Below is the complete video of the meeting.

The meeting begins at 5:50 in the video and Scott Lane's presentation starts shortly after the meeting is called to order.

The really, really exciting moments in the meeting are at the following time marks in the video:
41:44
County Commissioner Pat Kemp presents a well elucidated counter-point argument in opposition to the merging of MPOs.
1:00:30
Tampa Councilman Harry Cohen presents a very passionate statement opposing an MPO merger.
1:04:30
The public speaks on the issue, every one of who vehemently opposes the idea of an MPO merger.
1:21:10
My good friend, Dayna, presents a convincing argument against the idea of merging MPOs
1:24:28
My pretty face (at least until the switch to the front view camera) unexpectedly appears and I elucidate on the practice of our local government bodies brazenly and openly making efforts to circumvent Florida's Sunshine Laws.  

Ok, maybe it could have been a little more exciting but the circus performers and the Riverdance crew had last minute engagements elsewhere.

In reality though, the ongoing meetings by several committees of our local government and HART concerning transportation improvements in the area will have a VERY important bearing on the future of the transportation needs of you, the citizens. I can not express strongly enough that each and every person in the county, who cares about our future, should make every effort to stay aware of what these committees are doing and, whenever possible, come to these meetings and use your voice. Our government officials are not likely to make great efforts to come to us so.....WE MUST GO TO THEM!

Ed Turanchik's "GO PLAN" Roll Out January 7, 2019

During the roll out of his GO PLAN, Ed Turanchik presented some very innovative and creative ways to modernize the Hillsborough area transit system.

What he didn't do was address the serious needs of the citizens who already use the present transit system, who rely on it on a daily basis, who are seriously inconvenienced by an ineffective and poorly structured system, who are the existing base of customers whose needs must be met before any talk of greenway corridors, fast transit to Disney World, driverless trams or ferries.

The 2019 Dream with Asher

Hello there fellow politicos! Are you excited for the next election cycle?

2019 will set the stage for 2020, both nationally and locally. Keep in mind that Florida won’t have a scheduled Senate or Governor election until 2022. That gives Floridian progressives time to work our local and presidential races.

In cities like Tampa, municipal elections are to be held in March. I already support some candidates for City Council.  John Godwin, Bill Carlson, and Orlando Gudes have proven to me that they belong on the Council. As for Mayor and other Council races, I am still undecided. What do you want to see in Tampa politics? I want a government that will protect and expand transit options, take justice reform seriously, and take Tampa away from the influence of Bob Buckhorn.

The presidential primaries are upon us, and we need to be prepared for what that will come with. For one, it will reignite old rivalries between centrist and progressive Democrats. I advise that my fellow progressives remain bold on the issues and push for “when they go low, we go high” tactics when interacting with less than pleasant individuals—we ought all end up on the same team after the summer of 2020, and we should do so by the setting the stage for what we want to see happen. I want our progressives to be tough and have the spinal fortitude to stand by the issues. I do not want our progressives to engage in pointless feuds, or waste energy while using reason to combat irrationality. I want our progressives elected, in power, and in a position to redefine political triumph in a way that accomplishes goals, such as expanding the ADA, and ensures cooperation through positive dialogue. 

I recall being an Organizer for the progressive Gillum campaign and making it a habit to introduce myself to the staffers from other gubernatorial campaigns while promoting a field of decency, mutual respect, and kindness. I had good relationships with the other staffers, and had a positive interaction with Gwen Graham (While I wore my Andrew Gillum t-shirt, no less). Following the primary, and moving forward into 2020, I cannot say that I have not encountered challenges. People from the right wing to the left wing have frustrated me, and I feel that it is important to do two things. Acknowledge the frustration, and move on. Be confident and bold on the issues, and speak out if you or someone who you care about is the butt of someone’s hostility. Examine the (sometimes) blurry line between needless drama and making an important point. There are opportunities ahead to elect wonderful people to different offices, and we need to hone in on our commonalities to achieve the best results.

What I want to see are genuine, strong progressives run and win. For President, I like Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gabbard, and Julian Castro. For School Board, I would like to see some competent candidates to heal the poisoned Board, particularly in Districts 1 and 7 (West Hillsborough and Countywide, respectively). Maybe Robert Pechacek, Bill Person, Laurie Rodriguez, and Karen Clay will consider running. For County Commission, I know that I will support the re-election of Pat Kemp. For District 3 (East Tampa area) I like Sky White and Gwen Myers. For District 1 (South Tampa area) I like Jen McDonald, and wouldn’t mind seeing some other candidates to entice an issue driven primary for that seat. For the judicial elections, I know that I will support attorney Gary Dolgin should he decide to run.

Who do you want to see set the stage for 2020? Leave your comment on the Stogie or on Facebook, and please, remember that agreeing to disagree is a crucial step in respectfully containing a potentially hostile political discussion. Remember First Lady Michelle Obama, “When they go low, we go high!”

— Asher

Ken Hagan Has Gone Rogue

He wants to sue 10News WTSP over a story claiming he improperly coordinated with Darryl Shaw, the owner of six properties within the footprint of a proposed Tampa Bay Rays ballpark in Ybor City.

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Mayor Rick Kriseman, in a series of tweets, called for Hagan to be removed from his role in leading Hillsborough's efforts to bring the Rays to Tampa.

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"He’s gone rogue from his fellow commissioners throughout this process, and now questions have been raised related to potential unethical or criminal behavior," Kriseman said in a statement. more

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Last year he wanted go after citizens who filed ethics complaints against him. more

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Kenny is out of control, 

he should of been beaten, 

what happened?

Tampa Beware Of Gil Machin

“Our schools get plenty of funding... kids go to charter schools because our public schools don’t do a good enough job. If you want it more equal, our public schools need to do a better job.” 
Hillsborough School Board Candidate 

Gil Machin
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Mr. Machin, maybe if you stop taking money from public schools to give to charter schools things would get better. Were you handpicked by Susan Valdez 
to continue her work?

Coffee with Elvis Piggott

First-time candidate Elvis Piggott is finding out just how nasty politics can be. The 30 year-old pastor from Hillsborough County has been in the crosshairs of the political blogosphere multiple times this cycle. Most recently, reports surfaced of a lawsuit filed against the millennial pastor for misrepresenting himself as the booking agent for gospel recording artist Vickie Winans. 

With the Democratic primary just over three months away, Piggott has a lot of damage control to do if he plans on winning the party’s nomination for Hagan’s coveted District 5 seat. For now, the pastor is not worried about the civil proceedings being brought against him, but is rather focusing on the court of public opinion. Piggott says, “These allegations are 100 percent false and erroneous, and this is a political hit job.” Piggott believes this particular hit job was orchestrated by his opponent Mark Nash and it has no legitimacy. The pastor couldn’t go in depth regarding specifics of the lawsuit since it is ongoing, but he says that his innocence will be proven in the coming weeks. 

While Piggott may be trying to be avoid “dirty politics,” it’s clear that a fight may be necessary albeit not desired. “Our campaign is focused on our message and our platform. That’s what the people want to hear. The people are tired of dirty politics as usual and don’t want to see two grown men fighting.” Despite whether or not the public is tired of politics as usual, Piggott’s reaction in the coming days will determine where this fight may be headed.   

Warning: Hillsborough County GOP Attempting Coup d'état

The republicans on the Hillsborough County Commission are trying to upend the HC Charter without going thru the charter review process.

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This proposed change would allow 
republicans to maintain power FOREVER.
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They are trying to change all constitutional officers to non partisan, trying to redraw the commission from 4 single member and 3 at large seats to 9 single member districts, and allow the republican controlled board to draw the lines of these new districts. These would be put on the ballot in Nov. and go into effect in 2020.

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Just in time for Sandy Murman to have a nice comfortable seat of her own in So. Tampa
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We need as many people as possible to show up at the HC Board of Commission meeting on Wed. morning. We need to use the 9-10 am hour of public comment to call out the republicans for their obvious political moves
info

Florida GOP Victor Crist Is Full Of Shit

He is about to get smacked upside the head by a local icon.

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“She claims to be a civic activist, but has little to show for it. I put my record up any day. She can’t even come close to it.” Victor Crist

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We all know what Mariella has done for us no matter what this republican claims. Lets review what he has done shell we. 

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Caps On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Corporate Welfare

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Slithers Out

 Worked to derail Go Hillsborough

Supported barring discrimination against LGBT

No new Hispanic district

Denies Domestic Partnership Registry

Did not sign GaYBOR Days proclamation

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Appointed local bigot Terry Kemple to a county board charged with protecting equal rights

Read more of his BS here

Vote Jae Passmore For Hillsborough County Commissioner

This is what we have:

Caps On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Corporate Welfare

Slithers Out

 Worked to derail Go Hillsborough

Supported barring discrimination against LGBT

No new Hispanic district

Denies Domestic Partnership Registry

Did not sign GaYBOR Days proclamation

Appointed local bigot Terry Kemple to a county board charged with protecting equal rights

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Must have enough toilet paper

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Here is who we could have!

Check her out here
Please note: This blog takes full responsibility for this post. 
Not endorsed by any candidate.