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New
Vision
As
The Issues
discussion reminds us, 2007 was our wakeup call. We have a lot to feel
good about but most of the bad news of 2007 could have been avoided or
lessened with proper planning and action by our Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC). Now is the time to develop a new leadership
team and vision if we want to make the most of the rocky road ahead
and direct our future in a balanced manner.
Breaking
bad habits and embracing our New Vision will be intimidating to some of
our commissioners and community leaders. So we can expect but not
tolerate their resistance to changing from their “old vision” to our
“new vision”.
For our
new vision and its road map to work for us, we can all agree that the
elements outlined below are necessary.
For our
County:
-
Our
Comprehensive Plan must recognize our changing needs as our
Districts,
County, and Region move through phases of natural (not forced)
development.
That each phase must lay a solid foundation for the ones that
follow. And that our future requires BOCC leadership that can
properly complete the current phase carefully plan for the next one,
and restores your Trust in them
-
The New BOCC
will reach out to all parties, stop the feuding that exists between
the community and special interests, and finally lay out a common
sense road
map for resolving our pressing problems.
-
We must
harness our rich mix of social, government, and business elements
into a powerful engine for quality of life and economic growth. Yes,
the new vision
for our County will combine them into a solid community fabric.
For our
Districts:
-
Each
Commissioner must be an advocate for real solutions to the immediate
issues that affect her or his District, such as:
Transportation and other congestion where we live, shop, and
play
Poorly planned developments and villages
Taxes and other costs of home and business ownership
Water shortage
-
Continually
reach out to understand each community’s issues and actively deal
with them. We must be satisfied only when things are going well and
our community’s positive future can be foreseen.
-
Insist that
the 4 pillars of our quality of life (family, neighborhood,
workplace, and
economy) are considered in all matters that come before the Board of
County
Commissioners,
For our
Region:
At the
Personal Level:
To
realize our new vision, each County Commissioner must live a
commitment to:
-
Community and
its residents before personal benefit and special interests. Being
honest, open, fair and balanced at all times.
-
Leadership,
practicing conservative fiscal responsibility, and being consistent
and reliable while planning and deciding issues.
I ask for
your help in my campaign as the first step of changing our Board of
County Commissioners from “Pro-Developer” to our new “Pro-Community”
vision.
We must hold the District 2 Commissioner accountable for his past 5
years of poor performance and not allow him to spin his way out of it.
Because he
and his
handlers will use the plans discussed here, they will be detailed later
in 2008.
Until then, I will gladly meet with your group to discuss them.
With
Great Regard,
Tom
Aderhold
Here are just a few
of the articles and commentaries that point to the need for a New Vision
and Leadership Team for our County.
Ex-Buc
Selected To Be Free Agent In Regional Transit Leadership
Speaking of new leadership and breaking bad habits, one reason Quarles
was chosen was that he doesn't represent any particular industry or
political viewpoint. 'The governor wanted someone who is not tied to
any engineering firms or developers or law firms. There has been trouble
with some of these transportation authorities'.
The Tampa
Tribune Published: October 1, 2007
read the article
Dinosaur developers
are gobbling up rural areas
The citizens of
Citrus Park, Lutz, Keystone, Thonotosassa, Town 'N Country, Brandon,
Riverview, Gibsonton, Apollo Beach, Sun City Center, Ruskin and Wimauma
are fighting to save their communities from senseless growth. But there
are dinosaur-style developers working against them. “We have been
trying for years to evolve into livable communities, but the dinosaurs
obstruct our progress rather than evolve with us”. Yes, there are other
developers who embrace our community vision and already have
projects under way, at a profit. People will buy well planned home
sites.
St.
Petersburg Times, Published Nov 12, 2000
read the article
Is Florida Over?
"It's just not the
place I originally moved to. You've got overcrowded roads. The utilities
are higher now. Taxes are unreasonable. Everything in Florida is more
expensive." The state became a place for rampant speculation that more
than doubled prices in a four-year period. Florida housing prices force
people to look elsewhere. Florida is also dealing with new competition.
The South's less-expensive, relatively warm states have been reaching
out to seniors and fiddling with their tax laws to attract them.
The Wall
Street Journal Published September
29, 2007
read the
article
Poor Leadership
Hobbles the County
The
County Commission has seemed almost paralyzed by the challenge of
managing the fourth-largest county in the fourth-largest state. Members
do not bring the right skill sets to the table and resist looking for
solutions that would stretch beyond the next election or the county
line. They lose sight of the big picture. And a transportation plan that
District 2 Commissioner conceived will worsen sprawl in the very suburbs
already crawling with traffic, and add stress to the environment in a
county struggling to generate new water supplies. Is anyone in charge?
St
Petersburg Times, EDITORIAL Published August 21, 2007
read the article |
