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Outspoken Tampa Housing Official Is Denied 2nd Term
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Published: July 23, 2007
TAMPA - The Tampa Housing Authority board will welcome a new face Tuesday after Mayor Pam Iorio chose not to reappoint one of its most outspoken members.
The seven-member board is losing Gerald White, a one-term housing commissioner, who was known for asking questions and challenging housing officials. White was one of the few board members who would speak to reporters.
In his place, Iorio picked Lansing Scriven, a lawyer and former president of the Tampa Club.
Scriven, whose appointment was approved Thursday by the city council, declined comment Friday. He said he did not know whether he would attend Tuesday's housing board meeting. His term, which lasts four years, ends in 2011.
Iorio downplayed White's departure.
'Usually I do reappoint people, but not always,' she said. 'Sometimes I feel that a change is needed, but it's not necessarily a poor reflection at all.'
Iorio said she did not know whether Scriven had experience with public housing, but she praised his legal expertise, particularly as the authority moves forward with its redevelopment of Central Park Village.
The board already had one lawyer: Robert Shimberg, whom Iorio reappointed to a third term in June. Shimberg has been absent from recent board meetings, but he listened by speakerphone May 22 when property manager Fred Rath reported to the board about complaints and problems at River Pines Apartments, a senior complex the authority owns in northeast Tampa.
Iorio said the proposed 28-acre Central Park redevelopment project, for which the authority is partnering with Bank of America, is a priority.
'It all revolves around Central Park Village and continuity and the enormity of the project,' she said. 'Here you have board members who have history with it and have done their homework.'
White, a Tampa Electric Co. power plant operator, was a long-standing advocate for Central Park's redevelopment. The future of the dilapidated housing property was still in question when he joined the board in May 2003.
Despite a housing authority preference that board members not speak to reporters, White typically returned phone calls. He and former Hillsborough County Commissioner Rubin Padgett were the only board members who did not adhere to the preference.
After Iorio's decision, though, White did not respond to phone calls or e-mail seeking comment. The mayor said she spoke to White about her decision but would not elaborate.
The mayor last year reappointed Chairwoman Hazel Harvey and housing resident Karen Peoples to their third consecutive four-year terms. She also reappointed Sophia Sorolis to a second term. In 2005, she appointed banker Manny Alvarez and Padgett to their first terms.
Padgett said he didn't always agree with White, but he praised his contribution. 'Gerald was very, very honestly involved and worked hard on that board,' he said. 'He asked questions. He served well.'
Housing authority President Jerome Ryans said the board is better with Scriven. 'I think he's going to be a tremendous asset,' Ryans said. 'We had a good board. Now we've got a great board.'
Ryans also complimented White. 'Gerald was very outspoken. If Gerald had an issue, he raised the issue. I don't expect any different from Lance.'
He denied there was friction between White and the board or White and housing officials. 'He never got under my skin,' Ryans said.
White often appeared at odds with the board and Ryans during meetings. Most recently, he spoke up during Rath's presentation in May, calling for an independent inspection of River Pines and a special meeting to let board members hear from residents.
White was the only board member to question how conditions got so bad at River Pines. Mold and other problems were identified in almost half of the 300 units after complaints reported in The Tampa Tribune.
Though White did not make either request in the form of a motion, neither Ryans nor Harvey pushed for discussion. Rath is expected to report at Tuesday's meeting about the status of repairs and improvements to the property.
During an interview in early June, Iorio spoke in general about the pitfalls that outspoken board members face.
'Board members chart their own reputations and course,' she said. 'By their behavior month in, month out, day in, day out, their peers and colleagues either take them seriously, or sometimes they don't.
'I can only appoint the members,' she continued. 'Once they get on a board, they have to determine if their behavior will earn the respect of their colleagues.'
Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915 or jallman@tampatrib.com.
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