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Hometown Debate Draws "Skanky" Sign-Bearing Group

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By KAREN BRANCH-BRIOSO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 11, 2007

TAMPA - A well-heeled crowd of developers and land-use lawyers arrived at the Pepin Hospitality Centre for an early-morning debate today just before 7:30 a.m.

A foursome greeted them with a decidedly more late-night bent to their attire.

"Kind of skanky," is how Marcella O'Steen, president of the Balm Civic Association, described it. Her husband, Kermit, was more detailed in his description, with a pink garter-belt sighting, skimpy pink costumes and pink signs reading: "We love you, Joe."

The most obvious object of their affection might have been Mons Venus strip club owner Joe Redner. He was there for the debate panel, arguing for a proposed constitutional amendment called Hometown Democracy – a bane to the development community that would give voters the last word on local growth plans.

Moments before the debate kicked off, however, someone told him of the women outside. He checked it out.

"They kept hollering, 'We support Joe. We support Joe.' Finally I said, 'I don't want you here,'" said Redner, who didn't recognize the women – and said they clearly didn't recognize him, either. "They looked at me, glassy-eyed. I said, 'I'm Joe. I'm Joe Redner.'"

Hospitality centre employees called police.

"We wanted to make sure they didn't offend anybody," said Natalie Mealey, employee relations and community development manager. "We just called to verify to make sure we weren't going to violate any [demonstration] permit. We've never had this happen before."

Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, but the women were gone.

The debate went on. Redner told the crowd during the debate that he had nothing to do with the women's appearance. Later, he told a Tribune reporter: "I think it was a dirty trick to take the focus off the issue."

Another Joe, Tampa Bay Builders Association's executive vice president, Joseph Narkiewicz, enthusiastically pushed the theory that Redner was the culprit. He offered a good description of the women – wearing "hosiery and spiked heels … super-short hot pants" and "a miniskirt."

"It had his signature all over it," Narkiewicz told a Tribune reporter.

Redner begged to differ.

"I may not know all of my girls," Redner said, "but believe me, they all know who I am."

Reporter Karen Branch-Brioso can be reached at (813) 259-7815 or at kbranch-brioso@tampatrib.com.

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