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Planning Agency Should Oust Director, Sharpe Says

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By ELLEN GEDALIUS and RICH SHOPES

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 1, 2008

TAMPA - Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe says the longtime head of the county's planning agency isn't pushing hard enough for transit and should be replaced.

The commissioner, who also sits on the Metropolitan Planning Organization board, said he'll suggest at today's meeting that the board seek applicants to replace MPO executive director Lucie Ayer.

Hillsborough County has long been criticized for its transit system, which has no commuter rail and moves considerably fewer people than similarly sized areas. Sharpe says bringing mass transit to the area, finding funding and possibly selling a tax plan to traditionally conservative voters will take a passionate, astute leader.

That person might not be Ayer, Sharpe said.

"I'm not trying to be cruel," Sharpe said. "I think we each have different skill sets, and I think she has skill sets that were good for where we were, but not for where we're going."

Ayer, who makes $130,000 a year, has served as executive director for 12 years.

The MPO is responsible for long-range transportation planning in Hillsborough and oversees the distribution of millions of dollars in state and federal aid for road projects annually. Late last year, it produced a 2050 transit plan that called for a network of trains and buses intersecting at transit hubs.

Sharpe called that plan a good first step but complained it was "thin, very thin" because it lacked detailed traffic counts and trip patterns. He blasted Ayer for not interacting enough with other agencies working on transit and for her lack of knowledge about federal and state funding options.

"I'm not happy with the pace of activity," he said. "This is a complex effort, and to educate the citizens to the options and choices we have to make will take a skilled, united effort that I'm not certain is there yet."

Ayer disputes Sharpe's assessment and says he misunderstands her position. She said she'd advocate more forcefully on behalf of transit if the MPO board asks her. Her immediate job is to focus on planning, she said.

"It would have been nice if we had a private conversation at the beginning that pertains to this," she said. "He's never spoken directly to me about this issue."

If Sharpe tries today to oust Ayer, he would need to persuade a majority of the board's 13 voting members to go along with him. Several members contacted Monday said they wouldn't support getting rid of Ayer or forcing her to reapply for her job.

County Commissioner Rose Ferlita, an MPO board member, said Sharpe is going too far.

"You can't fault her for not doing the job if it's not in her job description," Ferlita said. "If we want more salesmanship for transit, we should hire someone to do it rather than an executive director."

City Councilman John Dingfelder said Ayer and her staff should be complimented, not criticized, for keeping transit talk alive for the past decade.

"I don't see where this is coming from at all," Dingfelder said. "She's been keeping the ball rolling in sort of a quiet way."

Joe Chillura, an architect and former MPO board member, said Ayer doesn't deserve to be singled out.

"Leadership has to come from the elected officials and not from the staff," Chillura said. "I think to hang this all on Lucie is wrong."

City, county and state officials have discussed the need for wide-ranging mass transit plans for years, and at some point local officials will ask voters and federal transportation officials for funding support to carry out their plans.

Sharpe says Ayer doesn't seem suited to do that. He wants to ask the board to consider other applicants experienced in putting together transit plans in areas similar to Tampa. He said he didn't have anyone in mind, and Ayer would be permitted to apply for her job, though she's not sure she'd do that.

"Unless we have our ducks in a row the voters will clobber us, and we only have one chance to get this right," Sharpe said.

He criticized Ayer for not being more assertive in pushing for transit and said she's done poorly in interacting with the other agencies, such as the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority.

At a recent meeting of the regional transportation authority, activists complained maps supplied by the MPO were several years out of date.

"They can't even send over the right maps," he said.

And when asked at a meeting last week about funding options at the state level for regional transportation authority, Ayer couldn't name any, even though at least one bill is wending its way through the Legislature. Ayer said that bill had not been introduced until after the meeting.

Councilman Tom Scott, also an MPO member, said Ayer is well-versed on transportation.

"She's a very good advocate for transit in my opinion," Scott said.

Bob Hunter, executive director of the Hillsborough Planning Commission, suggested the MPO hold off on discussing Ayer's performance until her annual evaluation in September. The planning commission provides staff support for the MPO.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com. Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at egedalius@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7679.

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