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Transportation Planning Agency Must Rev Up Its Enthusiasm

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 17, 2008

The resignation of the executive director of the agency that sets local transportation priorities puts Hillsborough County at a major crossroads.

The elected officials on the board can find another director who understands and believes in transit, or they can find someone content with how things are. They can find a persuasive leader with experience in urban transit systems, or they can settle for someone content with road widening.

Lucie Ayer has led the board of elected officials, called the Metropolitan Planning Organization, for 13 years. The board, which determines the order of Hillsborough's transportation projects, has endorsed a multibillion-dollar plan for bus and transit improvements, though skepticism remains on whether any of it will be built.

That's because no one on the MPO board - aside from Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe - is pushing the plan in a deliberate way.

Sharpe is committed to finding a solution for the congestion that frustrates local commuters. He has given presentations to community groups, armed with maps given him by Ayer's agency. But imagine his surprise when he discovered the maps contained inaccurate information sure to stir up citizens.

Sharpe grew frustrated, too, by Ayer's inability to articulate the details of pending legislation, something on which she should have intimate knowledge.

For some time, it's been clear that Ayer lacked the communication skills needed to engage this community on the transportation choices we face. Her troubled relationship with the state Department of Transportation hasn't helped.

And so at the MPO's meeting on April 1, Sharpe rightfully suggested the board look at replacing Ayer.

It's not easy to criticize in public, but the Sunshine Law gives public leaders no other choice. It took courage for Sharpe to call out the executive director's lackluster performance. Too often this community accepts mediocrity in leadership because we like the person or don't want to hurt their feelings.

Other MPO members, surprised by Sharpe's concern, rose to Ayer's defense, though they surely knew the commissioner was right. Instead, they placed the blame on themselves.

Tampa City Council Member Thomas Scott told Sharpe, "It's unfair to ask Ms. Ayer to go out front as a staff person when the elected body has not taken a position." Actually, the MPO has taken a position, though you can forgive the public for not knowing about it.

Fellow council member John Dingfelder agreed with Scott, saying, "The lack of leadership is the responsibility of all of us as elected officials."

Clearly, Hillsborough has been a laggard in transportation, so it's right for local leaders to blame themselves. The most recent comparison compiled by the Legislature shows Hillsborough has long spent much less per person on transportation than most other counties.

In 2005, Hillsborough spent $98 per person on transportation, while Miami-Dade spent $502; Broward, $245; Palm Beach, $191; and Orange, $153.

Even within the seven-county region it dominates, Hillsborough is topped in per capita spending by every county except Pinellas, which completed its street grid years ago.

No wonder Hillsborough has been left behind and congestion has gotten worse.

The MPO has no power to levy taxes or to operate transit, but it has a public forum to fight for both. Some might argue that Ayer was right to keep quiet about Hillsborough's terrible disparity because speaking out could have cost her her job. Others might argue she didn't know about it. Neither argument is acceptable for Hillsborough's point person on transportation.

A stronger MPO is needed to represent the county's interest in a regional effort to build better roads and transit. The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority is expected to have its plans finished by the end of the year, so the MPO board has no time to waste in deciding whom to hire and how it should be reorganized.

As it stands, the MPO's executive director is supplied by the City-County Planning Commission. It's an odd arrangement that needs rethinking. It might work well for coordinating land use and transportation, but it is not conducive to independent advocacy.

As concern about Ayer grew, Bob Hunter, director of the planning commission, offered her another job in the department, a decision that will make things difficult for the new director. Ayer took the position and a pay cut, from $139,547 to $125,592, which is still a sizable salary.

The transit portion of TBARTA's plans will go nowhere unless strong local leaders, such as Sharpe, continue to take the lead. The commissioner tells us he's willing to try if he has the right plan and is backed by a top staff.

Who is hired to replace Ayer will say much about where the county wants to go and whether or not it will get there.

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