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2 Join Race For Zephyrhills Council Seat

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By TODD LESKANIC, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 19, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - Residents will have plenty of options when they head to the polls April 8 to choose a replacement for outgoing city councilwoman Celia Graham.

Filings from Jodi Wilkeson and William Bob White last week moved to four the number of candidates vying to replace Graham. They join Sean Fernandez, a 25-year-old former Marine, and Michael Payne, 49, an exterminator who lives downtown, on the ballot.

The deadline to file is today at noon.

Wilkeson, 47, has never run for elected office but has been on the city's Planning Commission since 2003 and the Historic Preservation Board since 2004. She said she's concerned most about smart growth and the economic development needed to pay for that growth.

"I don't want to cut spending and cut the amenities and services that our residents have now," she said, referring to other candidates who have said they want to cut spending. "I want to improve their quality of life by enhancing the tax base and attracting employers, and I think that's a long-term commitment."

White, 84, a retired business owner originally from Ohio, spent a short time as the elected mayor of Enon, Ohio, in the 1950s. He moved to Zephyrhills in 1969 and was inspired to run by the many community leaders he has met since, including former Fire Chief Bill Fenton and longtime educator Raymond Stewart.

He said he has seen Zephyrhills grow from a small town with a handful of retailers into the growing city it is today.

"Zephyrhills is the best place in Florida to live and raise a family, and I'll do my best to keep it that way," he said.
Wilkeson owns WDA Design Group, an interior architecture firm based in Tampa. Her roots in Zephyrhills date to the 1970s, when her family moved to town and her father worked at a local bank.
Wilkeson left to attend college and start her career but returned for good 16 years ago. Her parents live across the street from her, her husband and their two children. Now, Wilkeson wants to make sure the city retains the charm of the one her parents have enjoyed for so many years.

Her work on the planning and historical preservation boards was a start, she said.

"I went to the budget meetings and the strategic planning meetings," Wilkeson said. "I care about what happens in the city and I think it's a natural progression for me to move from the chair of the planning commission to the next step, which is the city council."

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (352) 521-3156 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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