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Pasco Letters to the Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 21, 2008

Tammany Hall Revisited

Would you care to join me in a renaming contest for Clocktower Boulevard in Beacon Woods? My entry has a basis I will explain. It is Boondoggle Boulevard.

Recent revelations about the fiscal status of the Wal-Mart/Pasco County sidewalk project seem to be the tip of a backroom deal that smacks of Tammany Hall days.

A definition of the word "boondoggle" seems to fit this situation: "A project funded by the government out of political favoritism." My calendar shows 2008, not 1908.

Commissioner Jack Mariano's appearance at the recent meeting of the Beacon Woods Civic Association (BWCA) was not by invitation of the president or the board, I am told. The president, Bob Ryan, states he had no knowledge of Mariano's plan to get speaking time at that session.

Once the true picture is analyzed, what we see in his appearance is an effort to defuse concerns about an ill-fated, badly budgeted "boondoggle" that has politics oozing from it. Keep in mind that Mariano is up for re-election and this stratagem was intended to be the centerpiece of his pork-barrel efforts for the Beacon Woods community.

Simply stated, folks, that sidewalk was planned to garner votes for the commish.

Among Mariano's chief supporters are Pasco GOP chief Bill Bunting and his wife, Ann, who also happens to be a director and past president of the BWCA. When Mariano arrived for the meeting, already in session, Ann slipped a note to another director urging him to relinquish the floor to Mariano. Failing to get attention, she appealed to the chair, and permission was granted.

Mariano spent 15 minutes saying the project would be completed, certain county workers who revealed the project shortfall have been silenced and he has personally approached Wal-Mart to dig deep and bail out the project. He also requested funding from them for a bike lane that Ryan, now the BWCA president, had previously solicited by letter.

There is a letter in the county records for this project dated Jan. 6, 2007, urging a "fast track" for completion. It is on BWCA stationery and signed by then-president Ann Bunting. There is no record of that letter in BWCA files or any motion in the minutes that authorized such a letter.

Challenges in late 2007 by Ryan, then a vice president, brought into question the cost of the project. He had spoken with concrete contractors who indicated the sidewalk (2.9 miles or 15,312 feet) would run between $500,000 and $600,000. His comments were dismissed by Ann Bunting, and the project started in early 2008 before Ryan became president.

Red flags went up even before it began when the sidewalks on Majestic and Clayton boulevards were scratched due to "funding limits," we were told.

With the project nearing 50 percent completion, a few homeowners quizzed project workers on the job site about the situation. They were surprised to learn the project would "take a timeout" when it reached Clayton, as funding was running out and the county needed to assess their ability to complete the project.

What we are reasonably sure about at this juncture is the following: The sidewalk will be completed. The county workers and supervisors on the project have been advised to not speak to anyone about the project. The budgeting missed by a whopping 35 percent to 40 percent. The commissioner is hoping for a bailout by Wal-Mart. And some pro-

ject(s) somewhere in Pasco County will lose funding if Wal-Mart does not play an increased "Sugar Daddy" role.

We can only make educated guesses on these issues: It appears that politics and BWCA operations became intertwined when Ann Bunting entered the fray. Mariano now sees a political windfall for re-election becoming a snafu to be investigated. And county administration and elected officials are quick to come together to defuse their own incompetence and overreaching.

Our gratitude goes out to the "on-the-ground" troops who had the decency and honesty to tell taxpayers the truth, which earned them a trip to the woodshed for admonishment and silencing.

DANIEL M. MEAHL

Hudson

Pay's A Headache

I have been out of work due to layoff. I have been diligently searching for jobs in Pasco County.

Doctors, not all but some in this county, literally make me sick. What they are offering for pay is disgraceful. They are way below the average as set forth by the state's Workforce Innovation statistics. They offer $8 hourly when the statistics show above $12 hourly for the same position.

Doctors expect a medical assistant to be schooled and certified, yet they won't even pay that person $10 per hour for their skill and knowledge. How do they expect a person to live on the salaries they are offering, some less than $8 hourly?

Many come from another country and live the high life here. They offer little or no benefits. They all want experience, but they do not want to pay for that experience.

A person has dignity. That dignity is being thrown out the window every day by physicians who feel that those desperate for a position will work for so little and be happy to have a job. This is not true any longer. How can a person be happy when they work and cannot pay their bills? We need to stand up and let them know we won't take it any longer.

It is high time the low-paying physicians in this county realize that the costs of living, food and gasoline are not affordable on such low wages. My God, $8 hourly won't even pay the rent. I need an aspirin.

A. EULO

Port Richey

Pirates Rally

On May 17 the Pasco High School Football Booster's Club sponsored a golf tournament to benefit the Pasco High football program. The event was a great success thanks to the hard work of the booster club and the outpouring of support by our local businesses and community members.

As head coach of the Pasco Pirate football program, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in our great community on behalf of our Pirate family for your generosity, not only for this golf tournament but also for the support and well wishes this past year.

TOM McHUGH

Dade City

Movie A Smash

I would like to give my appreciation to Dade City Commissioner Camille Hernandez for her time and effort in working with the Dade City Youth Council in organizing Movie Night at the Park, a free event.

It was a great turnout with many families attending. My family is looking forward to the third Saturday of every month at Agnes Lamb Park.

Thank you again, Commissioner Hernandez, for an outstanding job. We are very proud of you.

DEBBIE RICHTER

Dade City

The writer is a past president of the Beacon Woods Civic Association.

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