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For Temple Terrace Council Choose Govin And Penoyer

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2008

Temple Terrace residents are fortunate that city elections tend to draw sharp, well-intentioned candidates with solid records of civic involvement.

This year is no exception as four candidates vie for two seats on the city council. The top two vote-getters will join a council that includes Mayor Joe Affronti, who was re-elected without opposition earlier this year.

Residents would be wise to re-elect Councilman Ron Govin, who is seeking his second term. Govin has done yeoman's work as the council's point person in negotiations with a developer for a new downtown center.

Despite his best efforts, the city's deal with developer Ram/Pinnacle recently collapsed, a victim of the global credit crisis. As eager as Govin is to develop a town center in Temple Terrace, he also is a pragmatist who sees no reason to overreact, capitulate to developer demands or give up on the downtown project.

Govin appreciates the need to stay true to the city's vision for a New Urbanist-style downtown - a mix of residences, shops, restaurants and public spaces - until another credible developer enters the picture. That kind of calm, steady leadership is exactly what Temple Terrace needs.

The Tribune recommends Ron Govin for re-election.

That leaves three other candidates vying for the remaining seat: Ted Grevencamp, a retired U.S. Army colonel; Mary Jane Neale, a well-known community volunteer; and Dave Penoyer, an engineer.

All three candidates - all longtime residents of the city - are committed to preserving the quality of life in Temple Terrace, guiding the redevelopment project and encouraging the kind of community activism that supplements city programs.

Grevencamp is especially concerned about the city's use of annexation to expand its tax base. He smartly calls on City Hall to reexamine whether past annexations have diluted city services.

Neale brings a strong commitment to the arts and civic groups. She's been the leader of Temple Terrace's Masque community theater and the Temple Terrace Woman's Club - all important institutions in the city's life.

Penoyer, though, seems best prepared to help move Temple Terrace forward.

Penoyer has served on the mayor's redevelopment task force and the citizen's advisory committee for the Metropolitan Planning Organization, positions that give him a solid understanding of the challenges facing the city as well as government's role in addressing them.

He speaks enthusiastically of the city's need to create a safe network of bicycle trails that could help residents keep their cars at home. He wants the city to work with University of South Florida researchers on energy-efficient construction practices to make Temple Terrace a model "green" city. And he keeps a keen eye on the quality of the county's public schools, a real concern for Temple Terrace families. He advocates for city residents to play a greater role, perhaps by volunteering in schools that lag behind.

The Tribune recommends Dave Penoyer because he would bring a new level of energy and insight to the challenges ahead.

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