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Thomas Believes County Is At Crossroads

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 12, 2008

Zane Thomas, running as an independent, has 25 years as a Navy officer, traveling around the world and serving in both diplomatic and combat roles.

Thomas said he still highly values honor and integrity, and he would never campaign while he's being paid to do his county job.

The Highlands County commissioners, asserted Thomas, need new blood. "We need a change here."

Q: How will you balance the needs of services with calls to cut taxes?

First of all, we must have the foresight to recognize that when property values shoot up at an excessive pace there will be an adjustment. Secondly, we need a "needs-based" budget that spends our tax dollars wisely instead of the current "greed-based" system that spends because that is what the tax collector gave them. In all fairness, I know Highlands County is in better shape than some of Florida's counties, but it is still no excuse for taking more of our money than is necessary. The $27-million (three-month) reserve fund was not built over time through fiscal conservation, it was established as a result of excessive taxes being collected over the last three years. That means that approximately $10 million of ad valorem revenue should be available to be refunded to the taxpayers of Highlands County next year.

Q: Did you support Amendment One and the effects it has had on county revenue?

Amendment One is just another patronizing attempt to appease the people without actually solving the problem. The entire property tax system is broken. Amendment One does nothing to fix the problem. "Stop pretending there is a quick and painless fix and do your job" is what I would say to every state legislator. There is not a bit of difference between the parties, so vote this entire group out and a new group in. Repeat this process every two years until we find a group that listens to the people.

Q: Describe your leadership style.

Participative. I spent 25 years in the military and the most important lesson I learned was that your troops take care of you if you take care of them. Our last county administrator was a good "people person," and I appreciated his genuine concern for the well-being of all county employees. I haven't seen that from the "Ivory Tower" since Mr. Cool retired. We are a TEAM and Together Everyone Achieves More. Our county employees are treated poorly and their expertise is seldom appreciated. As a result, morale is less than stellar. County staff needs to be treated as professionals and held to that standard and I guarantee they will rise to the challenge. I would be willing to bet that if their leadership had tossed their pay raises on the table, the troops would have responded accordingly. If there is enough fat for pay increases for the paper-pushers then there is certainly enough fat for pay raises for the workers. Leaders, by definition, are found in the lead.

Q: Do you support impact fees? Do you agree that not having them forces residents already living here to foot the bill for growth?

Yes. Impact fees are the means that the BCC agreed would provide for financial feasibility. The state planning agency mandates that all development be both consistent and concurrent, meaning that the development must be consistent with the comprehensive plan and the infrastructure in place concurrently with the proposed development. It makes no sense to eliminate or suspend impact fees if that would render us non-compliant with state requirements. In fact, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot because once development takes off again, Highlands County would be unable to participate unless you and I pay more taxes to cover the cost.

My opponent insists that suspending impact fees is the right thing to do. The truth of the matter is that times are tough all over and impact fees are not responsible for our current downturn. My opponent says that he knows family and friends who would build homes if they did not have to pay impact fees. There is a two-year inventory of brand new homes in the county waiting for someone to enjoy an incredible bargain. What my opponent is really saying is that he has family and friends wanting to build large custom homes on their property if they can get the taxpayer to pick up the tab.

Having said all that, if there is another means to provide the financial feasibility that the state mandates then I am most certainly willing to engage in that discussion. Simply suspending impact fees without an alternative to meet state requirements is reckless and irresponsible.

Q: What will be your most important task during your next term?

At all levels of government, the most important task is balancing our needs with our pocketbooks. Government can be both minimal and effective, but we have to let go of the partisan politics and work together as members of the same team. I think there is great potential for optional citizen ballot initiatives whereby if 20,000 Highlands County citizens voted to authorize the tax collector to add $50 to their taxes to be placed into the Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) for the purchase of conservation lands they should be permitted to do so.

Getting a simple majority to agree to anything today is next to impossible. Forcing others to pay for something they voted against is also wrong. A significantly large minority, however, could make a substantial contribution to a worthy cause. As in the example cited above, a "super minority" vote could raise $1 million per year for the CTF, while those who vote against the measure would not pay a dime. As a point of reference, it has taken the current system 15 years to accumulate $1 million for the CTF. A similar ballot initiative could have worked for the now-infamous ball fields. My point is, our lives are much more diverse today and an all-or-nothing approach to life no longer works.

Q: Why should voters select you for county commission?

We are at a crossroads. We can either cling to the stagnant quo (I'm sorry, I meant status quo) or we can turn the page and look to the future. We need officials with an expanded field of vision who can bring fresh ideas and positive leadership. We need to overhaul government so that new blood is always cycling in and rejuvenating the thought process. Former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland once told me, "If everyone agrees, then someone ain't thinking." We need everyone thinking! We need term limits to avoid the stagnation. If you can't make your mark in one or two terms, the odds don't get any better with longevity. Politicians, like bad news, don't get any better with time.

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