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3 Pinellas Commission Seats On The Ballot Nov. 4

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By STEVEN GIRARDI | The Tampa Tribune
and KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 14, 2008

CLEARWATER - There will be at least two new voices on the Pinellas County Commission soon because the incumbents won't be on the ballot.

Karen Seel in District 5 is the only county commissioner up for election. Chairman Bob Stewart in District 3 and Commissioner Ronnie Duncan in District 1 are not.

Districts 1 and 3 are among three at-large districts where commissioners represent the county as a whole. District 5 -- including parts of Clearwater, Largo and Dunedin -- is one of four single-member districts, meaning candidates must live there.

All commission seats are subject to countywide vote.

Here's a rundown of the three races.

District 1

Neil Brickfield is the Republican candidate; Paul Matton is the Democrat, but their messages have the same ring: Spend less money.

"When I was a city commissioner in Safety Harbor, we reduced taxes four times in five years," said Brickfield, who served on the city commission from 2000 through 2004. "We only took what we needed. It was the people's money, and we treated it that way."

Matton said he plans to look over everything in the county budget. "I'll be working for the taxpayers, not the politicians," he said. "We have to stop the irresponsible spending."

Brickfield, 45, owner of Brickfield & Associates, a public affairs consulting company, has made public safety, transportation and housing his campaign priorities while vowing to bring "government we can afford."

He said that could mean difficult decisions in determining which programs will be funded.

"I don't take on the county commission because it's easy. I take it on because it's hard," Brickfield said. "Right now, I think most people agree we have more wants than needs."

He advocates more affordable housing, including workforce housing close to business and retail centers where people can work. He also wants to see road work expedited in the congested traffic area where Ulmerton Road, Roosevelt Boulevard and 49th Street converge.

Matton, 57, senior vice president at Park Auto Mall in Pinellas Park, said he will bring a "business smart" approach to spending and government.

A newcomer to politics, Matton said the county's $2.1 billion budget could be cut without eliminating jobs or services. He did not have specific cuts to suggest but said the county should spend some of its contingency fund money and review department budgets.

"It's common sense. That's all it is," Matton said.

Affordable housing should be a priority, he said, to make sure nurses, teachers and firefighters can afford to live here. He said Pinellas has plenty of market-rate and high-cost housing, so developers should be offered incentives to build lower-cost homes.

"We don't need to build anything but affordable housing," he said.

District 3

The race to replace retiring Chairman Stewart has attracted two experienced politicians: Republican Nancy Bostock, a 10-year member of the school board, and Democrat Renee Flowers, who served eight years on the St. Petersburg City Council.

Bostock, 40, says controlling the county budget would be her priority. People are crying out for tax relief, so the county needs to reconsider its needs and wants and find new efficiencies, she said.

She is not targeting any projects in particular. "I'm open to looking for everything."

She wants public involvement in the budget process to go beyond the two public hearings held each year. "We have to find ways to engage citizens earlier in the process," she said, suggesting better use of technology and the Internet.

Affordable housing is another area of concern -- not only for low- and moderate-income people, she said, but for everyone having trouble hanging on to their homes with increasing taxes and insurance rates.

"If we can get a handle on taxes and insurance, we can make housing more affordable for everyone across the board."

She would favor programs to help renovate existing homes. "That would help not only the individual but also helps to revitalize neighborhoods, and that helps all of us and adds to the tax base."

Bostock will give up her school board seat to run. "Having that experience," she said, "in a countywide capacity will be a real advantage to me."

Flowers, 43, also points to her experience as a city council member from 1999 through 2008 and with the Florida League of Cities and the National League of Cities.

She would like to see the county work with cities on programs including public transportation and affordable housing.

Flowers advocates programs that offer low down payments and closing costs, using federal housing money and cooperation from lenders.

She would consider programs to provide financial assistance to protect homeowners against foreclosure caused by increases in taxes and insurance.

She said additional affordable housing options need to be explored. She would encourage developers to build more alternative housing, such as the compact homes erected after Hurricane Katrina and modular homes St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services has built.

The county could help by banking surplus property lots and making them available to builders, Flowers said.

She also said public transportation needs to be more versatile.

"It's getting over the stigma," she said. "Public transportation is for everyone. It's to get cars off the road. It's to save money."

District 5

In a three-way race, Republican incumbent Karen Seel, who has served nine years on the board, faces a Democrat and an independent challenger.

Seel says she is best suited for the job.

"I do my homework, ask questions, cut through the bureaucracy, look for alternative solutions and tackle difficult problems such as U.S. 19, lowering property taxes, improving public safety, and protecting our green spaces," Seel said in an e-mail to TBO.com.

"Due to my leadership, U.S. 19 improvements through overpasses, address signage, sidewalks, real time traffic signals, and more are being accomplished."

She said she has been on the cutting edge of the commission's tax slashing effort the past three years, during which the county has cut expenses up to 20 percent in some areas with "little impact to everyday, essential services."

Democrat Norm Roche wants to stimulate the local economy by creating affordable housing zones and to reduce traffic congestion by improving bus and rail systems.

He wants to see more students use the county's buses and "introduce an entire generation to the concept of mass-transit," he says on his Web site.

He favors a countywide recycling program, saying it would boost economic development and create jobs.

He wants the county to establish a more efficient indigent health care system that relies on a coalition of providers.

Jake Mullens, who is running as an independent, pledges not to vote for any new taxes. He also promises to serve only one term.

Mullens, 55, says on his Web site, "It's about the money and how fiscally responsible they will be with your money."

He also is pushing to keep businesses and industry in the area for jobs and to attract new opportunities to the county.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at kmorelli@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7760. Reporter Steven Girardi can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or sgirardi@tampatrib.com.

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