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By STEVEN GIRARDI

sgirardi@tampatrib.com

Published: October 19, 2008

CLEARWATER - On both the county commission and school board, three seats are up for re-election in Pinellas County and two will be filled by newcomers because the incumbents aren't running.

Among three constitutional offices on the ballot, incumbents are seeking re-election in the sheriff's and elections supervisor races but the property appraiser will be new.

County Commission
Controlling costs in tight economic times and providing affordable housing in Pinellas County are themes that cross all three races. The commission has seven seats.

Republican Neil Brickfield and Democrat Paul Matton have the same message in the at-large District 1 race: 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 2000-04. "It was the people's money, and we treated it that way."

Said Matton, "I'll be working for the taxpayers, not the politicians. We have to stop the irresponsible spending."

Brickfield and Matton are vying to replace Commissioner Ronnie Duncan.

The race to replace retiring commission Chairman Bob Stewart in at-large District 3 has drawn two experienced politicians: Republican Nancy Bostock, a 10-year member of the school board, and Democrat Rene Flowers, who served eight years on the St. Petersburg City Council.

Bostock says controlling the county budget is her top priority. Residents are crying out for tax relief and the county needs to reconsider its needs and wants and be more efficient, she said.

Flowers points to her experience as a city council member from 1999-2008 and with the Florida League of Cities and the National League of Cities. She would like to see the county work with cities on public transportation and affordable housing.

In a three-way single-member District 5 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," Seel said in an e-mail to TBO.com, "such as U.S. 19, lowering property taxes, improving public safety, and protecting our green spaces."

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, where feasible.

Jake Mullens is running as an independent. He said the election is all about money, and he pledges not to vote for any new taxes. He also promises to serve only one term.

School Board

Student achievement, career training and working relations on the seven-member school board are issues candidates have raised in the campaign so far.

Incumbent Janet Clark said student achievement and middle school reform remain at the top of her list as she seeks a second, four-year term from at-large District 1.

She is challenged by Jennifer Crockett, a school activist who said the board needs change and more cooperation among members. "There's very much a negative tone. It just doesn't help," Crockett said.

Clark said student achievement at all levels needs to go up, and some curriculums are not challenging enough. Some advanced courses are teaching what once was considered routine, she said.

Crockett said schools need to engage students before high school to reduce dropouts, in part by talking to them about career options and programs to interest them.

In the at-large District 2 race, teacher Sean Michael O'Flannery and lawyer Nina Hayden each have spent their careers working with children, but in different arenas.

O'Flannery teaches social studies and history at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, which he said gives him insight into problems and how to solve them.

Hayden represents juvenile offenders for the Pinellas Public Defender's Office, and said she has insights of her own on how the school system can refocus these adolescents.

They are running to replace Nancy Bostock, who is resigning to run for county commission. There are two years remaining on her term.

Former teacher Robin Wikle and Ken Paluso are facing off in the single-member District 4 race, with each saying schools need to take more control of their curriculum and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test needs to be de-emphasized.

Wikle points to her experience as a community organizer and school activist, saying those will make her an effective board member. Paluso says his time as a Palm Harbor Fire District commissioner, chairman of the Early Learning Coalition and member on various other boards give him an edge.
Property Appraiser
In the property appraiser's race, Democrat Ben Friedlander is trying to taint opponent Pam Dubov by association: Dubov was longtime deputy to outgoing Property Appraiser Jim Smith before Smith became embroiled in controversy over the county's purchase of a parcel he owned for above-market value.

Dubov says she advised Smith against the sale.

In general, assessed values are too high, especially in light of the deteriorating economy, Friedlander says. "People cannot sell their homes for what they are being taxed on it," Friedlander said.

Dubov says she sympathizes with those who have unfair tax burdens, particularly small businesses and owners of rental property. But she said the problem is the methodology and she wants to see it changed by the Legislature.

Sheriff

The sheriff's race also pits a newcomer against a long-serving public official.

Randall Jones, an 18-year veteran, resigned from his job as a deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to take on Sheriff Jim Coats.

Jones said murders, robberies, aggravated assaults and burglaries have gone up in Coats' jurisdiction. But Coats says Jones cites numbers that are for the entire county, which is misleading. Cities with their own police departments - such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Largo - are responsible for their own crime rates.

Supervisor Of Elections

In the supervisor of elections race, Democratic challenger Jack Killingsworth accuses incumbent Deborah Clark of closing the door on voters by taking felons off the voting rolls in 2000 and by limiting early voting opportunities.

Clark defended her record, saying that once she determined valid voters were getting taken off the rolls in the effort to remove felons, she stopped the practice in 2001, the year after she was first elected. As for early voting, she defends what she does by pointing out it's cost-effective.

COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 1
Neil Brickfield
AGE: 45

EDUCATION: Providence College, bachelor's degree

FAMILY: Married, three children

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Owner of Brickfield & Associates, public affairs consultant company

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Safety Harbor city commissioner, 2000-04

WEB SITE: www.votebrickfield .com

Paul Matton

AGE: 47

EDUCATION: high school

FAMILY: Married, three children

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Senior vice president, Park Auto Mall, Pinellas Park

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: none

WEB SITE: www.vote4paul.net

COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 3

Nancy Bostock

AGE: 40

EDUCATION: University of South Florida, master's degree; University of Florida, bachelor's degree

FAMILY: Married, three children

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Former teacher, probation officer

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Pinellas County School Board, 1998-present

WEB SITE: www.nancybostock .com

Rene Flowers

AGE: 43

EDUCATION: Eckerd College, bachelor's degree

FAMILY: Divorced, three children

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Program manager, Neighborly Care Network

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: St. Petersburg city council, 1999-2008

WEB SITE: www.reneflowers .com

Reporters Stephen Thompson and Keith Morelli contributed to this report.

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