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Time Short For Hillsborough County Mayor Ballot Issue

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 12, 2008

TAMPA - Time to place the Hillsborough County mayor question on November's ballot is getting short.

Hillsborough elections officials have begun preparing ballots for the general elections, and as of Thursday, the proposed charter amendment on whether Hillsborough should have a county mayor was not included in the list of races and ballot questions that will greet voters in the Nov. 4 election.

The proposal has been the focus of a lengthy court fight, and the 2nd District Court of Appeal heard arguments Sept. 4 for and against placing the question on the ballot.

County elections officials had asked the court to issue a ruling on the matter by Sept. 10, but that day came and went with no word of a decision.

"We're getting a little tight on time," said David Parks, the county's deputy elections chief. "Hopefully, we'll get a ruling soon."

Parks said the elections office needs to place an order for the ballots in the next few days because the company that prints them, Premier Election Solutions, also produces ballots for hundreds of other counties across the state and country.

"We can't afford to lose our printing spot," Parks said.

If the ballots were printed and a ruling from the appellate court ordered the county mayor proposal back on the ballot, the county elections office would be forced to redo the ballots and place another order. Reprinting the ballots would cost taxpayers about $300,000, Parks said.

At issue is whether the wording of the charter amendment is misleading.

Proponent Mary Ann Stiles gathered enough signatures to make the 2008 ballot, but because the petition drive took longer than planned, the petition calls for a mayor to be elected in 2008, when the earliest one could be elected would be 2010.

The issue went into the court system when James Shirk, a former supporter of the measure, filed a lawsuit challenging the initiative.

On Aug. 1, Hillsborough Circuit Judge James Arnold ruled that because the position had not been created, the election could not be held in 2008. Proponents filed an appeal two days later, and it's that decision everyone is waiting for.

Stiles and her supporters argue that replacing the appointed county administrator with an elected county mayor would provide stronger leadership. Opponents of the measure say a county mayor position would concentrate too much power in the hands of one person.

If the lower court ruling is upheld, Stiles said, she plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court. If that fails, she promises to work to get the question on the 2010 ballot.

An attorney for Shirk said no decision has been made on whether to appeal if the decision goes against her client.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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