TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Sports Authority Needs New Board Leadership

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 20, 2009

This week Tampa Sports Authority Executive Director Henry Saavedra resigned under pressure from the TSA board.

His offense?

He and his staff earned TSA a reputation as one of the best sports facility operations in the nation. Every major event Saavedra oversaw - including two Super Bowls - was executed flawlessly, as was the construction of Raymond James Stadium, which he managed to complete on time and on budget.

Yet the board majority hounded Saavedra into resigning.

Chair Vincent Marchetti surprised Saavedra last week with a motion to terminate him. He offered a laundry list of shortcomings that, read closely, look to be largely communications lapses or simple differences of opinions. When Saavedra realized he did not have the votes to remain, he resigned.

There was no substantive discussion of the rationale for replacing Saavedra - or his response to Marchetti's accusations - as the board voted 6 to 5 Monday to accept his resignation. The decision appeared so orchestrated that board member Kalyn Brandewie, a Saavedra supporter, suspected the matter had been decided ahead of time, which if true would be a Sunshine Amendment violation.

Board member Bob Buckhorn, a city of Tampa appointee, aptly framed the matter: "Does Henry have the most finely tuned political antennae? No. But nobody can argue with Henry's ability to run that stadium like a finely tuned watch. The golf courses all do well. ... For him to be nit-picked to death is just ridiculous."

And Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, who sent a representative to speak in support of Saavedra, said, "Henry is an ethical, dedicated person. I think it is an abomination that a month after the Super Bowl went off without a hitch, when he should be praised, he is summarily fired."

That the favorable comments come from those associated with the city is no coincidence. Saavedra appears to be the victim of a campaign to inflate Hillsborough County's authority over the TSA, a long-time goal of Commissioner Jim Norman, a TSA board member.

The county and the city of Tampa each have five appointees to the board. The governor makes one.

Norman and allies argue that the county funds two-thirds of TSA's budget, while the city pays one-third. But Iorio points out that the city donated the stadium land and that the county's contributions come from its general fund, which includes county taxes paid by city residents, so city taxpayers contribute to TSA twice.

Politics also seems to be a motivation. Norman, for instance, successfully pushed for Hillsborough's paramedics to be hired to help staff Bucs games, a move favored by the politically powerful county firefighters union. Savvedra opposed the move, thinking it cheaper to use city personnel. He butted heads with Norman and company on a number of other items.

It clearly was his undoing.

Of course, the director serves at the pleasure of the board. The majority is entitled to select the leader of its choice. Perhaps Saavedra - who served at TSA 24 years, 12 as executive director - could have done a better job of walking the diplomatic tight rope between the city and county.

But one has to question what the motives were to run off a director with such an impressive performance record.

Moreover, Saavedra's contract would have run out in a little over a year. What was the rush? Was this an effort to ensure that a county-leaning majority names the new director?

Voters should watch closely to see whether TSA's search for a new director focuses on finding a strong, experienced leader or someone with ties to Norman and company.

In any event, the episode makes clear the TSA does indeed need fresh leadership - on the board, where members should be selected for their civic commitment, not political connections.

Citizens need a Tampa Sports Authority whose members don't worry about jurisdictional lines but work together for the public good. This board, regrettably, looks to be more interested in political power games.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT