Divvying Up Board Seats Makes Sense

Your Nov. 11 editorial on two local bills submitted to the Hillsborough legislative delegation was strangely contradictory in examining the composition of countywide boards. The Tampa Tribune defends the inclusion of the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City on the planning commission and sports authority boards yet denies the logic and fairness of city representation on the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission board.

All of our state-enacted countywide boards have representation from the county commission and the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City - all except for the EPC. None of the other boards even has a majority of county commissioners. My bill, sponsored by Rep. Rich Glorioso, gives the county four seats, Tampa three seats, and Plant City and Temple Terrace one seat each - a composition in line with the planning commission, sports authority, public transportation commission, Metropolitan Planning Organization and the port authority.

To say I "...erred in starting this dustup" ignores the reality of Hillsborough County politics. Rep. Kevin Ambler asked last year for more seats for the county on both the planning commission and sports authority and promised to bring the bill back this year. Adding the EPC (with a county commission majority) in no way disguises the commission's continued push for control of all boards.

The recent conduct of the EPC board evidences the problems inherent when a regulatory board oversees itself. With the board made up exclusively of county commissioners, a conflict arises when the agency wishes to bring an action against the county. Another reality is the undue influence that certain special interests exert over the county commission representatives. A diverse board from all four government bodies - with no single entity having a dominating majority - would reduce the threat of special interests controlling the shared resources of the county and the three municipalities.

The EPC regulates air, water and noise pollution, not just wetlands. The cities also are home to the Hillsborough River and the coasts of the bays, lakes, canals and creeks. Cities produce by far the largest proportion of greenhouse gas. The global environmental crisis we face makes it imperative that we not delay any action that can better protect our resources and reduce our contribution to the hazards of climate change.

Hundreds of constituents are protesting the stewardship of the EPC board by the county commission. Our state legislative delegation should heed the voices of Hillsborough County, Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City and vote for fair representation on the EPC board. My bill gives our state representatives the opportunity to stand up for a power share and face down a power grab. This bill is about protecting the environment for our children and grandchildren, not protecting anyone's political turf.