Liberals Push County Mayor Effort

Let's add millions of dollars to our annual Hillsborough County budget, more layers of bureaucracy and more publicly paid politicians getting their "bite of the apple" on important public policy issues!

Fred Karl, one of this county's most esteemed and accomplished politicians and government leaders, has this issue all wrong ("Hillsborough Could Use An Elected Executive" Commentary, July 20).

The initiation and incubation of the county mayor's issue was born and nurtured as a liberal-led referendum. The only desire of the referendum was to take power away from a conservative and Republican-led Hillsborough County Commission

The Salt Lake area in Utah recently changed to the county mayor form of government. The result? Millions of dollars of increases in their budgets for a new county mayor's office. The mayor will need a staff, an office, a car, and benefits and a salary and a secretary and all the other support you usually find to run that office. I am sure that after a few years the staff, salaries and benefits, etc., will grow larger. It always does.

Adding another huge layer of government and bureaucrats, and associated millions in costs, is what Florida Republicans, led by our Gov. Charlie Crist, are fighting. Karl says that we need a defined leader. That's what a chairman does. Every year the commission votes for a chairman. Karl says we need efficiency in government. The mayor's position creates less efficiency with more offices, more government and more politicians seeking their own piece of the power turf.

Karl says we need accountability. The voters do the best job of that - they vote every two years.

Karl says that we need an executive. Right now we have Pat Bean - one of the best executives this county has ever seen (you're included in that small group, Mr. Karl.)

And let's mention access. It is highly unlikely that a normal citizen of normal means will be able to meet with the county mayor when he or she wants. But I can guarantee you that any citizen is able to get a hold of and meet with one of his or her seven county commissioners when they need to.

So, let's state what this issue is really all about. That is, a political power grab by the "left" that would make tax bills higher, government bigger and more out of reach of citizens. That is not good government.