Charter Review, 4-6-00 **NOTIFICATION: **This is not an official, verbatim transcript of the following **meeting. It should be used for informational purposes only. **This document has not been edited; therefore, there may be **additions, deletions, or words that did not translate. >>JAN SMITH: GOOD EVENING. I'M CALLING THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD MEETING TO ORDER. THIS IS THURSDAY, APRIL 6TH. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU TO OUR MEETING AND THOSE IN OUR VIEWING AUDIENCE AND HOPE THAT YOU WILL STAY TUNED AND HELP US GO ABOUT THE COUNTY'S BUSINESS OF REVIEWING OUR CHARTER. DAVID, WOULD YOU PLEASE LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE? [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] >>JAN SMITH: BEFORE WE GET TO THE MINUTES, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MR. WILKES IF HE WOULD TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIMSELF. I NEARLY FORGOT TO INTRODUCE HIM, BUT HE DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO GIVE US HIS BACKGROUND. >> MY NAME IS DANNY WILKES. I AM A LIFE-LONG RESIDENT AND NATIVE OF PLANT CITY. I AM THE REGIONAL MANAGER FOR TAMPA ELECTRIC COMPANY FOR THE PLANT CITY AREA. I'VE BEEN WITH TAMPA ELECTRIC FOR SOME 34 YEARS. I HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN THE PLANT CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I HAVE SERVED TWO TERMS AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. AND I HAVE SERVED ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL THERE IN PLANT CITY FOR TEN YEARS. MEMBER OF THE FEDC. I'M MARRIED. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN. LISA CORBETT AND PAM WILKES AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN BUSY. THE FIRST CHARTER REVIEW BOARD I SERVED ON, WE ALSO HAD A REPRESENTATIVE FROM PLANT CITY WHO ALSO WORKED FOR TECO, JOHNNY DEAN PAGE. >> HE WAS MY BOSS UP UNTIL FOUR MONTHS AGO. >>JAN SMITH: HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE. ON OUR AGENDA FIRST IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. AND WE HAVE MINUTES FROM TWO MEETINGS. THE FIRST MEETING ON FEBRUARY 9TH. ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THAT ONE? >> MADAM CHAIR, JUST TWO VERY, VERY SMALL ONES. ON PAGE 2 OF FEBRUARY 9TH, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN, THE WORD "BROADCASTED" WAS USED AND I BELIEVE IT'S BROADCAST. THE THIRD PARAGRAPH DOWN, THE FOURTH LINE IT SAID "DID NOT INCLUDE THE PROVISION" AND I BELIEVE "WHICH" WAS LEFT OUT OF THERE. AND THAT'S IT. OTHER THAN THAT, IT SEEMED FINE ALL OF THEM. >>JAN SMITH: ARE THERE ANY OTHER CORRECTION OR ADDITIONS? I HAVE A MOTION BY MR. LaBOUR, SECOND BY MR. DAVID TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THIS MEETING OF FEBRUARY 9TH. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION PLEASE SAY AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED, SAME SIGN. [MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY] NOW, IF WE CAN LOOK AT THE MINUTES FROM MARCH THE 15TH, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THOSE MINUTES? I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THESE? >> SO MOVED. >> SECOND. >>JAN SMITH: MOTION BY MR. BALLARD AND SECOND BY MS. TUTTLE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF MARCH 15, 2000. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [MOTION CARRIED] THE STAFF, GENE MORGAN, WAS ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER A CALENDAR FOR US. AND I THINK IT WAS MAILED OUT TO EVERYONE. THE ONLY CHANGE THAT I THINK IS SIGNIFICANT THE MEETING IN JUNE. IT WAS CHANGED FROM THE 8TH TO THE 1ST BECAUSE THIS ROOM AND THE BOARD CHAMBER ROOM HAD BEEN RESERVED. THE JUNE MEETING WILL BE ON THE 1ST THURSDAY AND THE 4TH THURSDAY. SO IF THERE AREN'T ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT, IS THE CALENDAR OKAY WITH EVERYONE'S SCHEDULE? I THINK WE'RE JUST GOING TO APPROVE IT BY CONSENSUS, IF THAT'S OKAY. MR. BELTRAN, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OKAY. AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH PUBLIC COMMENT. AND I WILL, AGAIN, STATE THAT WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE WHO PARTICULARLY DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THE EVENING WITH US UNTIL 9:00, IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, WE'D LIKE YOU TO COME FORWARD. YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK. BUT YOU MAY NOT THEN ALSO SPEAK AT THE END OF THE MEETING. SO IT'S A ONE-TIME SHOT. IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO US NOW? >> YES. >>JAN SMITH: WELCOME BACK, MR. WARREN. >> THANK YOU. AT THE END, I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT THESE FOR PUBLIC RECORD. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I AM KARL WARREN, SENIOR, TAMPA, FLORIDA. HAVING BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO BEING A VERY HIGH ACHIEVER IN NUMEROUS AREAS FOR POSITIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGES IN OUR COMMUNITY, I AM SADDENED WHEN I SEE SUCH AN IMPORTANT AND POWERFUL ENTITY AS THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD BE A, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, SEEMINGLY DO-NOTHING FORUM. SINCE 1983, I HAVE WITNESSED THIS FORUM DO NOTHING IN THE WAY OF CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. NEARLY 17 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE BOARD'S INCEPTION. AFTER MY FATHER AND I HAD FILED LITIGATION AGAINST THE CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS, AND I CAN THINK OF ONE THING -- I CANNOT THINK OF ONE THING THIS BOARD HAS PUT FORTH TO THE COMMUNITY FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGES OR CONSIDERATION. I ASK YOU, CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING THE PREVIOUS CHARTER REVIEW BOARDS HAVE DONE? I AM ACCUSTOMED TO BEING PART OF POSITIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGE PROCESSES. I WILL BRIEFLY SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF MY FEW NOTABLE INVOLVEMENTS WHICH RESULTED IN POSITIVE CHANGES. AS A MEMBER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA STRATEGIC COMMITTEE TO ELECT YVONNE BERRY AS THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT GOVERNMENT AT USF, I PLAYED A KEY ROLE WITH LES MILLER WHO IS NOW THE MINORITY LEADER IN THE FLORIDA HOUSE. AS A MEMBER OF THE SAME STRATEGIC COMMITTEE, I PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE ELECTION OF THE FIRST BLACK AS PRESIDENT OF USF'S STUDENT GOVERNMENT WHO WAS ALSO THE HONORABLE LES MILLER AS AN ORIGINAL PLAINTIFF IN THE 1979 LITIGATION WITH MY FATHER, WILLIE EARL WARREN, AGAINST VERY SUPER RESISTANCE, WE WERE CERTIFIED BY THE FEDERAL COURT IN REPRESENTING THE CLASS AGAINST HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND THE CITY OF TAMPA THEN AT LARGE THE DISENFRANCHISED STRUCTURE. THE REST IS HISTORY. THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD WAS CLEARLY CRAFTED THEN IN 1983 DURING THE LITIGATION PROCESS AS A TACTICAL CREATION BY THE LOCAL POWER AT BE TO CONTROL FUTURE UNPREDICTABLE OUTCOMES IN THE LOCAL, POLITICAL CULTURE. SEE OUR CHARTER REVIEW BOARD MEMBER. ASK YOURSELF, WAS THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD CREATED TO REMAIN A TACTICAL OR A STRATEGIC DO-NOTHING POLITICIZED ENTITY? AS A MEMBER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE CITY OF GAINESVILLE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD IN THE LATE 1980s, HAVING LEARNED FROM TAMPA LITIGATION PROCESS, I PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN FACILITATING THE VOTING STRUCTURE CHANGES IN GAINESVILLE WHICH RESULTED IN MORE CITIZENS HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ELECTED TO THE COUNCIL. CYNTHIA CHESTNUT STARTED HER POLITICAL CAREER FROM THIS ACTION. AS A MEMBER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE HOWARD W. BLAKE ALUMNI AND FRIENDS STEERING COMMITTEE, I PLAYED A VERY KEY ROLE IN THE FACILITATION OF MANY POSITIVE CHANGES IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE NEW HOWARD W. BLAKE HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE MAGNET COMPONENT TELLS ALL. DESPITE VERY STRONG RESISTANCE IN THE BEGINNING. AS A MEMBER OF THE SAME H. W. B. COMMITTEE, I PLAYED A KEY ROLE WITH RANDOLPH KENSEY AND PRESIDENT OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND JIM RANDALL, THEN ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BLAKE PROJECT AND FACILITATED THE BUILDING OF A NEARLY $1 MILLION FACILITY FOR THE YELLOW JACKS. AS APPOINTEE MEMBER OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY IMPACT FEE COMMITTEE, RALPH HUGHES AND I PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN FACILITATING POSITIVE CHANGES IN LOCAL COUNTY IMPACT FEE POLICY DESPITE STRONG RESISTANCE. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY OTHER NONMENTIONED POSITIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGES I HAVE BEEN A KEY PLAYER IN FACILITATING POSITIVE OUTCOME IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IN OTHER PLACES THROUGHOUT THESE UNITED STATES. THE POINT BEING MADE HERE IS, DESPITE THE MANY POINTS OF RESISTANCE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND OTHER PLACES, I HAVE FOUND MYSELF, I HAVE LEARNED AND HAVE OVER THE YEARS DEMONSTRATED TO OTHERS THAT POSITIVE CHANGES CAN BE NEGOTIATED AND ACHIEVED. IF THERE ARE WOMEN AND MEN WITH COURAGE, RESOLVED COMMITMENT AND AN UNSHAKEABLE DEDICATION TO TRUTH AND JUSTICE AND HAVE PERSEVERANCE, ARE WILLING TO WORK TOGETHER AND ARE WILLING TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS IN ACHIEVING SUCH POSITIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE ENDS, THESE POSITIVE ENDS CAN BE ACHIEVED. THERE IS A CHALLENGE FOR EACH OF YOU OVER THE NEXT YEAR. WILL ANY OF YOU -- OR WILL ALL OF YOU PICK UP THIS CHALLENGE AND DO THE RIGHT THING BY PROMULGATING EXPEDITIOUSLY NEEDED CONSIDERATION TO BE PRESENTED TO THE CITIZEN VOTERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. WILL ANY OF YOU OR WILL ALL OF YOU COMMIT YOURSELVES IN DOING SOMETHING THAT IS POSITIVE? THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT. WHAT WILL YOU DO? WILL YOU LET THIS BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGE OR WILL YOU LET THIS BE A MOMENT OF HISTORIC STAGNATION? THANK YOU. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. >> ALL RIGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT THIS. >>JAN SMITH: MR. HUGHES. >> YES, WE ONLY HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. THAT'S ASHAME. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. RALPH HUGHES, TAMPA. THIS IS THE FOURTH CHARTER REVIEW BOARD SINCE 1983. AND EVEN THOUGH OUR CHARTER HAS CRIED OUT FOR CHANGE FOR YEARS, NO CHANGE HAS EVER BEEN MADE. WHY NOT? PRIOR CHARTER REVIEW BOARDS HAVE NEVER GIVEN THE PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON A CHANGE OTHER THAN CHANGING THE SCHEDULE OF CONVENING CRBs FROM FIVE YEARS TO EIGHT YEARS. THE VOTERS WISELY SAID NO. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE HAD DO-NOTHING CHARTER REVIEW BOARDS SINCE 1983. THIS I TRUST WILL NOT BE ONE AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT WILL. AND I'M NOT CRITICIZING INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE PAST BECAUSE SOME FOUGHT HARD FOR CHANGE; HOWEVER, NO RESULTS WERE FORTHCOMING. OBVIOUSLY THE PEOPLE OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ARE TURNED OFF ABOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS. AND I CHALLENGE YOU TONIGHT TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTION. PLEASE BEGIN BY GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS. DISCUSS AND DECIDE ON A PROPOSED CHARTER CHANGE TONIGHT. OR AT LEAST DECIDE TONIGHT ON AT LEAST TWO PROPOSED CHANGES YOU WILL CONSIDER AND DECIDE UPON AT YOUR NEXT MEETING. WE ARE THREE DAYS SHORT OF TWO MONTHS SINCE YOUR FIRST MEETING. AND YOU HAVE YET TO DISCUSS A PROPOSED -- PROPOSED CHARTER CHANGE. WHY ARE YOU INVITING SEVEN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND FIVE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS TO COME SPEAK TO YOU? THESE PEOPLE WILL BURN UP A MINIMUM OF TWO OR MORE MONTHS OF YOUR TIME AND FOR WHAT? HAVE THEY INDICATED THEY FAVOR OR OPPOSE A CHARTER CHANGE? NO. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH BY INVITING OTHER GROUPS OR ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS YOU? THEY WILL BURN UP TWO OR THREE MORE MONTHS OF YOUR TIME, AND FOR WHAT? HAVE THEY INDICATED THEY FAVOR CHARTER CHANGE? IF SO, WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN? I SUGGEST YOU INVITE NO ONE. GET DOWN TO BUSINESS AND DISCUSS CHARTER CHANGES. ANYONE CAN COME BEFORE YOU AND PROPOSE OR OPPOSE A CHARTER CHANGE. THEY DON'T NEED AN INVITATION. IF ANYONE REQUIRES MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES TO EXPLAIN THEIR POSITION, YOU CAN GRANT THEM MORE TIME AT YOUR DISCRETION. LET'S GET AT IT. YOU SHOULD AIM FOR PLACING SEVERAL PROPOSED CHANGES ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR. YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS BY APPROVING CERTAIN CHANGES BY JULY. THIS WILL GIVE THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT THE 90 DAYS THEY NEED TO REVIEW THE PROPOSED CHANGES. YOU CAN THEN FROM WORK THROUGH AUGUST, THE BALANCE OF YOUR TERM THIS YEAR ON OTHER CHANGES TO PLACE ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER 2002, AND WHY NOT? DO YOU REALIZE THE AWESOME POWER THAT YOU HAVE SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE PEOPLE BY REFERENDUM. YOU CAN, "A," CHANGE THE TERM OF OFFICE FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO FOUR TWO-YEAR TERMS OR TWO SIX-YEAR TERMS OR ONE TERM, OR ELIMINATE TERM LIMITS; "B," YOU CAN IMPOSE TERM LIMITS FOR OUR CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS; "C," YOU CAN ELIMINATE ALL CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS AND CAUSE THEM TO BE COUNTY AGENCIES UNDER THE BOCC; "D," YOU CAN EXPAND THE BOCC TO NINE MEMBERS OR REDUCE TO FIVE MEMBERS; "E," YOU CAN CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF ANNUAL INCREASE IN ALL RATES, TAXES AND FEES THAT CAN BE IMPOSED ON THE PEOPLE BY THE BOCC; "F," YOU CAN CAUSE ALL FUTURE CHARTER REVIEW BOARDS TO BE ELECTED AS IN SARASOTA COUNTY. I BELIEVE YOU AND THE PEOPLE WILL LOVE THIS CHANGE. I'LL MAKE A PRESENTATION ON THIS SUBJECT WHEN YOU'RE READY; "G," YOU CAN CREATE THE OFFICE OF APPOINTED COUNTY AUDITOR AS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY. THIS WOULD BE TREMENDOUS. I BELIEVE YOU AND THE PEOPLE WOULD LOVE IT. I'LL MAKE A PRESENTATION ON THIS SUBJECT WHEN YOU ARE READY. THESE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU GET DOWN TO BUSINESS AND DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME LISTENING TO THOSE WHO NEVER INDICATED THEY FAVOR OR OPPOSE ANY CHANGE WHATSOEVER. YOU CAN DELIBERATE TWO PROPOSED CHANGES AT EACH OF YOUR MEETINGS. THIS WOULD RESULT IN YOUR DELIBERATING FOUR PROPOSED CHANGES PER MONTH OR UP TO 16 PROPOSED CHANGES BY JULY. THAT IS IF YOU DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME HEARING FROM THOSE ON YOUR LIST OF PROPOSED INVITEES. AS STATED, I WILL ADDRESS CREATING THE OFFICE OF APPOINTED COUNTY AUDITOR AND ELECTING THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD IN THE NEAR FUTURE. I ALSO WILL ADDRESS FOUR OTHER PROPOSED CHANGES AT ONE OF YOUR FUTURE MEETINGS. I WILL HAVE TIME TO COVER ALL THESE IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS IF ALLOWED THE OPPORTUNITY. LET'S GET SOMETHING DONE. LET'S NOT GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS ANOTHER DO-NOTHING CHARTER REVIEW BOARD. IN SUMMARY, I'M SUGGESTING THAT YOU, ONE, SUSPEND ALL INVITATIONS EXTENDED TO ANY PERSON OR GROUP TO SPEAK; TWO, SET A GOAL OF FORWARDING PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN JULY FOR CLEARANCE SO THEY CAN BE PLACED ON THE BALLOT IN 2000; THREE, SPEND THE BALANCE OF YOUR TERM AFTER JULY DELIBERATING PROPOSED CHANGES TO PLACE ON THE NOVEMBER 2002 BALLOT. FINAL COMMENT, YOU VOTE TONIGHT OR AT YOUR NEXT MEETING TO APPROVE A SPECIAL PROPOSAL TO PLACE ON THE BALLOT. WHEN THE NEWS GETS OUT THAT YOU HAVE DONE SO, THE PEOPLE IN THE NEWS MEDIA WILL BE HERE TO PARTICIPATE FROM THAT DAY FORWARD. AND WHY NOT? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >>JAN SMITH: COULD WE PLEASE HAVE ROLL CALL AND I'LL INTRODUCE CHAIRMAN FRANK. [ROLL CALL] >>RECORDING SECRETARY: YOU HAVE A QUORUM. >>GERALD WHITE: I HAD A COMMENT FOR THE GENTLEMAN. ONLY TAKE 30 SECONDS. >>GERALD WHITE: MR. HUGHES, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT AS A BOARD MEMBER, I THINK THE PROCESS THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE SO FAR IS A GOOD ONE. YOU ARE HERE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS. ALL OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHARTER CHANGE I HAVE NOTED. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT HERE TO PUSH CHANGE FOR CHANGE SAKE. I WANT A TRUE DEBATE, A TRUE DELIBERATION ON WHAT IS TRULY NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE CURRENT CHARTER THAT WE HAVE TODAY. AND I THINK WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION. AND ALSO MR. KARL WARREN, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING WITH THE FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN AND THE TWO COLUMNS, ARTICLES THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN. I THINK THEY ARE GOOD AND THEY INFORM THE CITIZENS. AND I LIKE TO EXPRESS THOSE SAME THOUGHTS TO YOU AS WELL. I'M PREPARED TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE THE CHARTER WHAT IT NEEDS TO BE. >> CAN I RESPOND? >>JAN SMITH: ACTUALLY, MR. HUGHES, I WOULD LIKE TO NOT HAVE YOU RESPOND RIGHT NOW. >> WHEN AM I GOING TO RESPOND THEN? >>JAN SMITH: I DON'T THINK HIS COMMENTS -- I DON'T THINK IT NEEDS A RESPONSE. >> I MISUNDERSTOOD, THAT'S ALL. I'M NOT SAYING MAKE A CHANGE, I'M NOT PUSHING A CHANGE. I SAID, LET'S DECIDE IF THERE'S GOING TO BE A CHANGE OR NOT. LET'S DISCUSS THE ISSUE AND MAKE A DECISION ON WHAT -- >>JAN SMITH: I ASSURE YOU THIS BOARD TAKES THEIR JOB VERY SERIOUSLY. >> I KNOW THAT. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU. >>JAN SMITH: IS IT MY PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, PAT FRANK, WHO WE DID INVITE AND WHO HAS BEEN WAITING FOR US FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES, AND WE'RE DELIGHTING SHE COULD BE HERE. SHE'LL BRING A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE HAVING SERVED ON THE SCHOOL BOARD AND IN THE STATE SENATE AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COMMISSION. AND WE'RE DELIGHTED THAT YOU'RE HERE. AND WE'RE ANXIOUS TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT. >>PAT FRANK: WELL, THANK YOU. AND I MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY PREPARED STATEMENTS. WE'VE JUST GONE THROUGH SOME EMERGENCY MEETINGS THAT WE HELD TODAY DEALING WITH TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL AND THE WATER PLAN WITH TAMPA BAY WATER. WE ALSO ARE GOING BACK TOMORROW. WE'VE GOT ANOTHER MEETING SCHEDULED AT 9:00. SO THIS IS SORT OF THROWN A KINK IN TERMS OF MY GETTING MY THOUGHTS IN AN ORGANIZED WAY TO TALK TO YOU THIS EVENING. AND I HOPE THAT I'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO COME BACK AND RESPOND TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AT A LATER TIME. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO JUST SORT OF GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW. AND I APPRECIATE WHAT HAS BEEN SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO ASK ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS UP HERE BECAUSE WE MAY RAMBLE ON AND I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. I WANT TO KEEP IT RIGHT DOWN TO THE CORE ISSUES. I'VE HAD ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW TO OBSERVE FROM A COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S PERSPECTIVE, WHICH I HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE. SOME PEOPLE MISTAKE ME WITH BETTY CASTOR AND THEY THINK I WAS ON THE COUNTY COMMISSION EARLIER. AND THIS IS MY FIRST TIME AROUND ON THIS. AND I'M NOW SITTING AS CHAIRMAN, NOT EVEN, YOU KNOW, JUST HALFWAY THROUGH THE TERM, NOT EVEN THERE YET. SO I CAN'T HELP BUT BRING SOME OF MY HISTORY IN TERMS OF OTHER EXPERIENCES THAT I'VE HAD IN OTHER BODIES AND SEE HOW IT APPLIES TO WHAT I'M DOING NOW. I CAN APPRECIATE THE CHARTER SEPARATING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR AS THE HEAD OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH FROM THE POLICYMAKERS, THAT IS THE COUNTY COMMISSION, WHICH IS THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. BUT IN THIS DIVISION, THERE IS A LOT OF GRAY AREA. AND I THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT. SPECIFICALLY, LET ME TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS. LET'S TAKE THE BUDGET, WHICH I FOCUS ON ALL THE TIME, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THE BUDGET, YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH CONTROL OVER ANYTHING. AND THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO IN GOVERNMENT NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE, BECAUSE IT'S SETTING THE PRIORITIES FOR WHAT YOU THINK THINGS -- HOW YOU THINK THINGS SHOULD BE GOVERNED AND WHERE THE DOLLARS ARE GOING TO BE SPENT TO IMPLEMENT THEM. IN THE PROCESS THAT THE COUNTY COMMISSION USES, WE RELY UPON THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO BRING THE BUDGET TO US. THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR GOES THROUGH ALL THE FILTERING SYSTEM WITH THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND SO FORTH TO GET INPUT WHEN BEFORE THAT BUDGET IS SUBMITTED TO US. THEN THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR PRESENT THE BUDGET TO US. WE ARE NOT IN THE PROCESS, AS THIS GOES THROUGH, LISTENING TO ALL THE ARGUMENTS THAT ARE MADE BY ALL OF THE PLAYERS WHO WORK FOR THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. WE AT THE END OF THE ROAD BEGIN TO REACT AT ALMOST WHAT I SEE AT THIS POINT, WHAT MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN AT THIS POINT IS AT THE 11TH HOUR. AND I SEE A NEED FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SEPARATE THOSE TWO RESPONSIBILITIES A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THEY HAVE BEEN. WHETHER IT MEANS THAT SOME OF THE INDEPENDENTS SHOULD BE GIVEN FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT TO DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE COUNTY COMMISSION WOULD BE ONE WAY OF DOING IT. MR. HUGHES SUGGESTED AN INTERNAL AUDITOR. YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT THE SCHOOL BOARD DOES, BUT THAT IS ALMOST GOING OUT AND FLAGGING THINGS THAT THEY SEE HAPPEN THAT ARE MISTAKES OR TRYING TO BRING TROUBLE SPOTS TO THE SCHOOL BOARD. THAT'S NOT ALL BAD, BUT IT DOESN'T RESOLVE THE TOTAL BUDGET PROCESS. JUST THINK ABOUT STATE GOVERNMENT IN THE -- IN THE WAY THAT IT WORKS. YOU HAVE THE GOVERNOR WHO HAS ALL OF THE HEADS UNDER THE -- THE AGENCY HEADS UNDER THE GOVERNOR. THEY ARM WRESTLE ABOUT THE WAY THAT THE PRIORITIES ARE GOING TO BE INTERNALLY. THEY THEN TAKE THAT TO THE LEGISLATURE. THE LEGISLATURE HAS INDEPENDENT STAFF WHICH THEN ANALYZES WHETHER THESE NEEDS ARE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES ARE AND WHETHER THE NEEDS ARE REALLY JUSTIFIED. AND FREQUENTLY, WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE LEGISLATURE WILL START OUT SAYING, WE'RE GOING TO CUT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OFF THE TOP AND YOU HAVE TO JUSTIFY IT TO US. THEY HAVE STAFF THERE TO ASK THE APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED, AND THAT STAFF IS RESPONSIBLE TO THE LEGISLATURE. IN THIS CASE, WE DON'T HAVE STAFF RESPONSIBLE TO US. THE STAFF IS RESPONSIBLE TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. I THINK IT WOULD BE A CURIOUS POSITION IF THE PERSON WHO IS EMPLOYED BY THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND SAT IN ON ALL OF THESE MEETINGS STOOD UP BEFORE US AND SAID, I DON'T THINK YOU REALLY NEED TO DO THAT. I DON'T THINK THAT PERSON WOULD BE IN TOO MUCH FAVOR. SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT IS SOME WAY THAT THERE CAN BE THAT INDEPENDENCE OF LOOKING AT THESE ISSUES, THESE MONEY ISSUES BEFORE WE HAVE THE WHOLE BUDGET THROWN AT US AND THEN WE'RE TRYING TO GRAPPLE WITH, WELL, WHAT DO WE DO NOW? AND YOU'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A SMALL BUDGET, EVEN THOUGH A GOOD PORTION OF IT IS FROM CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, YOU'RE STILL AT A 2 POINT ALMOST 3 BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. THE OTHER ELEMENT OF IT IS AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS WILL HAVE A FIT WHEN I SAY THIS, BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE ELECTED AND THEY BRING THEIR BUDGETS TO US, AND WE ALMOST HAVE TO JUST APPROVE THEIR BUDGETS. I THINK THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME WAY THAT THERE IS SOME CHECKS AND BALANCES IN THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE JUST -- YOU KNOW, NO COUNTY COMMISSIONER WANTS TO SIT UP THERE AND SAY THE SHERIFF SHOULDN'T HAVE EXTRA MONEY. BUT THERE DOES NEED TO BE SOME OVERSIGHT IN THAT RESPECT. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GET INTO THAT, AND YOU MAY NOT WANT TO BECAUSE YOU'RE OPENING A PANDORA'S BOX WHEN YOU DEAL WITH CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS. THE OTHER PART OF IT THAT I SEE AS A PROBLEM AT THE COMMISSION LEVEL IS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY. THE COUNTY ATTORNEY IS HIRED AND TERMINATED BY THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. BUT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY ALSO CARRIES OUT THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ARE INHERENT IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION AND YET SEEMINGLY RESPONDS TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES FROM -- FOR THE LEGISLATIVE BODY. NOW, THAT SOMETIMES MAY NOT COINCIDE. AND I THINK THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM HERE. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE -- WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT AND YOU START THINKING ABOUT WHAT DOES THE COUNTY COMMISSION HAVE AUTHORITY OVER BUDGETWISE, EXCEPT FOR THIS MASSIVE BUDGET THAT WE END UP PASSING ON IN TAXES TO PEOPLE, THEY ONLY HAVE THE POWER TO HIRE AND FIRE THE ADMINISTRATOR WHEN YOU'RE ALL THROUGH WITH IT. AND SHOULD YOU GET TO THAT FRUSTRATION POINT, I DON'T THINK THAT'S REALLY THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT. I THINK THERE OUGHT TO BE A BETTER MECHANISM TO TRY TO BALANCE OFF THESE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN A BETTER WAY. I CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CHARTER MAY HAVE HAD THAT ADDRESSED ORIGINALLY BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ERA WHERE WE HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS IN THIS COUNTY WITH WHAT WENT ON AT THE COUNTY COMMISSION LEVEL. BUT A LOT OF THINGS HAVE HAPPENED AND SUNSHINE IS A LOT BRIGHTER THAN IT USED TO BE, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF SAFEGUARDS THAT ARE WRITTEN IN. AND I THINK THAT GIVING A LITTLE BIT OF -- A BALANCE BETWEEN THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE COUNTY COMMISSION AND THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR, THAT DEFINITION SHOULD BE A LITTLE BETTER DEFINED. ON THE ISSUE OF A COUNTY MAYOR -- AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I SHOULD SAY WHAT MY OBSERVATIONS ARE, AND THIS IS MY OBSERVATIONS, I DON'T THINK A COUNTY MAYOR IN AND OF ITSELF RESPONDS TO WHAT REALLY IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE I THINK IF ANYTHING, IF YOU HAVE A COUNTY MAYOR, YOU HAVE ONE PERSON MAKING THE DECISION AND YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE EVERYTHING DONE OUT OF THE SUNSHINE BECAUSE THEY CAN TALK TO EVERYBODY AND THEY -- THAT PERSON IS THE ONE WHO MAKES THE DECISION AND THERE'S -- YOU DON'T HEAR THE GIVE AND TAKE THAT YOU HEAR AMONG SEVEN PEOPLE. SO I LIKE THE PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO ISSUES BEFORE YOU GET TO THAT POINT. BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE SOME GREATER DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP AT THE COUNTY LEVEL. AND I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENED -- AND THIS HAS HAPPENED PRETTY FREQUENTLY -- IS THAT YOU'VE GOT THE COUNTY CHAIRMAN WHO ROTATES YEAR BY YEAR. I THINK THAT MAYBE THAT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT AND I WOULD NOT SAY, WHILE I AM CHAIR, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT THERE IS A STIPEND THAT'S PAID TO THE CHAIR THAT'S 10% OVER THE BASE SALARY. I'M NOT SURE THAT'S JUSTIFIED BECAUSE I'VE LOOKED AT -- YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD ONE YEAR ON TAMPA BAY WATER, AND THEN I GOT OFF OF THAT WHEN I WAS CHAIR BECAUSE I COULDN'T DO BOTH RESPONSIBILITIES. YES, THERE ARE A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITIES CONNECTED WITH THE CHAIR, BUT YOU ALSO DON'T SIT ON A LOT OF COMMITTEES AS A RESULT OF BEING CHAIR. SO I THINK WE ALL SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY PRETTY FAIRLY. AND I DON'T SEE ANY REASON FOR THAT STIPEND TO BE IN THERE. IF THAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO WANT TO ALTERNATE THE CHAIRMANSHIP, I THINK THAT -- AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT THERE BE A MONARCHY THAT THAT GO ON ENDLESSLY, BUT THERE SHOULD BE A LITTLE GREATER LENGTH OF HAVING SOME CONSISTENCY. NOW, THAT'S ONLY MY OBSERVATION. AND OTHERS MAY DISAGREE WITH ME, BUT I AM SAYING THAT I THINK THAT BY THE TIME THAT YOU GET TO BE CHAIR, IT'S TWO OR THREE MONTHS BEFORE ANYBODY KNOWS YOU'RE CHAIR. THEN THE TWO OR THREE MONTHS LAG AT THE END. >> THE TWO OR THREE MONTHS YOU HAVE AT THE END. >> THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM THERE ON OUT. I TRIED TO JUST TOUCH ON A FEW POINTS AND GIVE YOU MY FEELINGS AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO COME BACK AT ANOTHER DATE. >>JAN SMITH: MADAM CHAIRMAN, DO YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THIS EVENING, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THAT AT A LATER DATE? >>PAT FRANK: IF I CAN ANSWER THEM, I MAY NOT BE PREPARED TO ANSWER ALL OF THEM TONIGHT, BUT I'D BE HAPPY TO DO THAT. >>DENISE LASHER: THANKS FOR COMING THIS EVENING. WE APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. TO FOLLOW UP ON YOUR LAST ITEM YOU TALKED ABOUT AND THAT REGARDED THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, IN SOME COUNTIES, THAT PARTICULAR POSITION IS DECIDED BY THE VOTERS THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE RUNNING FOR COUNTY COMMISSION AND ALSO RUNNING TO BE CHAIR OR MAYOR, WHATEVER THE TERMINOLOGY YOU WANT TO USE, BUT THAT THEY ACTUALLY WOULD BE ELECTED BY THE VOTERS TO THAT POSITION, HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO THAT? VERSUS BEING ELECTED BY YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS? >>PAT FRANK: WELL, YOU PROBABLY WOULD HAVE TO DO THAT ONLY AMONG THE COUNTYWIDE ELECTED PEOPLE. AND THEN YOU ONLY HAVE THREE PEOPLE WHO ARE COUNTYWIDE COMMISSIONERS. I'D WANT TO LOOK AT WHAT THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE RECORD HAS BEEN OF THAT. >>KEVIN AMBLER: GIVEN THE GROWTH OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND SOME OF THE -- THERE'S A LOT OF MOVEMENT NOW TOWARDS SOUTH COUNTY. THEY OFTEN CLAIM UNDERREPRESENTATION. WE GOT ISSUES INVOLVING ANNEXATION IN NORTH COUNTY, MAYBE SOME SHRINKING THERE. MY OVERALL QUESTION IS, DO YOU FEEL THE CURRENT COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION, THERE BEING THE THREE AT-LARGE, AND FOUR DISTRICT MEMBERS, IS AN ADEQUATE COMPOSITION? OR DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION AS TO WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE MORE DISTRICTS OR SUBDIVISION OF DISTRICTS OR MORE AT-LARGE MEMBERS? >>PAT FRANK: WELL, THE LARGER THAT YOUR COMMISSION BECOMES, THE MORE UN -- >>KEVIN AMBLER: I DON'T MEAN ADDING. >> RECOMPOSING, MAKING ALL SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS. >>KEVIN AMBLER: OR MAKING THEM ALL AT-LARGE DISTRICTS. >>JAN SMITH: IF THE AUDIENCE WOULD JUST LET THE PEOPLE ANSWER THE QUESTIONS HERE, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT FOR THE MOMENT. >>PAT FRANK: YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'D WANT TO WRESTLE WITH. >>KEVIN AMBLER: I JUST WANT YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS A COMMISSIONER HOW YOU SEE -- >>PAT FRANK: FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THE THREE COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE AT-LARGE -- AND I DON'T WANT TO BE PATRONIZING, BUT I THINK WE TRY TO DO THE BEST JOB WE CAN IN REPRESENTING ALL THE PARTS OF THE COUNTY. BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE TO RUN COUNTYWIDE, YOU BETTER KNOW THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTY. IT'S RARE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE ELECTED ONLY WITH MAJORITY FROM ONE PARTICULAR DISTRICT. SO I THINK THAT IT FORCES YOU TO HAVE TO GET OUT, AND THAT BALANCE IS A GOOD ONE WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH COUNTYWIDE INTERESTS. YOU NEED TO ALSO HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE. WE DON'T RAISE TAXES DISTRICT BY DISTRICT. WE RAISE THEM COUNTYWIDE. AND SPEND THEM COUNTYWIDE. AND THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE THREE AND FOUR IS A GOOD WAY TO HAVE A MORE TARGETED ACCENT IN TERMS OF WHAT SHOULD BE DONE IN THE DISTRICT, BUT A BALANCE WITH THE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE. I LIKE THE BLEND. >>KEVIN AMBLER: DO YOU FEEL THERE SHOULD BE MORE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OR WOULD YOU BE AN EFFECTIVE BODY OR LESS EFFECTIVE BODY IF THERE WERE MORE COMMISSIONERS ADDED? LET'S SAY AN ADDITIONAL DISTRICT? >>PAT FRANK: I THINK THAT RIGHT NOW IN THE AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THE GREATEST NEED, THERE ARE SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS. AND I WOULD SAY THAT FOR THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY WHERE SO MUCH GROWTH HAS OCCURRED, THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE COUNTY AND THE EAST PART OF THE COUNTY. IF ANYTHING, PERHAPS IF YOU -- IF YOU WERE THINKING IN THAT DIRECTION, I WOULD THINK THE ONE DISTRICT THAT WOULD PROBABLY NOT FIT IN THAT MODE, ALTHOUGH IT WOULD AS IT RELATED TO TOWN N' COUNTRY AND WESTCHASE, WOULD BE DISTRICT 1, BECAUSE THE SOUTH PART OF THE COUNTY IS NOT GROWING THAT MUCH. THE SOUTH TAMPA PART. BUT LOOKING AT THAT AND SEEING HOW THAT WOULD BE RECONFIGURED. >>JAN SMITH: I HAVE MR. BELTRAN AND THEN MR. WHITE. >>HENRY BELTRAN: YOU MENTIONED THE CHAIRMAN IS ELECTED FOR JUST ONE YEAR. [INAUDIBLE] >>PAT FRANK: WELL, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. YOU KNOW, THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS CAN DECIDE TO ELECT YOU, BUT ALSO, YOU HAVE COMMISSIONERS TURNING OVER EVERY TWO YEARS, YOU KNOW, SO YOU GOT A LOT OF CHANGE OCCURRING. >>HENRY BELTRAN: AND AT THE SAME TIME THEY ONLY SERVE -- [INAUDIBLE] IF A PERSON COME UP AND RUN -- I FEEL THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS TWO TERM SHOULD BE CHANGED TO AT LEAST THREE SO THE PERSON WOULD BE ABLE TO RETIRE. >>GERALD WHITE: COMMISSIONER, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS. IN ORDER FOR THE CHARTER TO AFFECT THE CONSTITUTIONALS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE UNDER THE CHARTER, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT. I HAVE SOME CONCERNS AS WELL ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, LIKE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR HAVE AN ANNUAL REPORT, A STATE OF THE COUNTY. ARE YOU ADVOCATING SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WHAT EXTENT OF OVERSIGHT ARE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT? >>PAT FRANK: WELL, I HAVEN'T REALLY THOUGHT IT THROUGH. ALL I SEE IS A POLITICAL PROBLEM BECAUSE I THINK IT'S VERY HARD TO TURN SOME OF THESE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS DOWN WHEN THEY'VE COME AND ASKED FOR BUDGETS. AND IT'S ONE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICER OVERRIDING ANOTHER CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICER. AND THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME METHOD THERE WHERE THERE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE AIRING IN AN OBJECTIVE WAY OF WHAT THE BUDGET NEEDS ARE. >>GERALD WHITE: I HAVE A FOLLOW-UP. YOU SPOKE ABOUT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY. DO YOU BELIEVE -- HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT THAT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY SHOULD BE AN INDEPENDENT ELECTED PERSON? >>PAT FRANK: ELECTED? I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S -- YOU'RE THROWING IT INTO ANOTHER ARENA THERE. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T RUN FOR THE OFFICE WHO ARE VERY GOOD COUNTY ATTORNEYS. IT'S JUST LIKE -- THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE OFFICES, PARTICULARLY IN THE JUDICIARY WHO WOULD NEVER RUN FOR A JUDICIAL OFFICE. AND YOU WANT THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST MIND. SO I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT WOULD -- WHETHER THAT WOULD WORK OR NOT. BECAUSE THIS IS A HUGE OFFICE, ABOUT A $5 MILLION BUDGET, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. AND WITH A LOT OF ATTORNEYS. IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE LARGEST LOCALLY -- WELL, IT IS THE LARGEST CONFINED LOCALLY LAW FIRM IN TOWN, I THINK. >>GERALD WHITE: I DIDN'T MEAN TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT WITH THAT ONE. I HAD BEEN GIVING THAT SOME THOUGHT. MY LAST QUESTION, LOCAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. OVER THE PAST SIX, SEVEN YEARS, EIGHT YEARS, WE'VE HAD CANDIDATES -- WE'VE HAD ONE CANDIDATE THAT HAS RAISED ALMOST $200,000 FOR A COUNTYWIDE RACE AND WE HAD SOME RAISE 150,000. WE'VE HAD SOME DISTRICT CANDIDATES GET ELECTED WITH 50, 60, 70 THOUSAND. DO YOU THINK SOME SORT OF LOCAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM NEED TO BE IMPLEMENTED? >>PAT FRANK: WELL, I THINK THERE ARE OUGHT TO BE CAMPAIGN REFORM AT EVERY LEVEL. I THINK IT'S OUTLANDISH. I THINK IT'S GOTTEN BEYOND CONTROL, AND THERE'S NO QUESTION IN MY MIND THAT THERE IS GREAT INTEREST IN PEOPLE ABOUT WHO GETS ELECTED TO BENEFIT THEIR OWN SPECIAL INTERESTS. AND THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME WAY THAT THERE IS SOME TURNAROUND IN THAT. IT'S GETTING MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE, LESS DESIRABLE FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON TO WANT TO PUT THEMSELVES IF THAT SITUATION, AND THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE WHO -- I SEE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME TO COME DOWN BEFORE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSION. THEY SPENT HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS FIGHTING FOR NOT SOMETHING FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL INTEREST, BUT FOR THE INTEREST OF THE COMMUNITY. AND HOW DO THEY RAISE MONEY? THEY DON'T HAVE SPECIAL INTERESTS THAT ARE GOING TO BANK ROLL THEM. THEY ARE OUT THERE FIGHTING SOME OF THESE VERY INTERESTS. AND YET THEIR DOLLARS HAVE TO COMPETE WITH SOMEBODY ELSE WHO IS IN THE SAME ARENA. IT'S GOTTEN OUT OF HAND. YOU KNOW, IF I COULD GO BACK IN HISTORY AND THINK WHAT I SPENT ON MY FIRST RACE, IT WAS $600. WHERE ARE WE NOW? WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN? IT WOULD JUST BE LAUGHABLE, AND PEOPLE WOULDN'T TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY, WHICH IS THE OTHER TRAGEDY OF IT. YOU KNOW, IF YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO OUT AND RAISE MONEY, YOU JUST WANT TO CARRY A MESSAGE, THEY THINK YOU REASONABLE DOUBT A CREDIBLE CANDIDATE. YOU GOT TO RAISE MORE THAN THE OTHER PERSON, AND THAT'S WHAT GETS THE HEADLINES, WHAT THE WAR CHEST IS THIS WEEK. >>GERALD WHITE: I COULD GO ON, BUT I'LL HOLD IT. >>JAN SMITH: MR. BALLARD. >>TERRY BALLARD: ONE OF THE IDEAS YOU HAD UNDER THE BUDGET OR STAFF FOR THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT ANGLE, BUT THAT WOULD BE GOOD. DO YOU HAVE ANY -- WHAT COULD WE PUT IN THE CHARTER THAT WOULD GIVE YOU ALL THAT? I SEE WHERE THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COMES UP WITH A BUDGET AND EVERYTHING, BUT IT'S HANDED OFF -- [INAUDIBLE] COUNTY COMMISSION. -- GET IT THE LAST MINUTE TOO. GET THE STAFF TO GO IN AND INVESTIGATE. >>PAT FRANK: WELL, I THINK THAT PERHAPS THERE SHOULD BE A TIME FRAME SET UP IN THE CHARTER WHEN THE BUDGET IS SUBMITTED TO THE COUNTY COMMISSION, AND THERE SHOULD BE INDEPENDENCE -- I'M NOT SAYING GO OUT AND HIRE NEW PEOPLE, BUT I'M SAYING MAKE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S GOING TO BE CONVEYED RESPONSIBLE TO THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. AND AS THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DELEGATES TO THE ADMINISTRATOR, THEY COULD HAVE OTHER FUNCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. BUT IF YOU HAD THOSE INDIVIDUALS RESPONDING TO THE BOARD RATHER THAN THE ADMINISTRATOR, IT WOULD GIVE THE BOARD A LOT MORE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THINGS CLOSER. >>JAN SMITH: EXCUSE ME, MR. AMBLER, LET THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE QUESTIONS. WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU IF SHE CAN STAY LONGER. >> AND -- THE QUESTION HE WAS TRYING TO ASK YOU THERE, THEY WOULD ACTUALLY BE EMPLOYED THEN, THE BUDGET COMMITTEE BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. >>PAT FRANK: UM-HUM. >> THEN YOU COULD GET THE -- IF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR WANTED SOME OF THEM, THEN YOU ALL COULD -- [INAUDIBLE] >>PAT FRANK: EXACTLY. >> THEY ALSO REVIEW THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS DIFFERENT THINGS OF THEIR BUDGETS AND GO INTO THEM IN DETAIL AND MAKE REPORTS TO YOU ALL AND THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR DOLLARS OR SOMETHING IF THEY TOLD -- >>JAN SMITH: THEY ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE SPEAKERS THIS EVENING. SO WHEN YOU SPEAK OR ASK A QUESTION, PLEASE TRY TO TALK LOUDLY INTO YOUR MICROPHONE. >> THE NEXT THING IS IN REVIEWING THE CHARTER WHERE YOU HIRE THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, IT TAKES FIVE VOTES TO HIRE HIM AND FOUR TO FIRE HIM. SO IT'S MORE THAN A SIMPLE MAJORITY TO PUT IT ON. I WONDERED IF WE WORKED SOMETHING LIKE THAT OR HAD IT IN THE CHARTER TO IMPOSE TAXES OR ADDITIONAL TAXES OR RAISE TAXES OR FEES THAT IT WOULD TAKE, LIKE, FIVE COMMISSIONERS OUT OF THE SEVEN TO IMPOSE THEM AND FOUR TO ELIMINATE THEM. AND I PROBABLY PUT YOU ON THE SPOT BECAUSE -- RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST A MAJORITY, WHICH IS FOUR OF THE SEVEN. >>PAT FRANK: UM-HUM. YEAH, I'D WANT TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE AREAS THAT YOU MIGHT HIT ON, BECAUSE, FOR INSTANCE, ONE THING IS A LOT OF THE FEES ARE IN ORDINANCE FORM AND THERE ARE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THAT. SO EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY ONLY REQUIRE A MAJORITY OF THE BOARD, YOU'RE HAVING A PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN IN THAT CASE, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC BEFORE YOU MAKE A DECISION. SO THERE IS THAT BUFFER. >> IT'S JUST THE NUMBER THAT WHEN YOU GOT FIVE, YOU REALLY GOT TO CONVINCE FIVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THAT IT'S A GOOD TAX OR A GOOD FEE FOR IT TO BE IMPOSED ON THE TAXPAYERS. THAT'S THE ONLY THING. IT'S JUST LIKE THE COUNTY IN HIRING THE ADMINISTRATOR IS IT'S FIVE OF YOU ALL AND THEY FIGURE YOU ALL WORK BETTER. MY LAST THING, IF YOU HAD TO GO OUT AND HIRE A COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TOMORROW, WHERE IT REQUIRES THAT HE THAT THEY HAVE A MASTERS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, WOULD THAT BE A PROBLEM IF YOU MAY HAVE AND PROBABLY GOING BACK TO MR. KARL, I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAD A PUBLIC -- MASTERS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, BUT THAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE THAT YOU COULDN'T HIRE HIM THOUGH HE WAS WELL QUALIFIED AND DID A GOOD JOB. >>PAT FRANK: I THINK THAT IT'S GOOD TO PUT STANDARDS IN THERE, BUT I THINK THE STANDARDS OUGHT TO BE EQUIVALENT OR EQUIVALENT EXPERIENCE. BECAUSE I DO THINK THERE ARE AREAS WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE -- YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T HAVE THAT TECHNICAL DEGREE, BUT THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY WELL QUALIFIED TO DO THE JOB. AND SO -- BUT I THINK SETTING THE QUALIFICATIONS IN THERE SENDS A SIGNAL THAT IT'S NOT JUST SOMEBODY WHO IS A POLITICAL PATRONAGE PERSON WHO IS GOING TO GET HIRED. YOU HAVE TO PROVE THAT THERE IS EQUAL QUALIFICATIONS THAT WOULD BE -- WOULD OFFSET THAT. >> I'VE GOT MORE, BUT I'LL LIMIT MINE BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYBODY ELSE -- >>JAN SMITH: I THINK WE'LL GIVE HER A CHANCE TO COME BACK. MS. TUTTLE. >>MARY LOU TUTTLE: COMMISSIONER, BACK TO THE BUDGET, I REALLY DISLIKE STARTING NEW THINGS AND MR. HUGHES, I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION. WE'VE STARTED MANY PROGRAMS IN THIS COUNTY WITH A SMALL GROUP AND THEY TEND TO MUSHROOM. BUT DO YOU NOT THINK AN INDEPENDENT BUDGET ANALYST MAY BE LIMITED TO THREE PEOPLE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT SHOULD REPORT ONLY TO THE BOARD? I THINK THEY WOULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE, AT LEAST IN CERTAIN AREAS, IF THEY HAD TO REPORT TO BOTH THE BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATOR, NO MATTER WHO THE BOARD OR THE ADMINISTRATOR WAS. BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE A GREAT BIG OFFICE GROW EITHER. >>PAT FRANK: NO. THAT'S WHAT WORRIES ME. >>MARY LOU TUTTLE: YEAH. BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT COULD YOU SERVE TWO DIFFERENT FOLKS AND THE OTHER THING, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY. I FEEL SORT OF THE SAME WAY ABOUT THAT. AN ATTORNEY IS BOUND TO DO THE VERY, VERY BEST FOR THEIR CLIENT. IF THEIR CLIENT INCLUDES ALL THESE OTHER FOLKS AND THERE IS A CONFLICT EVER, SMALL, LARGE, WHATEVER, I THINK IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THE ATTORNEY TO MAKE THE DECISIONS ON, YOU KNOW, WHO, WHEN, HOW. I JUST WONDERED IF HIRING ANOTHER ATTORNEY AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT HIRING A RAFT OF ATTORNEYS, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LARGE STAFF NOW, WHICH MAYBE PART OF THEM COULD BE SWITCHED OVER TO THE COUNTY COMMISSION. IT'S JUST A THOUGHT. COUNTY COMMISSION SIDE, TO HAVE THE COUNTY COMMISSION HAVE THEIR SMALL STAFF. THEY WOULDN'T NEED A LARGE STAFF. THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR NEEDS A LARGE STAFF BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO SERVE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE INVOLVED ALSO, NOT PEOPLE, BUT ENTITIES. SO THEY DO NEED A LARGER STAFF. BUT IT COULD BE, I THINK, BROKEN AND USE THE SAME PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT, BUT SIMPLY HAVE THEM REPORT TO THE BOARD. THAT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. THE ONLY SUGGESTION -- THE ONLY THING I HAVE, THE ONLY COMMENT I HAVE ABOUT THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS IS IN THE CREATION OF OUR CHARTER, IT'S VERY SPECIFIC. IT SAYS, THE CHARTER DOES NOT AFFECT ANY COURT, ANY CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICER, AND IT GOES ON TO LIST THEM. AND IT SAYS, YOU KNOW, WE DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THEM. WE CAN'T CHANGE THEM. WE CAN'T ALTER THEM. WE CAN'T ELIMINATE THEM. THEY ARE SET UP BY THE CONSTITUTION. JUST THE SAME AS WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITH THE CITY OF TAMPA. AND I THINK THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT I -- OH, ONE OTHER THING, MR. BELTRAN, I DO BELIEVE -- I MAY BE WRONG AND HELEN IS HERE, HELEN LEVINE WHO WOULD KNOW, BUT I DO BELIEVE ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE VESTED AFTER EIGHT YEARS. IS THAT CORRECT, HELEN? YES, SO THEY ARE -- THEY HAVE EIGHT YEARS VESTING BECAUSE OF THE TERMS. SO THEY ARE OKAY. >> I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED IT BECAUSE I ALWAYS THOUGHT -- BECAUSE I WORKED -- [INAUDIBLE] >>JAN SMITH: IF I CAN REMIND YOU TO SPEAK INTO THE MIKES. >>MARY LOU TUTTLE: I'M THROUGH, THANK YOU. >>DAVID HURLEY: REGARDING THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, I BELIEVE -- I THINK VOLUSIA COUNTY DOESN'T HAVE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS AND THERE MAY BE MORE. BUT WHERE THE CONSTITUTIONALS ARE ACTUALLY DEPARTMENT UNDER THE COUNTY -- IN THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. WHICH ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE WAS PUTTING FORWARD IS SOME OF THE DUPLICATION IN THE COUNTY BETWEEN THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS STAFF. AND WHAT IS YOUR BELIEF IN THE FUNCTION OF THE GOVERNMENT IF THE CHARTER WERE CHANGED TO INCLUDE THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS UNDER OF THE COUNTY -- OR IN THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND DO AWAY WITH THE INDEPENDENT STYLE OF THE OFFICE? >>PAT FRANK: APART FROM THE FACT THAT IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO PASS, IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T PASS. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I THINK THERE IS A VERY STRONG CONSTITUENCY OUT THERE TO KEEP THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS SEPARATE FROM THE BOARD. AND I THINK IN HONESTY, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A PERCEPTION THAT THE BOARD DOES NOT FOLLOW ITS VERY TIGHT CONTROL ON ITS MONEY. AND I THINK TO GIVE MORE POWER TO THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WOULD NOT BE VIEWED AS A WISE MOVE RIGHT NOW FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE. YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THE BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE. WE'VE HAD TAXWATCH THAT HAS CRITICIZED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE. AND UNTIL WE PROVE THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO DO TO TRY TO TIGHTEN OUR BELTS, AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THAT'S A MISSION OF MINE IS TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING VERY CAREFULLY AND I'M GETTING AN AWFUL REPUTATION FOR BEING VERY STRINGY. >>DAVID HURLEY: WE APPRECIATE THAT. >>PAT FRANK: BUT I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT TO -- WE'VE GOT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FIRST. AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE THERE YET. >>MIKE BEDKE: IN YOUR OPINION, WOULD THE VOTERS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY BE BETTER SERVED IF WE HAD NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS FOR COUNTY COMMISSION? >>PAT FRANK: YES. >>STEVE LaBOUR: I ONLY HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. I KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL TO COME DOWN AND ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHARTER IN WHICH YOU HAVE -- ALTHOUGH IT'S BEEN POINTED OUT TO US THAT YOU ACTUALLY DIDN'T TAKE AN OATH TO SUPPORT. YOU SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION, BUT NOT THE CHARTER, SO THAT'S AN INTERESTING ISSUE. THE OTHER INTERESTING THOUGHT IS I JUST READ THROUGH THE CHARTER AGAIN QUICKLY, AND I DID THAT WHEN WE FIRST GOT IT. THE INTERESTING THING IS THE BUDGETARY PROCESS REALLY ISN'T MENTIONED IN THE CHARTER. SO IT'S EVOLVED THROUGH INDEPENDENT STRUCTURE WITHIN, I GUESS, AS OPPOSED TO BY CHARTER. BUT I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT RELATE TO YOU TRYING TO DO YOUR JOB ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. FIRST OF ALL, THE CHARTER SETS OUT THAT THERE'S TEN DIVISIONS OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN WHICH ALL SERVICES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PROVIDED IN WHICH THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR APPOINTS THOSE HEADS. DO YOU THINK THAT THE COUNTY COMMISSION SHOULD HAVE A SAY IN SOME KIND OF CONSENT IN THOSE APPOINTMENTS? >>PAT FRANK: YES I THINK THAT AS MANY THINGS AS YOU CAN DO TO CEMENT THE CONFIDENCE IN THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR IN THE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE, I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG. THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COULD SELECT THEM, BUT IT COULD BE WITH THE CONSENT OF THE BOARD. AND THEN THE BOARD HAS BOUGHT IN TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND HAS A REASON TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY SUCCEED. >> THAT QUESTION GOES TO MY SECOND QUESTION OF, A CONSTITUENT CALLS UP AND HAS AN ISSUE AND THEY'RE BATTLING A PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT, DO YOU FIND THAT IT'S FRUSTRATING OR ARE YOU LIMITED OR IS IT VERY OPEN? IS IT A VERY POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH DEPARTMENTS THAT THERE ISN'T A FEELING LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, IN THE COUNTY ATTORNEYS WHERE THERE'S A CONFLICT, POSSIBLE CONFLICT THAT IN HELPING YOU GET THE ANSWER FOR YOUR CONSTITUENT THAT THEY MIGHT BE CROSSING ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY THAT THEY -- ADMINISTRATION'S POLICY THAT THEY MIGHT NOT WANT TO DISCLOSE. I MEAN, HOW IS THAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP? DO YOU FEEL IT AFFECTS YOUR ABILITY OF BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS? >>PAT FRANK: IT'S HARDER FOR ME BECAUSE I'M USED TO PICKING UP THE PHONE OF THE PERSON WHO IS IN CHARGE OF SOMETHING AND SAYING, I'VE GOT A PROBLEM HERE AND CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE STORY IS? WE CAN'T DO THAT. WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO. THIS SEPARATION BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH MEANS THAT EVERYTHING HAS TO CHANNEL THROUGH MR. KLEMAN'S OFFICE. SO WE HAVE TO DIRECT MEMOS TO HIM. I FIND THAT AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL VERY FRUSTRATING. I DON'T WANT TO BLINDSIDE THE ADMINISTRATOR ON ANYTHING. BUT I WANT TO FIND OUT MYSELF WHAT'S GOING ON. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO CALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THAT AND SAY, GET A LENGTHY DISCUSSION GOING ABOUT -- WHAT IS THE OTHER SIDE OF IT? YOU KNOW, I LEARN THAT WAY. AND IT DOESN'T PROHIBIT YOU FROM DOING IT. BUT YOU'RE DOING TWO THINGS. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE HAVING TO GO TO THE LOCAL PERSON. YOU'RE ALSO HAVING TO SEND THE LEGISLATIVE -- I MEAN, THE ADMINISTRATIVE REFERRAL. AND FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF JUST THE PRESSIVE THINGS, YOU END UP SENDING AN ADMINISTRATIVE REFERRAL. BUT I KNOW THAT THERE IS A DANGER IN LETTING THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH MEDDLE IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND DIRECTING WHAT HAPPENS AND SAYING, DO THIS, GO OUT AND GET SOMEBODY TO FIX THAT STREET RIGHT NOW. AND THAT'S NOT THE FUNCTION OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. BUT THERE SHOULD BE SOME WAY TO HAVE A LITTLE CLOSER TIE WITH THE PUBLIC WHEN THEY'VE GOT CONCERNS AND YOU WANT TO RESPOND TO THEM. I THINK ABOUT -- AND I MENTIONED THIS TO MR. KLEMAN WHEN I FIRST GOT ELECTED, THAT ON THE SCHOOL BOARD, WE HAD THE COUNTY DIVIDED INTO AREAS. AND THERE WERE AREA COORDINATORS. AND THEY WERE JUST THE SAME AS THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND IF ODD PROBLEM IN A PARTICULAR AREA, YOU CALLED THAT AREA COORDINATOR, AND THAT PERSON WAS PARTICULARLY FAMILIAR WITH THAT AREA. AND THEY GOT RIGHT TO IT RIGHT AWAY. AND THEY ALSO GAVE YOU FEEDBACK RIGHT AWAY. THAT WAS -- THAT BECAME A VERY COMFORTABLE RELATIONSHIP AFTER A WHILE. AND IT NEVER BLIND-SIDED THE SUPERINTENDENT, BECAUSE HE WAS AWARE OF EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON AND WHERE THE TROUBLE AREAS WERE. AND THEN WE ALSO JUST WALKED IN. I WENT IN EVERY SCHOOL, EVERY TIME I TURNED AROUND AND I'D SIT IN THE CAFETERIA AND TALK TO PEOPLE AND EVERYTHING. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THAT I DON'T FIND THAT THERE'S THAT ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AS MUCH BECAUSE WE ARE BOGGED DOWN WITH SO MUCH STUFF. IF YOU COULD SEE THE THINGS THAT WE GO THROUGH AND SOMEHOW OR 'NOTHER THERE HAS TO BE A PARING DOWN OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT AND WHAT ISN'T IMPORTANT. AND IF WE COULD FIGURE OUT THE MYSTERY TO THAT, YOU KNOW, AND HOW WE ARE ABLE TO SHED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY DON'T NEED TO DO, I WISH SOMEBODY WOULD GIVE ME SOME ADVICE ON THAT. BECAUSE IT'S MIND-BOGGLING. IT'S NOT A PART-TIME JOB. I DON'T SEE HOW ANYBODY COULD CONSIDER IT THAT. IT'S A FULL-TIME JOB. >> I HAVE ONE MORE QUICK QUESTION. THE ZONING POWERS ARE TOTALLY VESTED WITH THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION IF, IN FACT, THERE WERE TO BE A COUNTY MAYOR THAT PERHAPS THAT POWER SHOULD GO TO THE MAYOR. WHAT'S YOUR OPINION OF THAT? >>PAT FRANK: I THINK IT WOULD BE HORRIBLE, FRIGHTENING. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. THERE YOU WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO HEAR ALL THE ARGUMENTS FROM THE SPECIAL INTERESTS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THAT OPEN PROCESS. IT'S VERY -- IT'S VERY OPEN THE WAY THAT IT IS, ALTHOUGH IT IS, YOU KNOW, VERY STRUCTURED BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE PROCESS, WHEN THE PUBLIC CAN BE IN AND WHEN THEY'RE OUT. AND THE ZONING HEARING MASTER FILTERS WHAT HAPPENS AT THAT STAGE. AND WE'RE VERY CONFINED IN TERMS OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK WITH ANYBODY UNDER THE LAW. WE CAN'T SPEAK WITH ANYONE ABOUT ZONING MATTERS UNTIL WE ACTUALLY HEAR THEM. AND THAT IS A GOOD THING. BECAUSE OTHERWISE, WOULD YOU GET IN A LOT OF TROUBLE. THAT'S AN AREA WHERE THERE CAN BE A LOT OF MISCHIEF. >>DANNY WILKES: THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL ISSUES DISCUSSED TONIGHT. ONE THAT REALLY STEMS OUT WITH ME IS THE PERCEPTION THAT THE WEAKNESS OF THE COUNTY COMMISSION AND THE LACK OF PUBLIC SUPPORT OF THE COMMISSION. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT -- WHAT SINGLE ISSUE YOU THINK COULD ADDRESS AND STRENGTHEN THE COUNTY COMMISSION? >>PAT FRANK: WELL, I THINK CONSISTENCY. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S ONE THING IS CARRYING THE SAME MESSAGE OUT ALL THE TIME. COHESIVENESS AMONG THE COUNTY COMMISSION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED IN THE PRESS FOR BEING AT ODDS WITH EACH OTHER, AND NOT ABLE TO GET ALONG AND NOT ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS. AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE THAT. I REALLY DON'T SEE IT. I'VE TOLD THE STORIES BEFORE THAT I WAS IN THE SENATE WHEN WD CHILDERS AND DEMSEY BARON WENT AT IT FIST IN HAND WITH EACH ONE SEVERAL FEET AWAY FROM ME, AND THAT WAS TWO PAST LEADERS OF THE SENATE FIGHTING ON THE SENATE FLOOR. THESE THINGS HAPPEN, YOU KNOW. PEOPLE GET EMOTIONALLY TIED TO THE MOMENT. AND WHEN YOU'RE SITTING DOWN THERE AND YOU'RE SITTING AND HEARING AS WE HAVE DONE FROM MANY, MANY TIMES FROM 9:00 IN THE MORNING TILL 6:00 IN THE EVENING WITH A SHORT BREAK AND YOU TURN RIGHT AROUND AND DO IT AGAIN THE NEXT DAY, AFTER A WHILE, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE EDGES FRAY. BUT TO CRITICIZE THE COMMISSION AS NOT HAVING ITS ACT TOGETHER I THINK IS GROSSLY UNFAIR. I THINK THE PEOPLE ON THE COMMISSION ARE GOOD PEOPLE. WE COME AT ISSUES FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, AND ONCE AGAIN, THAT BUSINESS ABOUT THE SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION ABOUT THAT. YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS AND THEY ARE REPRESENTING THEIR DISTRICTS. THEN YOU MAY HAVE SOME BATTLING WITH SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS WHO AREN'T FROM THOSE DISTRICTS WHO WANT TO BALANCE OFF WHAT THE ARGUMENT IS. AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. THAT IS HEALTHY, AND IT SHOULD BE APPLAUDED RATHER THAN CRITICIZED. YOU KNOW, WE ARE TRYING TO TACKLE SOME TOUGH PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW WITH TAMPA GENERAL. AND THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN TERMS OF DECIDING TO FUND THIS HOSPITAL, HOW WE DO IT AND WHETHER WE DO IT. THE WATER PROBLEM IS SEVERE, AND IN TERMS OF THE PLAN AND THE COST OF IT. THESE ARE NOT MINOR ISSUES, AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, YOU'VE GOT THE GROWTH OF THE AREA, THE CONCERN THAT WE HAVE OVER THE ECONOMY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTEN REPORTS ABOUT THE INTERNET DIGGING INTO OUR SALES TAX REVENUE AND POSSIBLY CAUSING US PROBLEMS. AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT ERODING OUR AD VALOREM BASE AS BUSINESSES DON'T PUT UP A STORE FRONT ANYMORE. THEY WORK ON THE NET. SO WE'RE TRYING TO -- WE'RE TRYING TO THINK ABOUT ALL THESE ISSUES IN AN AREA WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF TAMPA IS 1/3 OF WHAT THE POPULATION IS IN THE COUNTY. 2/3'S OF THE POPULATION IS OUT IN THE COUNTY. AND THAT'S WHERE THE STRESS IS. THAT'S WHERE ALL THE ISSUES ARE. THAT'S WHERE THE TOUGH DECISIONS ARE. WE DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE ALL IN PLACE THAT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO LURE PEOPLE INTO. SO IT'S -- I THINK THE COMMISSION DOES A DARN GOOD JOB. AND I CAN SAY THAT FROM AN INSIDE PERSPECTIVE NOW AFTER WATCHING EVERYBODY. I LIKE THE HONESTY OF PEOPLE SPEAKING UP, EVEN WHEN THEY DISAGREE WITH ME. AND HAVING A LITTLE TUG-OF-WAR THERE BEFORE WE COME TO A CONCLUSION. NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. SHOULDN'T BE CRITICIZED. >>GERALD WHITE: I HAVE ONE LAST THOUGHT, MADAM CHAIR. SENATOR HARGRETT, AT THEIR LAST DELEGATION MEETING BEFORE THEY WENT TO TALLAHASSEE, TALKED ABOUT REGRESSION. HE TALKED ABOUT THE NATURAL GROWTH OF THE COUNTY AND THE WAY WE ARE STRUCTURED NOW WITH THE FOUR-THREE SYSTEM. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE AFTER THIS CENSUS -- CENSUS. DO YOU THINK THIS CHARTER REVIEW BOARD SHOULD ADDRESS ASSURING A MINORITY A PLACE ON THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS? >>PAT FRANK: WELL, WE DO HAVE A MINORITY MEMBER, AND I THINK IT'S REFLECTIVE OF THE DISTRICT THAT THAT MINORITY MEMBER COMES FROM. I THINK THERE REALLY IS A PRETTY GOOD BLEND THERE RIGHT NOW. I WOULD WANT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE FIGURES, BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT PUTS A GOOD EDGE ON A MINORITY MEMBER BEING AT THE TABLE. AND THAT'S -- THAT IS IMPORTANT. THAT'S -- BECAUSE YOU NEED TO HEAR THE MINORITY VIEWS AS WELL AS THE MAJORITY VIEWS IF YOU'RE GOING TO REALLY DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THE PEOPLE. YOU DON'T NEED TO JUST LISTEN TO ONE SIDE OF THE STORY. >>GERALD WHITE: MY CONCERN IS, MY LAST THOUGHT ON THIS, IS ONCE THE CENSUS IS DONE AND THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAS TO REALIGN DISTRICTS, ARE THEY GOING TO BE SUFFICIENT NUMBERS IN THE MINORITY COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO, IF YOU WILL, ELECT THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THEIR CHOICE. SOME KIND OF WAY, I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFOREHAND, BEFORE THIS PROCESS IS COMPLETE. SO I JUST THROW THAT OUT. >>PAT FRANK: WELL, I THINK FOR ONE THING, WHAT WE BETTER DO RIGHT NOW IS MAKE SURE THAT CENSUS COUNT IS UP TO SPEED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE GOT -- WE ASKED -- RONDA STORMS ASKED FOR A REPORT THE OTHER DAY BECAUSE SHE'S FOUND OUT THAT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE IN HER AREA -- AND THAT'S SUN CITY, A LOT OF THE MIGRANT AREAS, THEY DON'T HAVE ADDRESSES OTHER THAN POST OFFICE BOXES AND THEY ARE NOT CALCULATED RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GO OUT AND FIND THESE PEOPLE. AND THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. SO IN THE MINORITY COMMUNITY, TOO, YOU'VE GOT A PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY THERE ABOUT HAVING TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE CALCULATED. AND APPARENTLY, THE CENSUS COUNTERS ARE HAVING A TOUGH TIME HIRING PEOPLE BECAUSE THE MARKETPLACE IS SO COMPETITIVE RIGHT NOW. AND EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE PAYING A GOOD SUM OF MONEY, I THINK SOMETHING LIKE $11 AN HOUR OR SOMETHING, THEY CAN'T FIND PEOPLE. SO WE'VE VOLUNTEERED TO TRY TO HELP THEM IN EVERY WAY WE CAN. AND IF THAT MEANS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT SOME CREATIVE WAYS BEFORE THE CENSUS IS FINALIZED, WE'RE GOING TO DO IT. >>MIKE BEDKE: ONE FINAL QUESTION. I'M JUST CURIOUS, OTHER THAN NOT ROTATING THE CHAIRPERSON OFF AS REGULARLY, IF YOU'VE GOT THOUGHTS AS TO A SYSTEMIC CHANGE THAT COULD BE MADE THAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE ABILITY TO GO IN AND DEAL WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, MAYOR GRECO, ON A MORE EQUAL FOOTING WHILE STILL ASSURING THE PROTECTIONS OF THE SUNSHINE? >>PAT FRANK: WELL, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE, BECAUSE IT'S TRUE. YOU'VE GOT A MAYOR. AND THEN YOU GOT A COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIR ELECTED BY THE COMMISSIONERS. THAT EITHER CAN BE A STRENGTH OR IT CAN BE A WEAKNESS, DEPENDING UPON HOW MUCH YOUR COUNTY COMMISSION WANTS TO BACK YOU UP. AND IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY -- I DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK, IN MY OPINION, WITHOUT THE AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY COMMISSION. SO THAT NECESSARILY MEANS THAT WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CONSENSUS BEFORE WE PRESENT ANY POSITION. THEN THAT MEANS THAT YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE IT ALL AIRED OUT IN THE SUNSHINE YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOING TO DISCUSS SOMETHING. AND YOU CAN AUTHORIZE SOMEBODY TO SPEAK FOR THE BOARD AND GET THE SENSE OF WHERE THE MAYOR MIGHT BE ON A POINT AND THEN BRING IT BACK FOR RATIFICATION. BUT THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS. THEY ARE JUST NOT GOING TO BE ON PAR WITH ONE ANOTHER. IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY HARD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT BLEND. IT'S GOING TO BE THE INDIVIDUAL WHO'S INVOLVED, HOW THEY VIEW THEIR ROLE AND HOW THE COUNTY COMMISSION VIEWS THE RESPONSIBILITY THEY GIVE TO THE CHAIR. AND MAYBE THAT SHOULD BE BETTER DEFINED. I DON'T KNOW -- I DON'T HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS AT THIS POINT, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE THOUGHT ABOUT. >>JAN SMITH: CHAIRMAN FRANK, ONE OF THE THINGS THE BOARD DOES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS IS HAS A RETREAT TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES THAT THEY ALL WANT TO WORK ON AND TRY TO PLACE A PRIORITY. HAVE YOU THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS ONCE YOU DO THAT AND AS YOU DEAL WITH YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND YOUR PLANNING AND YOUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, COULD YOU, IN FACT, SINCE YOU'RE DOING TWO-YEAR BUDGETS NOW, COULD YOU HIRE A CONSULTANT FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF EACH TWO-YEAR BUDGET TO TAKE YOUR PRIORITIES, LOOK AT YOUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANS, AND LOOK AT OPERATING EXPENSES, ET CETERA, AND HAVE THAT PERSON BE HIRED AS A CONSULTANT ON AN EVERY-OTHER-YEAR BASIS IN AN EFFORT TO HELP YOU ALL. BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE A RIGHT TO CONTRACT INDEPENDENT OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. AND IF YOU WERE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AS TO WHAT YOUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE AND HOW YOU WANT THE BUDGET AND THEN LET HIM TAKE THAT INPUT AND COME BACK. I'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO FIGURE THAT GAME OUT AND HOW IT COULD WORK. AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU ALL HAVE EVER DISCUSSED DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I'M NOT ANXIOUS TO HAVE ANOTHER DEPARTMENT CREATED THAT CAN MUSHROOM. YEARS AGO PLANNING AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT WAS 11 PEOPLE WITH $250,000 BUDGET, AND I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHERE IT IS NOW. AND THERE'S REASON FOR IT. SO IT OCCURS TO ME THAT THERE MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY THERE. WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS, ALSO, I THINK IT'S LAID OUT IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE. AND PERHAPS WHEN MR. KLEMAN COMES, WE COULD ASK HIM TO GO THROUGH THAT WITH US. I DON'T THINK THAT'S OVERSTEPPING OUR BOUNDS TO LOOK AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE. IT'S PART OF WHAT LAYS OUT HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS. IT MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT THAT. >>PAT FRANK: UM-HUM. I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO GET HIS PERSPECTIVE OF IT. AND I'M SURE THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM MEAN. >>JAN SMITH: WELL, WE THANK YOU FOR COMING THIS EVENING. AND YOU DID SAY THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO COME BACK LATER. WE'D BE DELIGHTED IF YOU FELT THAT THERE WERE THINGS THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY OR IF YOU JUST WANTED TO PUT SOME COMMENTS IN WRITING AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'D BE GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU. >>PAT FRANK: THANKS A LOT. >>JAN SMITH: I HOPE YOU HAVE A PLEASANT HEARING, WHAT'S LEFT OF IT. >>PAT FRANK: WE HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND BE BACK HERE TOMORROW MORNING. >>JAN SMITH: I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE LEGAL STAFF IF THEY COULD, IN FACT, AT SOME POINT PREPARE IN RESPONSE TO MR. WARREN'S -- WHEN HE WAS INSERTING A COMMENT EARLIER, THERE WAS A LEGAL PROCEEDING A CHALLENGE TO THE COUNTY CHARTER AND I BELIEVE IT WAS 1984. THERE WAS A CHALLENGE, AND IT WAS AN ELECTION, AND IT WAS THE PRECLEARANCE AND IT HAD TO DO WITH THE DISTRICTS. AND I WONDER IF AT SOME POINT IN TIME YOU COULD BRING US A SUMMARY OF WHAT TOOK PLACE AND HOW IT WAS RESOLVED AND WHY IT'S AT ISSUE AS WE DELIBERATE THIS CHARTER. ALSO, IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING FOR MEMBERS OF THIS CHARTER REVIEW BOARD TO HAVE A COPY OF THE PART OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE THAT DEALS WITH THE BUDGET. JUST FOR THEIR OWN INFORMATION. IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO LOOK THROUGH THAT, IT MIGHT PREPARE THEM FOR DISCUSSION WHEN MR. KLEMAN COMES HERE. ONE OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS RAISED AND IT HAD TO DO WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, SUNSHINE, AND HOW THINGS COULD WORK. WHEN CHAIRMAN PLATT -- RIGHT NOW YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO MEDDLE. THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CANNOT MEDDLE IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE ADMINISTRATOR. I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHETHER THE MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENT HEADS AND GET INFORMATION OR DO THEY HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO THEM? >>COUNTY ATTORNEY: I DON'T KNOW OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I COULD BRING THAT BACK TO YOU NEXT MEETING. >>GERALD WHITE: MADAM CHAIR, I HAVE A CONCERN, TOO, RELATED TO SPECIAL ACTS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HAVE ANYTHING CHANGED WITH SPECIAL ACTS CONCERNING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMISSION AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION? >> YOU MEAN, HAVE THEY BEEN AMENDED? >>GERALD WHITE: YES, HAS ANYTHING CHANGED? FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU WANTED TO HAVE THE CITY OF TAMPA MAYOR BE A MEMBER OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMISSION, IS THAT POSSIBLE? >>COUNTY ATTORNEY: BY AMENDING THAT SPECIAL ACT. >>GERALD WHITE: WELL, HAS THE ACT CHANGED TO ALLOW SUCH OR CAN YOU -- >>COUNTY ATTORNEY: NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF. >>GERALD WHITE: CAN YOU CHECK ON THAT FOR ME? >>COUNTY ATTORNEY: SURE. I THINK THERE WERE SOME AUDITING CHANGES MADE TO SEVERAL OF THE SPECIAL ACTS. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THAT'S THE ONLY THING, BUT I CERTAINLY CAN PULL THE HISTORY OF IT AND I CAN PROVIDE THE INFORMATION AS TO WHEN THE CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE AND WHEN THE LAST CHANGES WERE. >>GERALD WHITE: OKAY. THANK YOU. >>JAN SMITH: WHILE YOU'RE THERE, MS. CAMPBELL WOULD YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE CONFLICT ATTORNEY. >> -- SENT OUT THE NOTICES. WE REACHED SOME OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BAR ASSOCIATIONS, THE HILLSBOROUGH ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN LAWYERS. I DID SOME OUTREACH AND WE DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY MORE RESPONSES. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE BOARD DIRECT ME TO GET THE TWO THAT DID RESPOND INITIALLY, MR. EGGERT AND MS. RYDBERG, SEE IF I CAN SCHEDULE THEM FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING AND I CAN LET YOU KNOW IF THERE'S A PROBLEM SCHEDULING WITH THAT, THAT WOULD BE OUR GOAL IF I COULD HAVE A MOTION TO THAT EFFECT. >> I WOULD ASK THAT WE MOVE TO HAVE LEGAL DEPARTMENT SCHEDULE THOSE TWO INDIVIDUALS TO BE BEFORE THE BOARD. >>JAN SMITH: MOTION AND SECOND TO HAVE THE CONFLICT ATTORNEYS ON THE SCHEDULE FOR OUR NEXT MEETING. [MOTION CARRIED] >> AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS OF TRYING TO CAST THAT WIDER NET. >>JAN SMITH: HELEN LEVINE WHO IS IN THE CITY OF TAMPA THIS EVENING IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE UPDATES, COMMUNICATIONS FOR US. >>HELEN LEVINE: GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS, HELEN LEVINE, THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER HERE TONIGHT TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON SOME OF YOUR LOGISTICS AND ALSO RESPONDING TO LAST MEET'S DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT DO TO HELP IMPROVE SOME OF THE COMMUNICATION EFFORTS. FIRST THINGS FIRST. WE HAVE AN OFFICE SPACE FOR THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD AND HAVE THE KEYS ACTUALLY WITH ME TONIGHT. AND THAT WILL BE NEXT STORE AT 505 EAST JACKSON. AND THEY GOT A PHONE NUMBER AND LIKEWISE WE HAVE AN E-MAIL ESTABLISHED FOR THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD. AND THOSE THINGS ARE DONE. I'VE ALSO PROVIDED IN YOUR BACKUP A MEMO FROM MY DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS OUTLINING SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE THOUGHT WE MIGHT HELP YOU PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD WITHOUT BEING REDUNDANT, IT'S IN YOUR PACKETS. IT TALKS ABOUT THE WEB SITE. IT TALKS ABOUT -- I THINK WE HAD TALKED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO SCROLL AWAY FOR THE MEMBERS -- THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO SEE HOW TO REACH YOU AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ONCE HE OR SHE IS HIRED. ADDITIONALLY, WE'LL KEEP YOUR WEB PAGE UP TO DATE WITH -- CURRENTLY IT HAS YOUR MEMBERSHIP. WE'LL BE PUTTING THE MINUTES ON THE WEB SITE WHEN THEY ARE ADOPTED AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION RELATING TO SCHEDULES AND MEETINGS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. WE HAVE ALSO DESIGNED A COMMENT CARD SO THAT WE CAN DISTRIBUTE THOSE. I BELIEVE THAT SUGGESTION WAS MADE TO YOU LAST WEEK, AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING THAT TOGETHER. WE HAVE A MOCK-UP WAITING FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THE CORRECT ADDRESS TO RETURN THE COMMENT CARDS TO, BUT WE'LL BE AGGRESSIVELY GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT HOW FOLKS CAN REACH YOU. THE DIRECTOR DOES SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO HOW WE MIGHT HELP WITH PUBLIC MEETINGS. AND WHILE WE DON'T THINK TECHNOLOGICALLY WE CAN HAVE MULTIPLE SITES GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY SO THAT FOLKS COULD BE INTERACTING WITH YOU AND DIFFERENT SITES IN THE COUNTY, WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY WITH REMOTE TRUCK TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MEETINGS, LIVE MEETINGS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GETS APPOINTED, OUR COMMUNICATIONS STAFF WILL BE GLAD TO WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH HER OR HIM AND ESTABLISH A SCHEDULE AND TO BE MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT THE KIND OF HTV SUPPORT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN PARTICIPATE IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU. >>GERALD WHITE: THE MINUTES, I KNOW YOU HAVE THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF OUR MEETINGS ON THE INTERNET. IS IT POSSIBLE TO JUST PUT THIS SMALL -- WHAT DO YOU CALL IT, MINUTES, THAT WE JUST APPROVED ON THE INTERNET? THAT'S A WHOLE LOT EASIER, TO ME TO READ AND UNDERSTAND AND YOU CAN FIND OUT -- A CITIZEN CAN FIND OUT WHAT HAS TAKEN PLACE BY READING THESE TWO OR THREE PAGES VERSUS GOING THROUGH THAT ENTIRE VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT. >> THIS ISN'T VERBATIM. >>JAN SMITH: HE'S TALKING THAT THERE IS A VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT OF THE MINUTES. THIS IS MORE OF A SUMMARY OF WHAT WE GET. >>HELEN LEVINE: THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS AND WE CAN MAKE THEM AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET. ONE IS THE CLERK'S OFFICIAL MINUTES WHICH YOU APPROVE. AND MANY THAT PEOPLE ARE USED TO IS THE CLOSED CAPTIONING. I THINK MR. HURLEY IS A FINE READER OF IT. THE CLOSED CAPTIONING IS AVAILABLE. THAT IS VERBATIM. WE'RE ACTUALLY FAIRLY UNIQUE IN PROVIDING THAT SERVICE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. BUT LOTS OF US WHO ARE CLOSE OBSERVERS USE THAT JUST TO UNDERSTAND. BOTH OF THOSE DOCUMENTS CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE ON THE WEB SITE. AND THAT IS OUR PLAN TO HAVE BOTH THE OFFICIAL CLERK'S MINUTES AND THE VERBATIM IN CASE FOLKS WOULD WANT TO GO LINE BY LINE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? >>JAN SMITH: I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU, MARY HELEN, CAMPBELL, JEAN MORGAN, ALL OF YOU FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU HELPED ME WITH OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GETTING THE AGENDAS OUT, FOR GETTING THE MINUTES OUT, AND FOR RESEARCHING ALL THIS INFORMATION FOR US. WE APPRECIATE YOUR ASSISTANCE. I'M SURE THE WHOLE BOARD IS GRATEFUL FOR YOUR HELP. >>HELEN LEVINE: TEAM EFFORT. AND I'LL HAND OUT THE ACTUAL ADDRESS FOR YOU -- AND THE PHONE NUMBER. >> I HAVE ONE ITEM, NOT A COMPLICATED ONE. I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THIS AND IT CAME UP THE OTHER DAY. WE HAVE THESE WONDERFUL NOTEBOOKS AND ALL THIS INFORMATION AVAILABLE. UNFORTUNATELY, MY MIND DOESN'T WORK AS WELL AS SOME OF THE NEW PENTIUM COMPUTERS, I SUPPOSE, BUT WHAT WOULD BE NICE AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, WHEN PEOPLE APPROACH US IN THE COMMUNITY AND THEY SAY, WELL, WHAT IS YOUR ADDRESS OR WHAT IS YOUR E-MAIL OR WHATEVER, TO HAVE SOME BUSINESS CARDS THAT JUST SAY "CHARTER REVIEW BOARD" THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY LOGO ON IT AND HAVE OUR TELEPHONE NUMBER, OUR ADDRESS, THE NAME OF OUR ADMINISTRATOR AND SO FORTH. AND THAT WAY, I COULD JUST PULL IT OUT. I'M MORE APT TO BE CARRYING AROUND ONE OF THOSE CARDS IN MY POCKET THAN I WOULD BE MY WHOLE CARTER -- CHARTER REVIEW NOTEBOOK. >>HELEN LEVINE: I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA ESPECIALLY FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WHEN HE OR SHE IS HIRED WE'D BE PROVIDING BUSINESS CARDS AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD DO, TWO-SIDED CARD WITH THEIR NAME ON IT AND YOUR NAME ON WITH THE SEAL ON IT. HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP. IT'S A GOOD IDEA. >>JAN SMITH: IT DOES OCCUR TO ME THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT -- SORRY, I NEED TO USE THIS ONE -- THAT ARE NOT AS COMPUTER LITERATE AS OTHERS AND SOME PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTERS EXCEPT AT LIBRARIES OR SCHOOLS. SO WE DO HAVE A TELEPHONE NUMBER THAT PEOPLE CAN REACH THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD AND BE ABLE TO LEAVE MESSAGES OR TALK TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. THAT PHONE NUMBER IS 276-8181. WE HAVE AN ADDRESS, AN OFFICIAL ADDRESS NOW. YOUR LETTERS COULD BE WRITTEN TO THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD. THE ADDRESS IS 505 EAST JACKSON, SUITE 300, TAMPA, FLORIDA, 33602. AND FINALLY, FOR THOSE WHO ARE COMPUTER LITERATE, OUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IS CRBOARD AT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY DOT ORG. WE'LL BE ANXIOUS TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE. THANK YOU. AND WE DID TALK ABOUT THE COMMENT CARD. AND WE HAVEN'T ACTUALLY APPROVED IT. THERE WAS A DRAFT. >>HELEN LEVINE: THAT WAS MY LAST ACTION. IF WE COULD TAKE A LOOK. THE MOCK-UP AS WE HAD IT, WE DID NOT HAVE THE PHONE NUMBER, SO THERE ARE SOME Xs WE NEED TO FILL IN. IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS, HAPPY TO HEAR THEM. IF NOT, WE'LL FILL IN THE BLANKS AND GET GOING. >>JAN SMITH: MR. LaBOUR. >>STEVE LaBOUR: IT JUST STRUCK ME -- I THINK THE QUESTIONS ARE VERY GOOD AND I ALSO LIKE THE PLAIN ENGLISH INTRODUCTION, BUT I THINK THAT WE REALLY NEED TO COME OUT AND ASK IF THERE IS AN ISSUE -- WE KIND OF BEAT AROUND THE BUSH. WHAT DO YOU THINK HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY GOVERNMENT COULD IMPROVE? I THINK WE SHOULD JUST ASK THE QUESTION S THERE -- WHAT ISSUE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD REVIEW? JUST POINT-BLANK ASK A DIRECT QUESTION LIKE THAT. >>HELEN LEVINE: IT'S A GREAT APPROACH. >>STEVE LaBOUR: BUT YOU'VE DONE A VERY GOOD -- AND ALSO, THEY COULD BE FILLED OUT HERE AT THE MEETING, IS THAT CORRECT, AND HANDED IN? >> SURE. >>MARY LOU TUTTLE: MS. LEVINE, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE CARDS A WHILE AGO AND HAVING OUR NAMES ON IT, I DON'T REALLY THINK WE NEED OUR NAMES ON IT. JUST A SIMPLE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD SO I CAN GIVE IT TO MY FRIENDS AND SAY, HERE, THIS IS THE WAY YOU CONTACT AND GET MORE INFORMATION. >>HELEN LEVINE: I THINK MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE JUST TO HAVE CARDS PRINTED FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND THEN YOU CAN HAND OUT HIS OR HER CARD AS YOU SEE FIT. >>JAN SMITH: IT MIGHT ALSO BE APPROPRIATE FOR MEMBERS OF THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD TO HAVE A STACK OF THOSE CARDS. LOTS OF PEOPLE HERE DO GO TO CIVIC MEETINGS, DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, CHURCH, FRATERNAL GROUPS AND ALL AND THEY MIGHT WANT TO BE ABLE TO PASS THEM OUT. IF WE COULD GET SOME EXTRAS PRINTED FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE TO HAND OUT. >>HELEN LEVINE: COMMENT CARDS AND CALLING CARD. GREAT IDEA. >>GERALD WHITE: MY ONLY CONCERN WAS ABOUT POSTAGE. MAYBE WE CAN CONSIDER HAVING THE BULK RATE TYPE POSTAGE ON IT AND WHAT KIND OF EXPENSE THAT MAY BE. >>DAVID HURLEY: BUSINESS REPLY MAIL? >>GERALD WHITE: IF A CITIZEN IS GOING TO MAIL THIS IN, THEY HAVE TO PUT A STAMP ON IT. >>DAVID HURLEY: 22›. >>JAN SMITH: PERHAPS THAT COULD BE IN THE CORNER SO IT'S INDICATED THAT IT IS A 22› STAMP. >>DAVID HURLEY: YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BUSINESS REPLY MAIL, THAT DOES NOT COST THE COUNTY 22› IF THEY GET IT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CHARGE IS, BUT IT'S ABOUT -- PROBABLY SOMEBODY THAT IS MORE UP ON THAT BECAUSE I DON'T PAY FOR THE MAIL THAT COMES TO ME. >>GERALD WHITE: I REALLY WAS MORE IN SUPPORT OF HAVING THE POSTAGE ON IT ALREADY AND JUST SAY MONITOR IT FOR, LIKE A MONTH OR WHATEVER. AND IF IT GOT TO BE OUT OF HAND, THEN WE CAN -- WELL, I GUESS YOU COULDN'T CHANGE IT. >>JAN SMITH: IT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT WHEN YOU HAND THINGS OUT LIKE THAT, THAT YOU GET A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE BACK, BUT THAT COULD BECOME A HORRENDOUS EXPENSE FOR THIS BOARD. WE DID TALK ABOUT, MR. WHITE, HAVING A PLACE IN THE COUNTY CENTER WHERE THOSE CARDS COULD BE DROPPED OFF OR AT THE -- AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE BOTH PLACES. I THINK IT SHOULD BE HERE AT THE COUNTY CENTER AND ALSO AT THE 505 EAST JACKSON ADDRESS. >> WHY NOT AT ANY COUNTY FACILITY. >>JAN SMITH: YEAH, IT COULD BE ANYONE. >>DENISE LASHER: HOW ABOUT THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES? IT WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE -- >>JAN SMITH: THE LIBRARY IS REAL GOOD AT DOING THINGS LIKE THAT. WE COULD CONTACT THEM AND ASK THEM IF WE COULD HAVE A DROP, BUT THEN WE'D NEED SOMEBODY TO PICK THEM UP. >>HELEN LEVINE: WHY DON'T WE EXPLORE IT AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK. WE DID PLAN TO HAVE COMMENT CARDS AT THE LIBRARIES BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE COME THROUGH THOSE FACILITIES. WHY DON'T WE TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND GIVE YOU A REPORT BACK. >> I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE COMMENT CARD. I WAS LOOKING AT IT, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF ECHO THE SENTIMENT OVER HERE OF LET'S CUT TO THE CHASE. AND I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE SIMPLY IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE PROBLEMS THAT YOU FEEL THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD SHOULD BE ADDRESSING AND THEN THE FLIP SIDE OF IT IS, DON'T JUST IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK THE SOLUTIONS BE TO THOSE PROBLEMS. YOU HAVE BOTH ENDS OF THE ISSUE. MAKE PEOPLE THINK. IT'S EASY TO CRITICIZE. IT'S ALWAYS EASY TO CRITICIZE. EVERYONE IS A CRITIC, BUT IT'S HARD TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS. AND I DON'T THINK THAT THIS 14-MEMBER GROUP IS LIMITED IN ITS IDEAS, BUT I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT IDEAS OUT THERE, AND THERE MAY BE SOME VERY CREATIVE SOLUTIONS COMING BACK. IF THESE COMMENT CARDS ARE REALLY TO BE EFFECTIVE JUST SAY, WHAT ARE THE THREE MAIN -- OR WHAT ARE THE MAIN PROBLEMS? DON'T LIMIT THE NUMBER. BUT YOU CAN SAY, WHAT ARE THE MAIN PROBLEMS THAT YOU FEEL THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD SHOULD BE ADDRESSING AND WHAT ARE YOUR SOLUTIONS TO EACH OF THESE PROBLEMS, IF YOU HAVE ANY? >>HELEN LEVINE: MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE THAT WE CHANGE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS TO, WHAT ISSUES WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD REVIEW? AND THEN WHAT -- AND COROLLARY TO THAT IS WHAT -- OR WHAT ARE YOUR SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE FACING COUNTY GOVERNMENT? >> ISSUE OR ISSUES MAYBE. >> FILL OUT MORE THAN ONE CARD. >> BE LUCKY IF YOU GET ONE. >> BIGGER PRINT. THREE CARDS. >>JAN SMITH: ANY MORE COMMENTS FOR MS. LEVINE. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A TEN-MINUTE BREAK. AND WE HAVE A BIG CLOCK IN HERE THAT EVERYONE CAN SEE? I CAN'T SEE IT. WHAT'S THE TIME,000 CLOCK? 7:33. YOU GOT 10 MINUTES. >>JAN SMITH: THIS CHARTER REVIEW BOARD WILL PLEASE COME BACK TO ORDER. NEXT ON OUR AGENDA, WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS AND TALK WITH THE APPLICANTS FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE FOR US TO HEAR FROM EACH ONE OF THEM FIRST ABOUT THEIR HISTORY IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, WHY THEY THINK THEY COULD SERVE IN THIS CAPACITY AND WHY THEY ARE INTERESTED IN DOING IT AND THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE JOB. SO IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, I'M GOING TO ASK FIRST, BARBARA MERRITT TO COME UP AND TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HERSELF AND HER INTERESTS. >> NO THREE MINUTES THIS TIME. I'M BARBARA MERRITT. I'VE LIVED IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FOR 21 YEARS. SINCE MOVING TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, I BECAME VERY ACTIVE. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DID WAS VOTER REGISTRATION BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPORTANT. I HAD BEEN AN AVID STUDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT. I'VE SERVED ON SEVERAL OF THE BOARDS, CODE ENFORCEMENT, NUISANCE ABATEMENT BOARD, SEVERAL PLANNING COMMISSION COMMITTEES, OH, THE LAST ONE -- COMMITTEE OF 99. WHEN I'VE BEEN ASKED TO SERVE, I SERVE. I WAS IN THE -- WHEN I WAS IN NEW YORK, I WORKED FOR THE PHONE COMPANY. WHEN I CAME TO FLORIDA, I WAS IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY. AND I ALSO WENT BACK TO SCHOOL. I FINALLY DECIDED IN 1994 TO COMPLETE MY EDUCATION. I DID MY TRAINING AS A PARALEGAL. I'VE WORKED IN THAT CAPACITY AND I ALSO GOT MY DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MANY, OH, ISSUES IN THE COUNTY SUCH AS E.L.A.P.P. I TRIED TO BE MORE ISSUE-ORIENTED. I DO NOT -- YOU KNOW, I DON'T -- I GUESS LIKE PAT FRANK. I'M NOT PARTISAN TO THAT DEGREE. I BELIEVE THAT THE ISSUES THAT ARE FACING THIS COUNTY ARE WHAT'S IMPORTANT. THIS CHARTER, IN 1983, I WAS REALLY AMAZED. THE PERSON THAT STOOD OUT IN MY MIND MOST WAS COMMISSIONER JAN PLATT BECAUSE I FOLLOWED IT JUST BECAUSE OF COMMISSIONER PLATT AND I CAME TO MEETINGS. IT JUST WAS INTERESTING. THERE WERE A LOT OF CHANGES THAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH THIS CHARTER. I'M EXCITED. AS A CITIZEN, I KNOW IT'S ONLY EVERY FIVE YEARS, MAYBE IT SHOULD BE EVERY THREE YEARS. I DON'T KNOW. BUT YOU ALL HAVE A REALLY HARD JOB. MY EXPERTISE IS RESEARCH, AND THERE IS A JOKE IN THE COUNTY, IF THERE IS A FILE MISSING, I WILL FIND IT. AS A NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVIST, I HAVE WORKED, I THINK, JUST ABOUT WITH EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTY TO BRING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I'VE DONE THINGS WITH NOT-FOR-PROFIT GROUPS. I'VE SERVED AS THE DISTRICT CHAIRMAN FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS DISTRICT BOY SCOUTS WHICH IS THE INNER CITY. I'VE EVEN WORKED WITH PEOPLE IN SUN CITY CENTER. I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE CHALLENGES IN THE COUNTY. I ENJOY WORKING WITH PEOPLE. I ENJOY CHALLENGES AND I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU, MS. MERRITT. JOHN PETRIMOL. >> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JOHN PETRIMOL. I LIVE AT 3413 LACE WOOD IN THE COUNTY. AND I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SINCE 1982. I'D LIKE TO, FIRST OF ALL, JUST THANK THE BOARD FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU. I KNOW THIS IS A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL FROM YOUR PAST PROCESS WHERE YOU GENERALLY, I GUESS, JUST PICK SOMEONE. IN TALKING WITH YOUR CHAIR OVER THE PHONE, I LEARNED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND HAVE PEOPLE COME BEFORE YOU. I CONGRATULATE YOU FOR THAT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S -- I GUESS FROM A PROFESSIONAL POINT OF VIEW AND GOING DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD IN TERMS OF GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND CHOOSING SOME -- CHOOSING SOMEBODY YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH. MY BACKGROUND -- PROFESSIONAL MY BACKGROUND IS HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT. IN THAT CAPACITY, I'VE WORKED WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT SIZE GROUPS; SMALL GROUPS, LARGE GROUPS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DO WITH GROUPS IS WORK WITH THEM ON THEIR PROCESS, GETTING INTO IT, GETTING THROUGH IT, GETTING OUT OF IT. AND THAT'S KIND OF MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE, IF YOU WILL. I KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION THE LAST MEETING ON THIS BOARD WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S SOMETHING -- I KNOW YOU HAD AN APPLICATION FROM SOMEBODY WHO WAS A FULL-TIME FACILITATOR OF THESE TYPES OF BOARDS. AND I KNOW YOU WENT THROUGH A DISCUSSION OF THAT AND THE MERITS OF THAT AND THERE WAS SOME OF YOU THAT THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA; SOME OF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD IDEA. AND SOME WHO WERE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE. IN ANY CASE, THAT'S -- I UNDERSTAND WHERE THE BOARD IS COMING FROM GENERALLY, I THINK. AND FROM A PROFESSIONAL POINT OF VIEW, I THINK I CAN CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO HELP BOARD WITH PROCESS ISSUES, WHETHER THAT'S THROUGH THE CHAIR OR WHETHER THAT'S THROUGH COMMUNICATION WITH INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, BEING ABLE TO MOVE PROCESS FORWARD. I THINK I COULD BRING THAT TO YOU, ADD SOME VALUE. THE CHALLENGES OF THE BOARD, I THINK, ARE GOING TO BE GREAT. YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF MATERIAL IN FRONT OF YOU IN TERMS OF THE ENTIRE CHARTER. YOU'VE GOT A VERY LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME. THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOME PRESSURE TO GET ON WITH THINGS, TO MOVE FORWARD. SO YOU'VE GOT A WIDE HORIZON, IF YOU WILL. YOU'VE GOT SOME PRESSURE TO MOVE FORWARD. AND YOU'VE ALSO GOT THE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC AND TO GET AS MUCH PARTICIPATION AS POSSIBLE. JUST A COUPLE OF IDEAS ON THAT. IN TERMS OF PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT, I KNOW MS. LEVINE TALKED ABOUT THE WEB SITE. JUST A COUPLE OF IDEAS ON THAT THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO USE THAT I NOTICED IN GETTING ON THE WEB SITE. ONE OF THEM IS -- TALKED ABOUT AN E-MAIL. ONE SUGGESTION I HAVE FOR THAT IS JUST TO BE ABLE TO PUT A LINK ONTO THE WEB SITE SO PEOPLE CAN COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY INTO THAT E-MAIL OFF OF THE WEB SITE. IF THEY ARE ACCESSING THAT FOR INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE AN EASY CONDUIT INSTEAD OF HAVING TO FIND A FORM TO DO THAT. THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTERS. THE OTHER THING YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DO -- I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SET UP IN THIS MEETING ROOM HERE, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE SOME SORT OF PHONE HOOKUP AND DISPLAY THE NUMBER ON THE SCREEN. AND THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCESS TO CABLE WOULD BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU THAT WAY DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT SESSIONS OF THIS MEETING. ALSO, COMMEND THE BOARD FOR SCHEDULING A PUBLIC COMMENT AND AT THE END. I THINK THAT'S VERY PUBLIC FRIENDLY. SO I THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA. AS FAR AS MY ROLE, AS I SEE THIS, I MENTIONED I DO HAVE SKILLS AS FAR AS WORKING WITH PROCESS ISSUES. THAT, OF COURSE, I THINK THAT ROLE -- THE ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILL EVOLVE THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THIS BOARD. AND WHAT YOUR NEEDS WILL BE, I THINK, WILL EVOLVE TOO. SO MY GOAL WOULD BE TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THAT AND TO BE ABLE TO SERVE YOU AND THE PUBLIC AS WELL. SO, AGAIN, I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU, MR. PETRIMOL. LINDA SMITH. >> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS LINDA SMITH. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM MY RESUME, I HAVE A LITTLE MORE VARIED BACKGROUND THAN THE PREVIOUS CANDIDATES. MY CURRENT JOB IS I'M AN EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWER. WHAT THAT MEANS IS I'M ONE OF THOSE ANNOYING PEOPLE WHO CALLS YOU ON THE PHONE AND BEGS YOU FOR AN HOUR OF YOUR TIME AND SURPRISINGLY PEOPLE SAY YES AND GIVE IT TO ME. I ALSO DO THINGS LIKE FACILITATE FOCUS GROUPS, GET PANELS TOGETHER AND PUBLIC INFORMATION AND ACCESS THAT WAY. MY BACKGROUND IS REALLY IN COMMUNICATIONS, SPECIAL EVENTS AND AS THE NEWSPAPER REPORTER. I'VE DONE SOME WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT, A LOT OF WRITING, A LOT OF ORGANIZATION, AND ALSO A BACKGROUND IN PUBLIC RELATIONS. AND I FIND THAT THIS HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE, BRINGING GROUPS TOGETHER AND WORKING TOGETHER. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU, MS. SMITH. I WANT TO THANK EACH OF YOU WHO CAME DOWN THIS EVENING FOR COMING ON SHORT NOTICE. WE HAD ACTUALLY INTENDED TO INFORM YOU OF THIS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, AND I APOLOGIZE THAT IT WAS LATER WHEN YOU GOT THE NOTICE TO BE HERE. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ARRANGING YOUR SCHEDULES TO COME. ALSO, YOUR RESUMES WERE EXCELLENT AND WE APPRECIATE YOU PUTTING THEM TOGETHER FOR US SO WE COULD GET TO THIS POINT. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE BOARD MEMBERS TO DO NOW IS TO, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION TO ALL THREE OF THEM AND THEN WE WILL LET EACH ONE RESPOND. AND WE CAN CHANGE THE ORDER OF THE RESPONSE FROM THE CANDIDATES, IF THAT'S YOUR WISH. AND I'M GOING TO START WITH MR. HURLEY. >>DAVID HURLEY: MY QUESTION -- I DON'T KNOW THAT MY QUESTION WOULD BE NECESSARILY TO ALL THREE OF THEM. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR MS. MERRITT, AND THIS IS SOMETHING -- BECAUSE I THINK MOST OF US HERE EITHER KNOW HER OR KNOW OF HER. AND I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN, AS YOU SAID, A LOT OF ISSUES IN THE PAST. ONE OF THE CONCERNS WE HAD, IS THERE'S NO QUESTION YOU HAVE A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COUNTY. BUT SERVING THIS CAPACITY TO SERVE WHAT THE BOARD IS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH OR AS THE BOARD IS WORKING THROUGH THAT, THOSE ISSUES MAY GO BOTH WAYS. HOW IS THAT GOING TO AFFECT YOU?. >> IF I TAKE THE JOB OR IF I AM ACCEPTED FOR THE POSITION, I WILL TAKE A LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM MY BOARDS THAT I'M ON. I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL BE MY FIRST PRIORITY. I WOULDN'T HAVE APPLIED FOR THE JOB IF I WAS GOING TO KEEP ACTIVE ON SOME OF THOSE OTHER ISSUES. I REALIZE A LOT OF THEM DO GET CONTROVERSIAL LIKE THE WATER ISSUE. I HAVE TO -- YOU KNOW, I'VE MADE MY COMMENTS TO MY RESPECTIVE BOARDS THAT I'M SERVING ON THAT SHOULD I ACCEPT THIS CHARTER REVIEW POSITION, I WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO APPEAR BEFORE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BECAUSE MY FIRST DUTY WILL BE TO THIS BOARD AND TO THE CHAIRMAN AND YOU MEMBERS. >>DAVID HURLEY: THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. >>TERRY BALLARD: MY QUESTION IS TO ALL THREE OF THEM. AND I PICKED UP FROM ONE OF THE APPLICANTS THAT ONE OF THEM IS FLUENT IN SPANISH WHICH WE HAVE A LARGE SPANISH POPULATION. AND I JUST WONDERED IF THE OTHER TWO APPLICANTS OR ALL THREE OF THEM ARE FLUENT IN SPANISH? >>JAN SMITH: WE'LL GO IN REVERSE ORDER THIS TIME. MS. SMITH, DO YOU WANT TO ANSWER THAT FIRST? >> I AM SO SORRY, BUT I AM NOT -- NOW, IF WE HAVE A BIG FRENCH GROUP COME IN HERE, I CAN HELP YOU. SPANISH, NO. (SPEAKING FRENCH). >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU, MR. PETRIMOL. >> DESPITE THE FRENCH NAME, I DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FACILITY IN SPANISH. (SPEAKING SPANISH) SO I DO HAVE SOME FACILITY. I'M NOT FLUENT. I COULDN'T SAY THAT. BUT I CAN MANAGE. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. MS. MERRITT. >> I HAD FOUR YEARS OF SPANISH IN HIGH SCHOOL. I DO NOT SPEAK SPANISH THAT WELL, BUT I CAN READ AND I HAVE THREE SPANISH-ENGLISH DICTIONARIES THANKS TO MY SON WHO JUST GRADUATED FROM THE IB PROGRAM. AND I LEARNED HOW TO -- SORT OF A REFRESHER COURSE BECAUSE WHEN EUGENE WOULD HAVE TO WRITE ALL OF THE ESSAYS I WOULD HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT HE WAS SAYING AND HAD TO HAVE THE DICTIONARY HANDY. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. MS. LASHER. >>DENISE LASHER: MY QUESTION IS FOR ALL THREE CANDIDATES. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU HAVE APPLIED OR ARE YOU CONSIDERING APPLYING FOR ANY OTHER JOBS AT THIS TIME? I THINK THE LAST CHARTER REVIEW BOARD, THE PERSON WHO ACCEPTED THE JOB ENDED UP LEAVING BECAUSE THEY TOOK ANOTHER JOB. SO I WOULD HAVE A CONCERN WHETHER YOU HAVE AN APPLICATION PENDING ANY OTHER PLACE AT THIS TIME AND ARE YOU CONSIDERING AT THIS TIME APPLYING FOR OTHER JOBS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN POSTED? >>JAN SMITH: MR. PETRIMOL. >> TWO PARTS TO THAT. ONE, THE TYPE OF WORK THAT I DO IS -- GENERALLY FALLS INTO PROJECTS. AND I DO HAVE PROJECTS UNDER WAY RELATED TO MY CONSULTING BUSINESS. SO I WOULD ANTICIPATE CONTINUING TO DO THAT. AND I WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND STILL FULFILL THE DUTIES OF THIS ROLE. I'LL BE QUITE FRANK WITH YOU, YOU DID MENTION DO I HAVE AN APPLICATION FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT FOR FULL-TIME PROJECT WORK, YES, I HAVE A COUPLE THAT ARE OUT AND TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YEAH THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S OUT THERE. IF I GO FORWARD AND TAKE THIS ROLE, I WOULD DO IT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT I WOULD COMPLETE IT. SO THAT'S THE -- >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. MS. MERRITT. >> AT PRESENT, I AM NOT EMPLOYED FULL-TIME. I HAVE A VERY FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE. LAST WEEK, I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED, THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR -- SORRY, ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ASKED ME TO APPLY -- INTERVIEW FOR A JOB FOR THE OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD RELATIONS. MY ANSWER TO THAT PANEL WAS, SHOULD I BE SELECTED FOR THE CHARTER REVIEW, THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD -- I'LL BE AVAILABLE IN A YEAR. WHEN I MAKE MY COMMITMENT THAT'S MY COMMITMENT. I AM VERY FLEXIBLE BECAUSE MY SON IS IN COLLEGE AND I'M FREE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. COULD I ASK ALL OF YOU TO STAY CLOSE TO THE FRONT SO -- >> AT THE CURRENT TIME, I DO NOT HAVE ANY APPLICATIONS OUT FOR FULL-TIME WORK. HOWEVER, AGAIN, TO BE HONEST, IF SOMETHING CAME ACROSS MY DESK OR SOMEONE CALLED ME FROM THE CONTACTS I HAVE IN BUSINESS AND THEY ASKED ME TO APPLY FOR IT AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS A FULL-TIME POSITION WITH BENEFITS, I WOULD CERTAINLY CONSIDER IT JUST LIKE I'M SURE ALL OF YOU AT THE POSITIONS THAT YOU'RE IN, IF SOMETHING CAME ACROSS THAT WAS A BETTER THING, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER IT; HOWEVER, I WOULD TRY TO -- YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE THE REIGNING MISS AMERICA, I WOULD TRY TO FULFILL MY REIGN. >>GERALD WHITE: MY CONCERN IS THAT THE CANDIDATE THAT'S SELECTED BE ABLE TO WORK VERY, VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CHAIR OF THIS BOARD. AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW YOUR COMMITMENT TO WORKING WITH THE CHAIR AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CONDUCT YOURSELF WITH OTHER BOARD MEMBERS OUT OF THE PRESENCE OF THE CHAIR? >> IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION CORRECTLY, YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW I WOULD BE -- WHAT -- THE TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE WITH THE CHAIR. WELL, HAVING MET HER FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT, I HAVE REALLY HONESTLY NO IDEA. SHE SEEMS LIKE A PERFECTLY NICE PERSON AND SHE'S BEEN NICE TO ME ON -- [LAUGHTER]. SHE'S BEEN VERY NICE TO ME ON THE PHONE. AND I'VE CERTAINLY NOT -- NO ONE HAS GIVEN ME ANY LITTLE NOTES IN MY POCKET SAYING BEWARE OF HER. I WOULD IMAGINE JUST LIKE IN ANY RELATIONSHIP, OFF PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH PEOPLE. THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME PEOPLE YOU LOVE TO WORK WITH AND SOME PEOPLE WALK IN YOUR DOOR AND YOU THINK, LORD, GIVE ME PATIENCE. THAT WOULD BE MY ANSWER. >>JAN SMITH: MR. PETRIMOL. >> THE ROLE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS TO WORK MOST CLOSELY WITH THE CHAIR. AND TO BE ABLE TO WORK -- TO COMMUNICATE PUBLIC -- TO GET PUBLIC INPUT TO THE CHAIR AND TO GET INFORMATION OUT OF THIS BOARD TO THE PUBLIC. BEYOND THAT, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT AS PART OF THIS ROLE, EACH ONE OF YOU WILL HAVE NEEDS AS FAR AS INFORMATION, AS FAR AS RESEARCH, AS FAR AS UNDERSTANDING HOW THINGS MAYBE ARE DONE IN DIFFERENT PLACES. JUDGING FROM SOME OF THE CONVERSATION THAT'S TAKEN PLACE ALREADY. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD GO THROUGH THE CHAIR. THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK WOULD HAVE TO COME TO SOME AGREEMENT ON, SOME ARRANGEMENT ON. >>JAN SMITH: MS. MERRITT. >> WHEN -- THE ONLY THING I CAN TELL YOU IS, WHENEVER I'M WORKING WITH A BOARD, YOU WORK WITH THE CHAIRMAN. AT THE CHAIRMAN'S DIRECTION. YOU TRY TO ACCOMMODATE REQUESTS FROM ALL MEMBERS, WHETHER IT'S A LENGTHY REQUEST OR WHATEVER, BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHEN TO PRIORITIZE AND MAKE SURE THE CHAIR KNOWS WHEN THERE'S A POTENTIAL PROBLEM. YOU'RE HERE TO HELP TO FACILITATE THE MEETINGS, TO GET THE INFORMATION FORWARD. YOU HAVE A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. YOU GUYS ARE WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, WHETHER I LIKE YOU OR DON'T LIKE YOU, THAT'S NOT MY CHARGE. I HAVE TO WORK WITH YOU. AND BEING A PARALEGAL, THERE ARE MANY TIMES YOU'RE PUT IN A POSITION WHERE YOU SAY, OH, LORD, DON'T PUT ME THERE AGAIN. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. YOUR WORK IS IMPORTANT. THAT CHARTER IS OUR GOVERNMENT AND IT'S THE RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE WHOLE GOVERNMENT. SO I THINK YOU HAVE TO ACT PROFESSIONALLY. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I APOLOGIZE, MR. LaBOUR. SEE, THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR INSULTING THE CHAIR. [LAUGHTER] >>STEVE LaBOUR: I'LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALL THREE AND THEN ONE FOR JUST ONE OF THE CANDIDATES. ACTUALLY, TWO OF THE CANDIDATES MENTIONED THAT OUR ROLE IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT. SO I'M GOING TO ASK ALL THREE OF THEM, WHAT YOUR PERCEPTIONS ARE OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND HOW DO YOU -- WHAT STRENGTHS DO YOU BRING THAT WOULD HELP US GET THROUGH THOSE DIFFICULTIES THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE PRECONCEIVED TO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE? >>JAN SMITH: WELL, LET'S SEE. I THINK WE ARE BACK TO BARBARA MERRITT FOR FIRST. >>STEVE LaBOUR: FOR ALL FAIRNESS, MS. SMITH DID NOT SAY WE WERE IN FOR A DIFFICULT TIME. BUT THE OTHER TWO DID. >> I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I SAY DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A TIME MANAGEMENT TYPE OF THING. BEING A PART OF THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD PROCESS BUT ON THIS SIDE ASKING THE QUESTIONS, I KNOW THERE'S A FACTION THERE. MAYOR, ANTIMAYOR. THERE ARE GOING TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE PUTTING PRESSURE ON YOU. I THINK HAVING THAT WEB SITE AND HAVING THAT IS GOING TO TAKE SOME PRESSURE OFF. THE STAFF PERSON HAS TO BE ABLE TO ANALYZE -- SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE ANGRY AND THEY WANT THEIR POINT BROUGHT ACROSS RIGHT AWAY. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THOSE PEOPLE AND MAYBE PUT OUT THE FIRE, BUT LET THEM COME AND ADDRESS THE BOARD. YOU HAVE TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL THAT WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY IS IMPORTANT. SOMETIMES -- I KNOW THE LAST ONE I WAS SERVING ON THAT COMMITTEE OF 99 I DIDN'T THINK WE WOULD EVER GET OUT OF THERE THAT ONE NIGHT, BUT WE ALL HAD TO BE HEARD. I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE HARD FOR YOU JUGGLING YOUR SCHEDULES BECAUSE I KNOW AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE ISSUE TO GO TO THE BALLOT, IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A LOT OF CONCENTRATION. AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE -- IT'S GOING TO BE A BALANCING ACT. I CAN JUST SAY FROM MY PAST EXPERIENCE, I'VE SEEN THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT WILL COME FORWARD WITH THE DIFFERENT ISSUES. AND THEN I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING REALLY -- AND I WAS TEASING RALPH HUGHES, I THINK WITH THAT SUGGESTION BOX, HE'S GOING TO STUFF IT. >>JAN SMITH: MS. SMITH. >> WELL, I HATE TO SOUND LIKE A CLICHE, BUT I LIKE TO THINK IN LIFE THAT THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS, ONLY SOLUTIONS AND CHALLENGES. AND, I MEAN, EVERYTHING WE DO FROM GETTING UP IN THE MORNING TO, YOU KNOW, PUTTING ON OUR CLOTHES IS A CHALLENGE SOMETIMES, JUST DEPENDING. I DON'T REALLY SEE IT AS BEING A CHALLENGE. I FEEL THIS POSITION AS A FACILITATOR AND YOU FACILITATE BETWEEN INFORMATION AND PEOPLE, THE TWO GROUPS, THE PUBLIC AND THE BOARD. AND I THINK NOT THAT IT WOULDN'T BE EASY ALL THE TIME, BUT I WOULD THINK THAT CERTAINLY COMPARED TO SOME OF THE POSITIONS I'VE BEEN IN THE PAST, IT REQUIRES TACT AND IT REQUIRES GOOD COMMUNICATION, AND IT REQUIRES MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. AND I WOULD SEE THAT -- YOU KNOW, NOT TO SAY THAT IT WOULD BE EASY, BUT CERTAINLY LIKE ALL OF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY POSITIONS, IF THAT'S THE WAY YOU VIEW IT, I DON'T REALLY VIEW IT AS A DIFFICULT POSITION. I JUST VIEW IT AS A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE AND A LEARNING EXPERIENCE. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. MR. PETRIMOL. >> YEAH, I GUESS I SEE IT AS A QUESTION OF -- FOR THE BOARD OF HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE. I HAVE A LOT OF TERRITORY IN FRONT OF YOU. THE CHARTER ITSELF IS PRETTY LENGTHY AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AREAS PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED -- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CALL IT TESTIMONY, BUT HAVE COME BEFORE YOU AND SAID THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ME, THIS IS AN ISSUE, THIS IS AN ISSUE. YOU WENT THROUGH CONVERSATION ON THAT THE LAST TIME WHETHER TO PUT A LIST TOGETHER, RIGHT, WHETHER TO DO THAT TYPE OF THING. AND SOME PEOPLE LIKE THAT IDEA, SOME PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE THAT IDEA. I THINK IT WAS DIFFERENT STYLES OF HOW DO YOU APPROACH THIS JOB. AND SOME PEOPLE I THINK WANTING MORE PUBLIC INPUT BEFORE THEY KIND OF TIPPED THEIR CARDS AND OTHERS WANT TO LAY IT ALL ON THE TABLE TO BEGIN WITH. AND I THINK THEREIN LIES A LOT OF THE CHALLENGE OF TRYING TO NEGOTIATE THE STYLES THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND AT THE SAME TIME, DELIBERATE -- DELIBERATE SO YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO HAVE TO -- YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO HAVE TO ADVISE OR MAKE DECISIONS AND THE PUBLIC IS GOING TO HAVE TO CONSENT TO THAT. EITHER YES OR NO. SO THAT'S MY VIEW. >>STEVE LaBOUR: YOUR RESUME, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY TO ALL THREE CANDIDATES THAT MY UNDERSTANDING OF PAST PROCESSES OF APPOINTING SOMEONE IS THAT THE QUALITY OF CANDIDATES, THEY WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE ANYONE OF YOU AS A FINALIST. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE INTEREST IN PUTTING YOUR HAT IN THE RING, SO TO SPEAK. MR. PETRIMOL, I NOTICED ON YOUR RESUME IT'S VERY STRONG IN FACILITATION AND GUIDING PEOPLE, IF YOU WILL, TO PERHAPS CONSENSUS OR THAT'S MY READ OF IT. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU WERE PUT MORE IN A SUBORDINATE ROLE OF HAVING TO MORE TAKE DIRECTIVE FROM THE BOARD OR THE CHAIRMAN VERSUS REALLY FACILITATING THE PROCESS? >> WELL, I UNDERSTAND FROM YOUR CONVERSATION LAST TIME THAT THAT'S AN ISSUE AS FAR AS WHAT FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR IN THAT ROLE. I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN THE ROLE IS TO BE MORE OF A FACILITATIVE PART OF THAT ROLE, TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT EXPERIENCE THAT I'VE GOT. OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I CAN IMPOSE ON THE WILL OF THE BOARD. WE'VE ALREADY LOOKED AT ONE PERSON AND SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW, GET AWAY FROM US. WE DON'T NEED YOU -- MAYBE AS A CONSULTANT. SO, YOU KNOW, I GUESS UNDERNEATH, BOTTOM LINE, SOMETHING I LIKE TO DO IS FACILITATE PROCESS. IT'S MY EXPERIENCE. HOW TO DO THAT WITH THIS BOARD AND WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS USEFUL, WANTED, CAN MOVE THINGS FORWARD, I THINK THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN. >> THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIRMAN. >>GERALD WHITE: MS. SMITH, DID YOU SUBMIT ANY REFERENCES? >>JAN SMITH: I DO BELIEVE THAT EACH OF THEM HAD REFERENCES AND I DO BELIEVE THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OR HELEN LEVINE'S OFFICE WAS VERIFYING THE REFERENCES. IF YOU'D EXCUSE ME JUST A MINUTE, MS. SMITH. DO YOU KNOW WHETHER ALL OF THOSE WERE -- EVERYTHING WAS REVIEWED AND COMMENTS BACK? >>HELEN LEVINE: MADAM CHAIR, THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WAS TO DO SOME BACKGROUND REFERENCE CHECKS. CANDIDLY, I HAVE NOT HEARD, SO I ASSUME SILENCE IS GOLDEN, BUT I CAN CHECK ON THAT. BUT I DO BELIEVE I WOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED HAD THERE BEEN ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING THAT NEEDED FURTHER ATTENTION FROM YOU, MADAM CHAIR. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. MR. WHITE, I WILL ASK EACH ONE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, IF YOU WANTED IT. >>GERALD WHITE: NO. I JUST DIDN'T SEE ANY REFERENCES ON HER -- >> MAY I ANSWER THAT? MR. WHITE, THEY DID CALL ME AND TELL ME THAT MY REFERENCES WERE NOT RECEIVED FOR SOME REASON. ONE OF MY REFERENCES SAID, OH, I HAVE A COPY AND FAXED OVER HER COPY A SECOND TIME. THE OTHER TWO REFERENCES CALLED ME AND SAID THAT SOMEONE FROM THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT CALLED THEM AND DID A VERBAL REFERENCE CHECK OVER THEM AND CLEARED IT WITH THEM. SO THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THREE REFERENCE CHECKS IN THE FILE. >>GERALD WHITE: OKAY. THANK YOU. >>JAN SMITH: ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MR. AMBLER. >>KEVIN AMBLER: I HAVE MORE OF A LOGISTICS QUESTION. THIS BOARD HAS A LIMITED BUDGET AND I REALIZE WE HAVE AN OFFICE DEDICATED TO US AND A WEB SITE. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK EACH OF THE CANDIDATES WHAT YOUR PERSONAL HOME RESOURCES THAT ARE KIND OF GET THROWN IN THE MIX IN TERMS OF YOUR TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES, COMPUTERS, FAX, MODEMS, PRINTERS, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. >>JAN SMITH: I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT'S AN APPROPRIATE QUESTION, ONLY BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE EVERYTHING AT THE OFFICE. >>KEVIN AMBLER: YOU ARE GOING TO PROVIDE ALL OF THAT EQUIPMENT. >>JAN SMITH: YES. AND THEY WILL SET HOURS TO BE AT THE OFFICE IS MY EXPECTATION. AND SO THEY WOULD HAVE THAT ACCESS. >> PLUS, MADAM CHAIRMAN, WE DIDN'T PLACE THAT AS A REQUIREMENT TO APPLY. SO I WOULDN'T WANT SOMEONE TO FEEL THAT PERHAPS ECONOMICALLY THEY COULDN'T PROVIDE THOSE THINGS AT HOME, BUT THEY CAN STILL UTILIZE THEM AND THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO IT. WE'RE GIVING THEM A FULL FACILITY TO DO IT. SO I DON'T THINK IT WAS PART OF OUR JOB DESCRIPTION. >>JAN SMITH: AND I WOULD HOPE WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT SO THEY COULD GET DOWN HERE AND NOT HAVE TO TRAVEL IN RUSH HOUR SO -- MY GOAL IS TO HAVE THEM HERE SORT OF MIDDLE OF THE DAY ON THE DAYS THAT WE CHOOSE SO YOU ALL MAY BE ON YOUR LUNCH HOURS OR WHATEVER. >> WHAT DO WE DO FOR PARKING FOR THIS INDIVIDUAL? >> I SUSPECT THAT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR IS GOING TO DO THAT WITH THE -- IF YOU RECALL, AT OUR MEETINGS AND I THINK WE WERE INSTRUCTED AS TO HOW TO SIGN THE CARDS OR TO GET THEM STAMPED WHEN WE'RE HERE. AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE PROCESS THAT WE WERE GOING TO USE. MS. LEVINE, DO YOU KNOW IT TO BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT? >>HELEN LEVINE: MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WE WILL ARRANGE FOR THE PARKING. I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY WHAT THE PARKING ARRANGEMENTS WILL BE. >> THAT'S NOT COMING OUT OF THE SALARY OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHO IS HIRED? THAT'S A SEPARATE KIND OF PERK OR BENEFIT TO THE JOB. >> WE'LL MAKE THE PARKING AVAILABLE, YES, SIR. >> ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? DO WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION? >>GERALD WHITE: MADAM CHAIR, BASED ON THE INTERVIEW AND THE RESUMES I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE OR DO I RECOMMEND -- HOW DO YOU DO IT? >>JAN SMITH: WE CAN DO IT THAT WAY OR GO AROUND THE ROOM AND LET EACH PERSON CALL THE NAME OF THE PERSON THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND THAT MIGHT BE THE BETTER WAY TO DO THAT. >>GERALD WHITE: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MS. BARBARA MERRITT. >>JAN SMITH: LET ME ASK MS. WEST IF SHE'S READY TO KEEP A COUNT FOR US. >>DAVID HURLEY: PRIOR TO BEGINNING THAT, IF NO ONE HAS A MAJORITY, WILL THE TOP TWO THEN BE PLACED TO GO AROUND AGAIN JUST TO CLARIFY THAT -- >>JAN SMITH: YES, THAT'S HOW WE DECIDE WE DO IT. >>DAVID HURLEY: IT'S IMPORTANT SOME OF THOSE THINGS BE CLEAR. >>JAN SMITH: MR. WHITE'S VOTE IS FOR BARBARA MERRITT. AND I WILL LET MS. WEST CALL THE NAMES SO SHE CAN RECORD IT. >>KEVIN AMBLER: BARBARA MERRITT. >>TERRY BALLARD: JOHN PETRIMOL. >> JOHN PETRIMOL. >>HENRY BELTRAN: JOHN PETRIMOL. >>DAVID HURLEY: BARBARA MERRITT. >>STEVE LaBOUR: LINDA SMITH. >>DENISE LASHER: BARBARA MERRITT. >>JAN SMITH: BARBARA MERRITT. >>MARY LOU TUTTLE: LINDA SMITH. >> BARBARA MERRITT. >> BARBARA MERRITT. >>RECORDING SECRETARY: MS. MERRITT GETS IT WITH SIX VOTES. >>JAN SMITH:. >> SEVEN FOR BARBARA MERRITT AND THREE FOR -- >>JAN SMITH: I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR COMING DOWN AND DOING THIS. AND I HOPE THAT YOUR INTEREST IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND THIS PROCESS WILL BRING YOU BACK. AND WE DO APPRECIATE EACH OF YOU COMING DOWN AND SPENDING THE EVENING TONIGHT AND HOPE THAT YOU WILL STAY WITH US ON THIS. AND MS. MERRITT, YOU AND I WILL HAVE A MEETING. >> THANK YOU ALL. AND I WILL DO THE BEST JOB I CAN. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS, I REALLY AM. AND IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT DIFFERENT THIS TIME BEING ON THAT SIDE. THANK YOU. >>JAN SMITH: THANK YOU. BARBARA, WOULD YOU MAKE SURE I HAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER BEFORE I GO HOME THIS EVENING. [LAUGHTER] CHARTER BOARD MEMBERS, AS MUCH AS IT IS APPROPRIATE TO KEEP OUR BUDGET UNDER CONTROL AND FOR THINGS TO GO THROUGH THE CHAIRMAN, IF YOU HAVE REQUESTS OF INFORMATION THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, I THINK THE WAY I WOULD LIKE TO HANDLE IT IS FOR YOU ALL TO CONTACT MS. MERRITT AND REQUEST IT. AND I WILL LET HER CONTACT ME AND IF IT BECOMES SOMETHING THAT IS EXCESSIVE, THEN I WILL TRY TO MAKE A DECISION THAT'S FAIR TO EVERYONE. I THINK STANDARD REQUESTS AND ALL THAT WE WON'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE MEETING. AND I WOULD ASK MS. MERRITT BEFORE ANYTHING GOES OUT TO THE PUBLIC -- AND I KNOW YOU'LL DO THIS -- LET ME SEE IT FIRST. IF THAT'S OKAY WITH EVERYONE, I THINK WE'LL JUST ALLOW YOU ALL TO REQUEST -- >>MARY LOU TUTTLE: I HAVE MY FIRST REQUEST FOR OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. WOULD YOU PLEASE BRING A THREE-HOLE PUNCH TO THE MEETING. I DON'T HAVE ONE AT HOME AND NOW THAT I'M RETIRED, I'VE GOT ALL THESE LOOSE PAGES ALL OVER THE PLACE. >>JAN SMITH: HOW ABOUT IF WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT COMES TO YOU IN THE MAIL BE PUNCHED BEFORE YOU GET IT AND SHE COULD STILL BRING ONE. >>MARY LOU TUTTLE: THE POOR CLERK'S OFFICE WOULD GO CRAZY DOING ALL THOSE PUNCHES. I DON'T MIND DOING IT -- >>JAN SMITH: SO THAT'S YOUR FIRST DIRECTIVE. I HAVE A QUESTION THAT I WANTED TO ASK THE BOARD TO SEE HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO HANDLE IT. I KNOW THAT I WOULD CERTAINLY BE ABLE TO MAKE A DECISION MYSELF, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOUR OPINION BECAUSE I THINK WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF PUBLIC COMMENT AS THIS PROCESS GOES ON. I'VE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOM JONES OF THE CARROLLWOOD AREA ASSOCIATION OF NEIGHBORHOODS. AND HE HAS STATED THAT THEY HAVE A COMMITTEE IN THEIR ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN REVIEWING THE CHARTER AND THE ISSUES THAT FACE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. AND HE SAID, OUR REQUEST IS SIMPLE. THE CARROLLWOOD AREA ASSOCIATION OF NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD LIKE TO BE ALLOWED 30 MINUTES TO PRESENT ITS PROPOSALS TO THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD AT YOUR MAY MEETING. THAT -- AT THAT TIME WE WILL PROVIDE EACH MEMBER WITH PRINTED MATERIAL AND A POWERPOINT SLIDE PRESENTATION SUITABLE FOR VIEWING. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ANY GROUP THAT WOULD LIKE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT I THINK AT THE SAME TIME YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S GOING TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR EVERYONE. AND WE DID TALK ABOUT HAVING CERTAIN PEOPLE THAT WE WANTED TO INVITE TO THE MEETINGS. AND THEN I THINK WE NEED TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO OPEN IT UP. BECAUSE I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT MR. HUGHES HAS ALSO ASKED THE QUESTION AS TO WHEN HE COULD MAKE A PRESENTATION AND SO HAS MR. WARREN. SO I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A BRIEF DISCUSSION ON THIS AND DETERMINE HOW WE WISH TO PROCEED. MR. HURLEY. >>DAVID HURLEY: ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I THINK THAT WE'VE DONE IN OUR PROCESS THAT WE'VE SET IT ALL UP TO WHERE WE WANT TO HEAR FROM EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD ABOUT EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. AND SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD AND OUT THERE BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE OF THE WILDERNESS, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO MAKE A BUNCH OF DECISIONS. AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE -- WHEN I HEARD MR. WARREN AND MR. HUGHES MAKE THEIR PRESENTATION, I HELD OFF BECAUSE I PREPARED A MOTION TO MAKE EARLY IN THE EVENING. AND I THOUGHT, WELL, SOMEBODY IS GOING TO THINK KARL WARREN WROTE THIS FOR ME OR HUGHES WROTE IT FOR ME AND NEITHER ONE OF THEM DID. SO I THOUGHT I BETTER SET UP. SO I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO DO IT THAT WAY, WE END UP WITH A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THE END TRYING TO MAKE DECISIONS FROM THINGS WE DISCUSSED MONTHS EARLIER. AND THAT I THINK WE OUGHT TO -- WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST AND I THINK MR. HUGHES SAID TOO TONIGHT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, MIGHT GET A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE, BUT I THINK WE OUGHT TO SET UP THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS. IF WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS COUNTY MAYOR, LET'S PICK A DATE THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS THAT TOPIC. AND SAY EVERYBODY, WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS COUNTY MAYOR ON JUNE 1ST, WHATEVER IT IS. AND LET PEOPLE HAVE AN INTEREST IN THAT BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE IS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE COUNTY MAYOR ISSUE. AND IF WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE THINGS MR. AMBLER MENTIONED WAS THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. MAYBE NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THE QUALIFICATIONS OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, THEN DON'T HAVE THEM COME DOWNTOWN TO SIT AROUND FOREVER TO LISTEN TO EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO SAY. LET'S PUT THOSE THINGS OUT ON THE TABLE. SAY THESE ARE THE DATES WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS. I THINK WE SAID BY THE 20TH -- I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE MINUTES, I THINK IT'S BY THE 20TH WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE OUR LIST OF ISSUES THAT WE WANT TO BRING UP AND PUT THEM IN THERE. LET'S BRING THEM UP. LET'S DISCUSS THEM AT THOSE TIMES AND LET'S WRESTLE WITH THEM AT THAT TIME. AND GERALD CAN TELL YOU -- HE AND I HAVE BEEN ON THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THREE YEARS AS DENISE LASHER AND WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS AGREED BUT I THINK WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DISCUSS THINGS. AND I APPRECIATE HEARING FROM PEOPLE WITH WHOM I DISAGREE BECAUSE I USUALLY LEARN MORE FROM PEOPLE WHOM I DISAGREE THAN PEOPLE I DO AGREE. BUT I THINK WE NEED TO GET THINGS GOING AND OUT HERE. IF WE LET THIS GO FOR A YEAR AND THE LAST MONTH WE'RE GOING TO MAKE OUR DECISIONS I THINK WE'RE DOING OURSELVES AND THE COMMUNITY A DISSERVICE IN COMING UP WITH THESE. AND THAT'S MY OPINION. >>JAN SMITH: I THINK THE INTENT OF GETTING THE LIST WAS TO TRY TO TAKE THAT LIST AND PRIORITIZE IT AND MY INTENT WAS TO TRY TO STRUCTURE THESE MEETINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY'VE BEEN DONE IN THE PAST. AND ONCE WE HAVE THAT LIST AND WE CAN SORT OF PRIORITIZE IT. AND IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE BOTTOM ISSUE NEVER GETS DISCUSSED. IT MEANS THAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO WORK FROM TOP TO BOTTOM SOMEHOW AND GET THERE. AND MY INTENT ULTIMATELY IS TO NOT ONLY HAVE THE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE ASKED TO COME AND TALK TO US, BUT TO PICK AN ISSUE FOR EACH MEETING AND TO HAVE IT NOTICED FAR ENOUGH IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING THAT THE PUBLIC WILL BE AWARE THAT THAT'S THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT'S GOING TO BE DISCUSSED THAT NIGHT. AND THAT MY INTENT ALSO IS THAT WHEN A MOTION IS MADE AND A MOTION OF THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD IN ORDER TO PASS HAS TO GET SOMETHING ON THE BALLOT MUST PASS BY A VOTE OF AT LEAST 10 MEMBERS IN FAVOR OF IT. AT THE TIME WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, IT WOULD BE MY INTENT TO HANDLE THE PROCESS THERE SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY, AND THAT'S TO ALLOW PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE MOTION AFTER THE BOARD GOES AROUND THE TABLE AND MAKES THEIR COMMENTS TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON IT IF, IN FACT, THERE IS A MOTION. >> YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A MOTION THAT WOULD PUT SOMETHING ON THE BALLOT. >>JAN SMITH: A MOTION THAT WOULD PUT SOMETHING ON THE BALLOT. THAT COULD BE DONE. IT COULD HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE MEETING. FOR INSTANCE, IF WE DECIDED TO DISCUSS NONPARTISAN RACES AT THE NEXT MEETING, THEN THAT DISCUSSION WOULD TAKE PLACE. IT WOULD BE ANNOUNCED TO THE PUBLIC THAT THAT'S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. AND AFTER THE BOARD HAD BEATEN IT TO DEATH, THEN WE WOULD OPEN THE MOTION TO THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON. AND WE WOULD TRY TO STAND BY OUR THREE- TO FIVE-MINUTE TIME FRAME TO RESPOND TO THAT ISSUE. AND I THINK IT'S A WAY TO GET THINGS MOVING. IT'S ALSO -- WE COULD ALSO DO IT AS A STRAW VOTE HERE AT THE BEGINNING AND STRAW VOTE EACH ITEM AND THEN AT THE END OF THE PROCESS, WHEN WE GO TO THE PUBLIC HEARINGS, WE CAN SAY, THESE ARE THE ITEMS THAT THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD STRAW VOTED THAT THEY ARE INCLINED TO PUT ON THE BALLOT OR WHATEVER AND TAKE THAT TO THE PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT WE INTEND TO HAVE OUT IN THE COMMUNITIES. AND I THINK IT'S -- IT'S JUST A WAY OF TRYING TO ORGANIZE IT IN SUCH A WAY. SO LET ME GO THROUGH THE PEOPLE HERE THAT HAD ASKED TO COMMENT. MR. HURLEY, YOU HAVE MADE YOUR COMMENT. MR. AMBLER, MR. WHITE AND MR. BEDKE. MS. WALDRON. >> I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF ON THIS COMMENT. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO ECHO WHAT MR. HURLEY SAID. I THINK FOR US TO BE PRODUCTIVE WITH SUCH A VERY LIMITED TIME THAT WE HAVE BETWEEN NOW AND ELECTION TIME AND THEN CONSIDERING THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 90-DAY BACKUP TO BE MEANINGFUL, THAT WE SHOULD BE AT MINIMUM SCHEDULING AN ISSUE FOR EACH MEETING TO BE TALKING ABOUT AND NOTICING IT AND THAT PEOPLE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY IF THEY WANT TO GET INFORMATION TO US, DO IT IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING. WE NOW HAVE AN ADMINISTRATOR, GET THAT INFO TO THEM. THE SECOND POINT IS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CARROLLWOOD GROUP THAT WANTS TO SPEAK, I LAUD THAT GROUP FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SET UP A GROUP TO INVESTIGATE THIS, TO LOOK INTO IT, AND THEY MAY HAVE SOME CONCRETE SOLUTIONS. THAT I THINK WE'VE DESIGNED THIS BOARD TO PROVIDE A CONDUIT TO GET THAT INFO TO US. USE OUR WEB SITE. USE THE E-MAIL. USE THE ADMINISTRATOR. GET THEIR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION PRINTED OUT IN PRINT FORM. GET IT TO OUR ADMINISTRATOR. PASS IT OUT TO ALL THE MEMBERS. WE CAN READ IT IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING AND THEN ONE OF US AS BOARD MEMBERS CAN BRING UP SOME OF THE CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS AND IDEAS THEY HAVE. WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO SIT THROUGH A HALF HOUR PRESENTATION OF IT. SO I WANT TO USE THEIR INFORMATION, BUT I DON'T WANT THE BOARD TO GET SO BOGGED DOWN INTO LISTENING TO ALL OF THIS INPUT THAT -- I MEAN, WE COULD GO ON FOR TWO YEARS LISTENING TO INPUT. WE COULD BE LIKE CONGRESS, HAVE SPECIAL HEARINGS FOREVER. >>JAN SMITH: WE HAVE ONE YEAR WE'RE ASSIGNED SO WE CAN'T DO THAT. >> IF WE WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING, WHAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO DO THAT ARE LISTENING OR THAT GET THE MINUTES OF THIS BOARD OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE, GET THE INFO TO US. AND IF THEY KNOW WE HAVE THAT ISSUE SCHEDULED FOR A MEETING AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM, GET IT TO US IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING TO LET US DIGEST IT AND KIND OF, AS BOARD MEMBERS, FORMULATE OUR OWN THOUGHTS ON HOW THAT PLAYS INTO OUR PARTICULAR VIEWPOINTS. AND THEN THE DIALOGUE WILL THEN BE AMONG THE 14 MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD. I MEAN, IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO COORDINATE 14 MEMBERS OF A BOARD. I MEAN, I WORK IN THE COURTROOM AND WE DEAL WITH SIX-MEMBER JURIES IN A FEDERAL COURT, 12-MEMBER JURIES. IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO THINK ABOUT SIX OR TWELVE PEOPLE DELIBERATING IN ONE ROOM AND COMING TO CON SUCCESS -- CONSENSUS. WE HAVE 10 PEOPLE OUT OF 14 VOTING AND IT'S GOING TO BE A DIFFICULT TASK ACHIEVING THAT CHALLENGE MUCH LESS BRINGING IN 50 PEOPLE EXTERNAL TO THIS GROUP. SORRY, I WON'T HIT YOU. 50 PEOPLE EXTERNAL TO THIS GROUP TO KEEP THAT INPUT. I JUST WANT TO GET THAT INPUT IN ADVANCE, START DEBATING THE ISSUE, GETTING MOTIONS ON THE TABLE AND PASS. >>JAN SMITH: THEY COULD ALSO DIVIDE THEIR PRESENTATION AMONG DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND THEN COME AT THE PUBLIC COMMENT STAGES AND WHATEVER ISSUE WE'RE ON, PRESENT THAT ISSUE. I KNOW THEY DON'T WANT TO MAYBE COME DOWN HERE ALL 26 NIGHTS THAT WE MAY BE MEETING BUT MAYBE THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT ARE THE ISSUES -- >> I REMEMBER MR. HUGHES MADE A PRESENTATION A COUPLE OF MEETINGS AGO, AND HE WAS HITTING A VARIETY OF POINTS AND HE OBVIOUSLY RAN OUT OF TIME WITH THE LIMITED NUMBER OF MINUTES THAT WE ALLOCATE. BUT IF WE'RE SETTING AN AGENDA ITEM THAT ALLOCATES AN ISSUE FOR THAT MEETING, THEN THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT'S COMING IN IS FOCUSED ON THAT ISSUE AND WE CAN REALLY GET SOME MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK AND THEN PERHAPS BY THE END OF THAT MEETING, GET A MOTION ON THE TABLE AND PASS IT OR REJECT IT. THEN AT LEAST WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE AND THE NEXT MEETING WE GO ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. >>JAN SMITH: MR. WHITE. >>GERALD WHITE: WELL, THAT'S -- I THINK WE'RE ON TRACK FOR THAT, AND THAT'S WHY WE AGREED AT OUR LAST MEETING TO SUBMIT THE ISSUES THAT WE WANTED ADDRESSED. I THINK THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION IS, DO WE WANT TO GET SOMETHING ON THIS NOVEMBER BALLOT OR THE BALLOT TWO YEARS FROM NOW? THAT'S THE QUESTION. >> CAN WE DO BOTH? >> YES. >>GERALD WHITE: AND THE ISSUE -- WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE THE ISSUE IF WE WANTED TO CONSIDER SOMETHING FOR THIS NOVEMBER BALLOT, PUT THOSE ISSUES FIRST. GET THEM DEBATED. GET THEM VOTED OUT. IF THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS BALLOT, WE NEED TO DECIDE THAT. FIRST -- WE NEED TO DECIDE FIRST, ARE WE GOING TO PUT SOMETHING ON THIS BALLOT COMING UP. >>JAN SMITH: LET'S MAKE THAT ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS AT THE NEXT MEETING. PUT IT RIGHT ON THE AGENDA. >>GERALD WHITE: AND ONCE WE DECIDE THAT, THEN WE NEED TO DECIDE WHAT ISSUES, WHAT QUESTIONS ARE WE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO PUT ON THAT PARTICULAR BALLOT? AND THEN WE CAN PRIORITIZE IN THAT RESPECT. AND I THINK AT THAT POINT, WE'LL BE GETTING SOMEWHERE. >>MIKE BEDKE: WELL, I THINK WE DO HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY LISTEN. AND WE'VE GOT TO LISTEN TO THE CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE THE VOTERS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND THE CITIZENS. EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT VOTERS. THEY ARE IMPACTED BY OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT. AND I THINK WE'VE GOT TO BE VERY DILIGENT, VERY DELIBERATIVE, BUT I ALSO DON'T THINK WE SHOULD SYSTEMICALLY OR PROCEDURALLY HAMSTRING OURSELVES FROM BEING ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND GET THINGS ON THIS NOVEMBER BALLOT, THIS GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT, IF THAT'S WHAT WE DECIDE WE WANT TO DO. MADAM CHAIR, I COMMEND YOU. I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE STRAW VOTE OR THE STRAW BALLOT BECAUSE I WILL TELL YOU, I GOT THE SENSE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS THAT WE CAN ALMOST ARRIVE AT A CONSENSUS THIS EVENING THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANT TO DISCUSS SERIOUSLY AT THE BACK END IS THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. I'VE GOTTEN THE IMPRESSION THAT IS A RELATIVE NO-BRAINER. WE MIGHT COULD GET TEN VOTES FOR IT TONIGHT. I DON'T KNOW, AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT, BUT I LIKE THE IDEA OF SORT OF A MOOD OF THE BODY. AND I HOPE WE DO NOT EVER DO ANYTHING TO DISCOURAGE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC FROM GIVING US INPUT. I THINK IT'S GREAT. IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO GO TO THE TROUBLE OF PUTTING TOGETHER A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION RATHER THAN SIT AROUND, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. THAT'S THE BEST OF DEMOCRACY AND A PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY WITH A SMALL "D." AND MR. HUGHES AND MR. WARREN AND MR. DAVIS COMING DOWN HERE ALL THE TIME, I DON'T WANT TO SHUT THEM UP. I DON'T WANT TO CUT THEM OFF. I THOUGHT THAT COMMISSIONER FRANK WAS VERY INSIGHTFUL. I TOOK A LOT OF NOTES THAT I THINK I WILL FIND HELPFUL LATER IN THE PROCESS. BUT PEOPLE WHO CARE ENOUGH TO COME DOWN HERE EVERY TIME WE COME DOWN HERE, WE OUGHT TO LISTEN TO. AND SO, MADAM CHAIR, I GUESS THE BOTTOM LINE, I LIKE THE IDEA OF A STRAW VOTE AND MAYBE WE WANT TO TEST THE WATERS THIS EVENING WITH THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. >>JAN SMITH: MS. WALDRON. >>ARLENE WALDRON: IN RESPONSE TO THE REQUEST FOR THE 30-MINUTE PRESENTATION FROM THE GROUP, I THINK WE ALL AGREE THAT WE DEFINITELY DO WANT TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE. I AM IN SUPPORT, PERHAPS, OF ENCOURAGING THEM TO COME DOWN WITH THEIR FIVE-MINUTE PRESENTATION, BUT SUPPLYING US THEIR INFORMATION. FOR ME, I NEED IT IN WRITING, SOMETHING THAT I CAN REVIEW AND READ AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS. SO I WOULD BE IN SUPPORT OF THE ISSUES BEING ON THE AGENDA, INVITING THEM AT THAT TIME, HAVING THE PRINTED MATERIAL OR OTHER FORMS OF THAT AHEAD OF TIME FOR OUR REVIEW AND MAYBE IN THAT FIVE-MINUTE PRESENTATION, WE CAN ALLOW QUESTIONS FROM US BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY DONE OUR HOMEWORK REGARDING THAT. >>JAN SMITH: AND I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY EXISTS THAT HAVING BEEN INVOLVED IN AN AREAWIDE CIVIC ASSOCIATION, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE ONE PERSON THAT'S HAD MORE EXPERIENCE WITH ONE ISSUE THAN ANOTHER. SO IT MIGHT BE VERY EASY FOR THEM TO SPLIT THEIR PRESENTATION INTO THREE FIVE-MINUTE PRESENTATIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN COME BACK AND DO THE OTHER THREE OR THEY MAY WANT TO DO IT ACCORDING TO THE ONES WE SET. BUT I'LL CALL MR. JONES AND SEE WHAT KIND OF THING WE CAN REACH WITH HIM THEN. >> AND WE MIGHT JUST WANT TO USE THAT GOING FORWARD ON ANYONE WHO REQUESTS A PRESENTATION REQUIRE OR ASK THEM TO PUT THAT IN WRITTEN FORM AND THEN INCLUDE IT IN THE FIVE MINUTES. MAYBE SET THAT AS THE PRECEDENT GOING FORWARD. >>STEVE LaBOUR: ON THAT ISSUE, I WAS THINKING LAST WEEK, TOPIC NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART IS NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION. AND I WAS THINKING ALMOST -- AND I WAS GOING TO THROW THIS OUT AS AN IDEA AT SOME POINT. MAYBE WE WOULD -- I HAVE A FEELING THAT SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND PERHAPS GROUPS LIKE CARROLLWOOD THAT ARE -- MEET OVER AND COVER A WIDER AREA, THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO HAVE A MEETING IN WHICH WE WELL ENOUGH IN ADVANCE ACTUALLY INVITE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME TO THAT PARTICULAR MEETING. BECAUSE I THINK THEY HAVE A DAY-TO-DAY EXPERIENCE WITH COUNTY GOVERNMENT THAT WE DON'T. AND THOSE OF US WHO DEAL WITH NEIGHBORHOODS KNOW THAT I WOULD FIND THEIR INPUT IN JUST ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS INCREDIBLY VALUABLE. AND TO HAVE THEM SPLIT UP AND HAVE IT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME VERSUS MAYBE WELCOMING THEM TO ONE MEETING MIGHT BE MORE HELPFUL TO US. I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT AS A SUGGESTION. >>JAN SMITH: I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT THOUGHT. ALSO, I THINK WE MIGHT WANT TO DO THE SAME THING WITH SOME OF THE BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS, THE HOME BUILDERS, THE CHAMBER, THOSE GROUPS, AND LET THEM COME TO A MEETING. AND IT MIGHT EVEN BE THAT WE TURN THOSE MEETINGS MORE INTO A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION AS OPPOSED TO THE FORMALITY AS WE SIT HERE. I PERSONALLY -- YOU ALL KNOW ME, I BELIEVE IN THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATORY PROCESS AND THE MORE INFORMATION WE GET, THE BETTER DECISIONS WE'LL MAKE. >>STEVE LaBOUR: I HAVE ONE MORE POINT. WHILE I DON'T DISAGREE, I DON'T WANT TO SIT AROUND FOR MONTHS AND NOT MAKE ANY DECISIONS AND SUDDENLY AT THE 11TH HOUR WE FEEL COMPELLED TO HAVE TO PASS MOTIONS. I THINK THAT THERE'S A TIMING ISSUE. AND I WOULD WELCOME THE CHAIR TO PLACE ON OUR AGENDA FOR NEXT MONTH A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO PASS SOMETHING OUT FOR THIS PARTICULAR NOVEMBER. I WILL TELL THAT YOU PERSONALLY, AS ONE BOARD MEMBER, I AM NOT INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD. IT'S AN ISSUE IF SOMETHING COMES UP THAT WE FEEL THAT IT'S APPROPRIATE, THAT IT BE ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER VERSUS WAITING TWO YEARS. I DON'T WANT TO RUSH SOMETHING TO BALLOT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF RUSHING IT TO BALLOT. >>JAN SMITH: AND I THINK THAT'S AN INTERESTING ISSUE. AND WHEN WE GET INTO THAT DISCUSSION, BECAUSE YOU ALSO NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WHEN A CHARTER CHANGE IS PROPOSED, THOSE WHO FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT DIFFERENT ISSUES MIGHT FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT ORGANIZING A POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE TO GET THE INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC. BECAUSE BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE CHARTER REVIEW BOARD DOESN'T HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO ACT AS A POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE. AND SO THESE CHANGES THAT, IF THERE WERE CHANGES TO BE RECOMMENDED, YOU'D WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THOSE ISSUES IN FRONT. AND THE PEOPLE THAT DON'T AGREE TO HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE THINK IS GOING TO -- HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO ON THE BALLOT THIS TIME, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA. IF THERE'S A MAJOR CHANGE AND IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THE ELECTED EXECUTIVE AND YOU NEED TO LOOK AT HOW ALL THE PIECES FIT, IT MAY NOT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER IN TWO MONTHS. IT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PUT TOGETHER IN TWO MONTHS. BUT I THINK -- BASED ON HOW WE COME OUT WITH THESE LISTS AND WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE, I THINK WE'LL WORK TOGETHER TO TRY TO GET MOVEMENT. >>STEVE LaBOUR: I'M STILL NOT FINISHED. >>JAN SMITH: I'M JUST TRYING TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS BACK. I'LL KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT. >>STEVE LaBOUR: ONE LAST POINT, I THINK IF YOU DO AGENDA THAT ITEM NEXT TIME, THAT I THINK WE ALL CAN HAVE A FULL DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ISSUES, THE SURROUNDING REFERENDUM FOR NOVEMBER VERSUS TWO YEARS OR BOTH. THE LAST POINT IS THAT I DO THINK IT'S A TIMING ISSUE. AS THIS GROUP KNOWS, I WAS NOT A FAN OF LET'S SUBMIT OUR TEN ITEMS. I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT. I'M NOT OPPOSE