Local candidates square off at Riverview political forum
By YVETTE C. HAMMETT
Twenty-two candidates for state and local offices brought a packed house to The Regent Oct. 2, along with a little drama and a bit of humor.
The panel moderating the forum sponsored by the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce.
The humor came in when moderator Dr. Bryan Thatcher asked judicial candidate Robin Fuson, what he thought about the importance of judicial temperament, since it is “the flavor of the month” as the drama played out in Washington, D.C. over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Doing his best Kavanaugh impersonation, Fuson indignantly replied, “I can’t believe you just asked me that,” to the roar of the crowd.
It was a light exchange in the midst of a serious political forum, sponsored by the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce.
The District 5 Hillsborough countywide county commission race, with three candidates, brought on the drama when former county commissioner Joe Kotvas took the stage and was asked why people should vote for him when he was convicted and sent to prison for five years on fraud charges while a sitting county commissioner in the 1980s.
Kotvas told the crowd, “I wrote a book called Found Guilty, But…,” he said, holding up the book. “Go to Amazon and buy the book. I hold my head up high.”
Kotvas was convicted of bribery over a rezoning for taking an envelope stuffed with cash, part of a sting that landed him and then-county commissioner Fred Anderson in prison.
Fellow candidate Mariella Smith, who received an endorsement last week from the Tampa Bay Times is a small business owner and has been a community activist for more than 20 years, advocating for better transportation, growth management and environmental protection. “I want to improve the way we manage development,” she said. “I work for the citizens, not developers and lobbyists. I won’t be giving away tax dollars to special interest.”
Opponent Victor Crist, who now sits on the county commission but is seeking the countywide seat, said the commission needs someone in the seat with sound decision-making skills, one who is a good steward of the county. “I have a long, strong history of a high standard of ethics.”
“You say you are in support of stopping urban sprawl but continue to approve residential development in Eastern Hillsborough without a plan for transportation or a budget for needed infrastructure,” said moderator Laurie Ohall.
Crist blamed that partly on the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009.
“A third of our economy is based on real estate development, which means the commission had to approve projects to keep people employed,” he said. “We approved projects during the recession we may not have approved during good economic times.” He said the county should be building in areas with existing roads, fire stations and other public resources. “From time to time, there are going to be exceptions.”
For the Hillsborough County Commission District 4 race, Andrew Davis is running on one major issue — roads and congestion. He called the situation in Hillsborough County, “ridiculous and out of hand. This is a county issue and I am fighting for our way of life in this county. For too long we have given developers discounts on impact fees. We need fire departments, roads. We need to go after developers to get those impact fees to where they should be.”
Yes, more commercial office space is needed, he said, but that does not mean developers should not pay their fair share.
Incumbent Stacy White, on the commission since 2014, said he has done plenty for the Riverview area, including championing park land along the Alafia River, saving threatened trees that beautify a swath of U.S. 301 and is “a staunch advocate for growth management.”
There is a lot more coming for South County, he said, including enhancements to I-75 interchanges and $800 million for transportation issues.
Sheriff Chad Chronister, appointed to fill the vacancy left when Sheriff David Gee retired last year, is running to fill the seat permanently.
Chad Chronister, appointed sheriff in September 2017 to replace retiring Sheriff David Gee, said he is building vital relationships with families across the county for a stronger community.
The drug epidemic is not under control here, he said, but the sheriff’s office is making inroads.
The biggest issue law enforcement faces here is mental health, Chronister said. The calls for service involving mental health take a lot of manpower and training, he said.
“We are making a lot of progress with our program in the jails. I am trying to bridge the gap with local providers, so they continue to receive the treatment they need when they get out of jail,” he said.
Opponent Gary Pruitt who served on the Tampa Police Department for 25 years, railed on the sheriff’s office, saying it was mismanaged and that the department doesn’t back up its own people.
Among his priorities are more diversity in the force and setting up a Citizens Advisory Committee to review policies.
