Temps for City Council Vacancies
Well, according to the Tampa Tribune, it seems that in July 2006 Hillsborough County Commission candidates Rose and Kevin will need to submit letters of resignations from their Tampa City Council seats. As a result the City Council will be filling those vacancies with appointees who will fill the spot for roughly 5 months.
"Council members agree the people they select should be involved in the community, perhaps active in a neighborhood association. The ideal candidate would grasp how city government works. . . ."
. . . On balance, though, Paine said, the council shouldn't give one candidate an advantage. Instead, council members should find someone with instant credibility and no interest in running.
"Potentially, the safer strategy for council is to find the more experienced, not-going-to-be-running type of person, who understands the role is not to revolutionize council," Paine said.
Freedman agreed.
"Ideally, someone who is not political and not seeking the office," Freedman said. "Then it's someone untethered, who can vote their conscience."
Well, here is the chance for someone in the Seminole Heights leadership structure to get into to office without having to set up a campaign.
Kevin's seat quite naturally will go to someone who is African American and who resides in East Tampa, which only means as far as Seminole Heights is concerned it would only be someone from Southeast Seminole Heights. From the neighborhood association structure traditional the only candidates at this time would be Andrew Baker (former officer of SE Seminole Hts Civic Associaton - SESHCA) who ran for City Council before, Bernice Pelham (former President of SESHCA) or Irene Matthews (former officer of SESHCA). Outside of that structure there could be many other candidates. More likely is someone more well known from the traditional East Tampa power structure, perhaps Chloe Coney from East Tampa CDC.
So this leaves Rose Ferlita's citywide seat. Who do we have in the hood who might meet the above qualifications? If we find someone maybe we could see if it would be possible to get those names in front of the City Council members for their consideration.
I previously threw out some names of those I thought could run for City Council. They could be possibilites for this temp position.
I'll add Beverly Morrow's names to the list of temps. She is the outgoing President of SE
13 comments:
Read the responses in the paper over their profile of your "Hoe Hunt" Guess I'm not the only one thinks some ppl in this area are overzealous.
I went back and reread the 09/03 SESH newsletter article entitled "Confessions of a Vehicle Patrol Addict" to remind me of how pathological the motivation may be. (Thinking I should give it to the FBI so they could find out who "Anonymous" was)
I was born in Tampa and went to school at Hillsborough High and have owned a house here in SECH since ‘89'.
I liked it the way it was before we were pounding are chests to be the most diverse place.
We already were.
There's still a large percentage of the property owners in this neighborhood that don't see all of a certain minorities efforts as such a good thing.
Read the responses in the paper over their profile of your "Hoe Hunt" Guess I'm not the only one thinks some ppl in this area are overzealous.
I went back and reread the 09/03 SESH newsletter article entitled "Confessions of a Vehicle Patrol Addict" to remind me of how pathological the motivation may be. (Thinking I should give it to the FBI so they could find out who "Anonymous" was)
I was born in Tampa and went to school at Hillsborough High and have owned a house here in SECH since ‘89'.
I liked it the way it was before we were pounding are chests to be the most diverse place.
We already were.
There's still a large percentage of the property owners in this neighborhood that don't see all of a certain minorities efforts as such a good thing.
There are a number of qualified individuals associated with OSHNA that could qualify.
Randy Baron, Sandra Carr, and Jeff Harmon.
I have an urelated question that I would like some insight on. We purchased a house in July and we have spent all Summer "rehabing." The only thing that we have not been able to improve is the noise from 275- The house is 1 house off of 275. Does anyone have any info. on any construction project, either for a wall or some thing else along the highway.
Thanks.
I, for one, am grateful for the efforts of our "overzealous" Ho-Hunters. I would not have brought my family, children included, had it not been for my knowledge of their activities. Some of you may have preferred things as they were, but there was nothing family friendly about this area then! I think Beverly Morrow would be a great choice.
Another thing to all of you out there complaining about the efforts of some dedicated people to make this a safe place to live...While they are out there night after night, and you sit home complaining about them, your neighborhood becomes safer, you can leave porch furniture out, your property values go up, and you don't have to do a thing. Since I mpved in a few years ago i have had no theft or problem of any kind. I thank them for their efforts on my behalf.
The reduction in my "concern" level since I moved to OSH 8 years ago is enormous. I used to have drug dealers at the corner, my daughter couldn't walk 1 block to her friends house without being accosted by a john, everything I put on my front porch disappeared, people broke into my house and stole my wallet out of my purse in my bedroom next to the bathroom where I was showering. I, for one, am glad crime has fallen and I appreciate the "Vigilantes" who have reduced it. BTW, the police like what those "vigilantes" have done too.
Well said, sesh1....
The officers, including the Chiefs, within the Tampa Police Department are extremely supportive of the Vehicle Patrol's efforts in Seminole Heights. As a matter of fact, they developed a program that models the techniques used by the Vehicle Patrol. These efforts have also contributed to a 30% reduction in crime, over the last 3 years, within the City limits! I think that's something we can all be proud of.
My Husband and I used to sit at home and ignore the criminal activity along Nebraska until one evening when it directly affected us. We gathered some neighbors together, who had similar concerns, and we started a vehicle patrol. We were completely shocked and amazed at the things we witness in our neighborhood during the middle of the night. Look where we are three years later...a handful of "hold out" prostitutes and the occasional drug dealer. Not bad for a bunch of regular citizens, I'd say!
If caring about my neighborhood and encouraging others to do the same makes me a vigilante then so be it...I'd rather be a vigilante than be complacent!
Wow! Interesting reading- and so many off topic comments. However, was glad to see some discussion of that article from last week.
I don't "diss" or down these dedicated neighbors taking away from their own lives (time, safety)to improve their streets- which, btw, are all our streets.
However, I think what is becoming evident after many years in the neighborhood, is a disconnect between living here and the continued PERCEPTION of the neighborhood.
My reaction on seeing the paper in the mini-mart that day- was Oh SHIT! Damn! There goes my property values back down a notch- AGAIN. (no to mention, wonderful! huge headline and photo over the fold. and god damn it! can't we stop emphasizing this about Seminole Heights, over and over, over all else?)
Please understand- my point is, it's GREAT what's happening! EXCELLENT neighborhood activism and coordination. but, WHY on earth would you want to PUBLICIZE it?
There is an incredibly naive and simple mentality in Seminole Heights as it relates to the larger picture, and beneficially promoting the neighborhood. There's a HUGE difference between what we do while in our neighborhood, and what we do to project an image of our neighborhood to those outside of it.
Just note how many folks casually refer to their home as the "hood". As if that's cute, OR desirable. It's not funny. Ask someone who really lives in the 'hood sometime, if you don't believe me...
There has been and continues to be a serious lack of savvy, long term vision and sophistication in DISCUSSION of and PROMOTION of the neighborhood. Beyond the once a year little article about home tours, porch parties and potlucks, the area can't seem to present anything other than "PROSTITUTES". If you look at how many people live here- while those positive articles are nice- the larger impression to the entire area is "that's where all those hookers are."
I swear to GOD, there has not been ONE article written/presented by a main stream media outlet in the last ten years that doesn't also include the now seemingly obligatory "an area known for/ PLAGUED by/ drugs, crime and prostitution". (even as it goes on to talk about the porch party or potluck or whatever).
SURE, it says things are better than they used to be (and they are), but WHY would you want to shine light on, or worse- KEEP bringing it up?
Do you see that people will most likely never stop that knee jerk association with the area if we don't start finding something else to talk about?
Please- before I am attacked for an opinion- DISTINGUISH between what we talk about with each other, in association meetings, and working in conjunction with great law enforcement------ and what we talk about with the press on record.
and, anonymous is pretty much the only way to comment in the neighborhood-sometimes it's like eighth grade all over again around here.
lastly- be happy! Overall- we don't deal with hard core crime, constant gun fire, etc.
Things have definitely improved, and it has always been the dedication, activism and hard work of the residents. But- can you see my point about our area needing to "mature" in its presentation, and move forward with some vision?
Ok, so now to address anonymous...uh...number 8....(it's getting hard to keep track!)
You have some very valid comments and I agree with your views about the left-handed negativity dished out in the guise of good news about S.H.
My next thought is, how do we fix this?
I would love to come up with a campaign we can all implement to take the focus off our previous "claims-to-fame" (ie: prostution, used car lots) and tell new positive stories about S.H. Perhaps we can do that with renewed business vitality. That is my hope and aim for the future!
Really, Anonymous #8, I seriously would love to hear from you about your ideas of how to get positive news out about our neighborhood. I truly believe we (all of who care) can do this!!
Anonymous says: (or "Anonymous #8 as Sherry puts it...)
"SURE, it says things are better than they used to be (and they are), but WHY would you want to shine light on, or worse- KEEP bringing it up?"
While I don't disagree with your basic frustration on this, I do question what appears to be one of your assumptions--that the neighbors contact the media specifically to speak about prostitution and crime.
3 or so years ago, yes, we did that. We had to embarass the police department into helping us rid the streets of prostitution. A few promotions and retirements later, the neighborhood watches and police department are working well together. Most of the prostution is gone. Much of the associated drug dealing is gone from sight. Crime is down by roughly a third. Slap on the back; good job.
But the media still chooses to report on this. They approach neighbors about it and request interviews. The people directly involved in the prostitution issue may agree to refuse interviews, sure, but that reporter will just find someone who knows less about the issue and interview them instead. At which point you still have the hooker story but now you have inaccuracies as well. I don't see the gain in refusing interviews. Having been interviewed myself several times for prostitution, pot lucks, and yard sales, I can tell you that I've given hours of information on the neighborhood to include how vastly improved it is only to have 99% of it go unreported in favor of some of the more negative aspects that irk you.
At the very least the articles are about what we do as a community to fix the problems and not about the problems themselves. That's a pretty important distinction because the sense of community is what I hear quoted more and more from people who desire to move here.
In fact, I think the ONLY thing this neighborhood has going for it besides the historic homes is the sense of community. Our commercial district is primarily proverty-oriented, ugly, light industry. We have almost no recreational facilities or anything else to encourage people into the area. If you don't like bungalows, there aint a thing else here for you other than the intangible sense of community. Nearly all shopping, eating, and recreation must be done outside of the neighborhood. (And for the record, that sense of community is the most important thing to me and why we still live here.)
So, if you've got a reasonable plan for how to force the media not to report on prostitution, or a plan for getting the media to choose to report on something more positive, I'd like to hear it. That would certainly be a productive use of time.
My advice is to take a deep breath and ignore what the media prints. Put your energy into improving those aspects of the neighborhood that most interest you. If enough people do this and keep bringing up the good things going on it'll all take care of itself over time.
The worst thing that could happen is that misplaced outrage over the vehicle patrol volunteers "brining up" prostitution will discourage them to the point of quitting. Then you'll see just how fast the hookers, johns, and dealers come back and the media will report on the neighborhood that squabbled like 8th graders and let the hookers back in.
And, for the record: Shawn Hicks, E Idlewild Ave
This is "Anon #8"- yes, I am hiding as it were behind this handle, but trust me- it is for good reason.
I have lived here longer than some of the folks who regularly post here. I know who you are, and you are doing great things and putting a lot of wonderful energy into the neighborhood.
Sherry- you're right. I'll stop by the shop and speak with you personally.
Shawn- you're right as well. I do need to calm down a bit- sorry. It's very hard for me to be calm about this subject when I've been reading the same kack for 10 years, and been working very hard all that time myself to try to positively affect the neighborhood- specifically in the area of positive promotion. At the very least, I always strive to follow a "first do no harm" motto.
However- I don't believe there is an intelligent, professional approach in terms of marketing the neighborhood COMBINED with the pressuring of the good folks downtown to change their approach to our commercial corridors (impact fees, incentives, etc.) - for example.
Part of that is bringing a good story TO the media- and if a reporter is asking certain questions, challenge them back. Refuse to go on record if a subject comes up that you do not wish to address, or CHANGE the subject. People are so intimidated by media- why? If you're focused on your message, it's easy to steam roll them. Also= we should be educating people on how best to deal with the media- don't walk into a trap. Personally, I don't think it was a "good" idea to have a reporter ride along on a "hoe patrol" outing. If you don't let them- they aren't able to provide running dialogue, such as this last article presented.
Agreeing with me or not, is not my point. I sincerely don't want to come here to argue with folks- I'm trying to point out the necessity for us all to THINK about these things.
You know what? I was going to jump back into the fray, and try to dredge up the energy for my community one more time, and start attending the new business group meetings. (please understand, this is after living through the sheer hell of OSHNA and Business Alliance fighting, and all the PERSONALIZED attacks, etc)
but, then what should I be told? But, that already there are strong "personalities" and they are in engaged in personalized attacks, behind-the-back plotting and exclusion and other such juvenile behavior. (all that to explain my bit-too-snide remark about how it's too much like 8th grade in the neighborhood).
So! I know, I know- more ideas from me, less complaining.
I'll try to think of something more concrete,in writing. I know for a fact that there is ALL kinds of creative talent in the neighborhood- including public relations/communications professionals. I am a bit doubtful of the ability of some folks' ability to be honest with themselves, and admit maybe they could use some positive direction or advice, rather than the immediate defensiveness, etc.
this aspect is what, I believe, has led to some people feeling that the neighborhood is beginning to appear "zealotous".
And maybe one day I will come out from hiding.
Thanks neighbors. :o)
I don't disagree that gathering the active neighbors together to discuss media strategy is a good idea. I believe I read in your post a discomfort with the running dialog on the vehicle patrol and I freely admit I also was uncomfortable with it.
As someone who was involved in the failed business overlay attempt between OSHNA and the Business Alliance, I can't recall much plotting or backstabbing. Now it's possible that I was excluded from these activities. It may only be a difference of perception, too. In my opinion, the partnership failed because the neighborhood representatives and the business representatives wanted to see the area go in very different directions.
Cleaning up the crime in the area was step #1. What resident-serving business will move into an area so blighted? Step #2 was creating the new, more inclusive, business organization (B'Gosh), which has already started addressing new issues by forming a focus group and creating a starting list of things to examine. Public relations is an area we need some help in and there a unified message is best. This is part of your theme above and it's probably time for it. If you would like help getting the current group of active neighbors together to talk media issues, I volunteer. I'll even offer up my home as a place we can meet.
One thing about us "zealots", after spending 3 years focused on the last big problem, we can get tunnel vision. That doesn't mean we aren't open to new ideas. We just may need a bit of positive help shifting focus to the next big problem. The last people anyone should alienate in the neighborhood are those that gave up weekends and weeknights for years; that kind of energy and dedication should be rewarded and encouraged.
Come out of hiding and re-engage your neighborhood. This is how you'll best contribute.
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