Well, not really, at least not now.
Over the last couple of years I have been told by people that I ought to run for office. (My neighbor, Diane, calls me the Mayor of New Orleans Avenue). I have thought about it, thinking maybe that would be something I would do in a few years, but nothing now. Maybe if we retired to a small town someplace. Maybe never.
However, tonight in a meeting about Art space, I was described as a politician. This led me to think, if I ran, what would be my issues?
1. Getting the City to truly support and encourage the arts. Focus on getting the West Tampa Armenia corridor area made into an Arts District, like Ybor used to be. Provide more supports to artists,collectives and galleries. Fund promotion and marketing of arts events. Connecting artists to arts space. Getting City buildings turned into arts spaces. Purchasing art (smaller pieces) to place and rotate in public buildings.
2. Fixing Code Enforcement. Increase funding so as to better provide education, enforcement and assistance services. Work closer with business community/construction/ builders supply. Create a warehouse of used materials that can be recycled by Code. ie plywood to board up buildings. Get a grant to fund PR/education for one year of Code issues.
3. Improve neighborhoods power. Seek to have a leftist liberation theology style community organizer to proactively organize areas into neighborhood associations and neighborhood crime watch areas. Provide more support those those neighborhood associations in email group support and free website space on city website. Provide more greant writing support
4. Get City government more transparent. All meeting agendas and minutes should be posted on the City website in a timely manner. An email notification service should be created to send zoning/code hearing meeting info to residents in neighborhoods. Seek to get more residents involved with City governance activities and program activities. For example get more residents to participate in riding the garbage trucks on NEAT/Sweep cleanup days. More data should be online. Ie like St. Pete, resdient should be able to check code cases online.
5.Get rid of the power/phone poles on Nebraska and Florida. Get Florida and Highland returned to two way streets.
6. Create a free wifi-zone downtown and the surrounding urban core.
7. Spend more money on Giddens Park.
8. Get more sidewalks and curbs in neighborhoods
So, if you ran for office, what would be your issues?
I'll bite.
ReplyDelete1. Greater use of mixed use zoning of residential and commercial on the older established commercial corridors. ie. Nebraska, Florida, Howard, Armenia, Hillsborough. To promote more viable pedestrian friendly districts. Retail or office space on the street level and residential on a 2nd or 3rd floor.
2. Create a fully integrated greenways trail connecting the city neigborhoods.
3. Promote a an urban village concept for the city's distinct neigborhoods, modeled on concepts that work elsewhere. Centered on the distictive charcteristics of those neighborhood's and their history. So that the neighborhoods would have more self-contained basic services and retail.
4. Work toward the creation of single member city council districts. Eliminating the at-large seats.
5. Further decentralize Tampa Police Department into more of neighborhood based police force. maybe corresponding the lines of those 7 single-member city council seats.
6. Get City government more transparent. All meeting agendas and minutes should be posted on the City website in a timely manner. An email notification service should be created to send zoning/code hearing meeting info to residents in neighborhoods. Residents should have the same access as those that can have the hirelings check and attend meetings. Issues that directly impact neighborhoods should only be in the evenings. Most people work during the day and for those in lower income groups day meetings disproportionately disenfrancise them from being able to be heard.
7. Work toward a plan and time line to move all utility lines in all commercial areas underground.
8. Create more greenspace pocket parks within neighborhoods (great places for some of that art you want to put everywhere):-)
9. Make public facilities such as the Garden Center avaiable to neighborhood groups without charge.
10. Residential zoning changes to restrict the percentage of a lot that can be covered by the footprint of structures. (we all pay for the McMansions in stormwater expenses regardless of whether we live in one of them).
11. Develop a series of small municipal parking lots along the older commercial areas. Fund it by meter fees and by higher permitting or impact fees in exchange for waiving the parking space requirement of business moving into those areas.
12. Divorce the Libraries in the City from the County.
I would require that all agendas be not only posted but folloowed in order. Too often public comment is eliminated because city council or code board change the order.
ReplyDeleteCreate more pedestrian and bicycle friendly corridors.
Renovate the SH Garden Center.
City to cover the insurance for home tours.
Parks & Recreation to make "special events" more affordable for neighborhoods.
Open the parks to neighborhood events without the costly insurance.
And, most of what has already been posted.
it wd be interesting to see an actual real thinking person on one of the city's higher profile boards. of course, that means you wd have to actually attend their interminable meetings. and after a period of inevitable ineffectiveness, you wd likely grow tired of the whole plod.
ReplyDeleteMaking Tampa's historical areas (Ybor, Seminole, and Tampa Heights) more accessible for independent disabled residents while preserving the historical reputation of the areas.
ReplyDeleteTake one part of Number 6 off your list! According to the Tampa Downtown Partnership free Wi-Fi service is already in place in the downtown core. I've used it and the service is good although somewhat spotty; it forces you to reconnect after each 30 minute sessions.
ReplyDeleteFrom their TDP website:
Who Knew
Downtown Tampa is hot! Through an agreement with Sago Networks, the Tampa Downtown Partnership can offer everyone FREE wireless internet connection throughout downtown Tampa. Named by Sago Networks as the S.U.R.F. (Sago Ultimate Roaming Freedom) Zone, visitors, workers and residents are getting connected in Tampa’s Downtown!
1) Create a workable and convenient mass transit system.
ReplyDelete2)Create economic incentives to live in the city.
3) Creae a code department with teeth that is committed to the beautification of Tampa.
FIRE CURTIS LANE and make a real code department!
ReplyDelete