Times and Iorio
The Times covers the Town Hall meeting.
"Anyone dissatisfied with the mayor's performance didn't bother to show up at the public forum. She and many of the city government department heads seated next to the mayor received numerous compliments and rounds of applause from residents during the two-hour meeting."
"Attendees received a copy of the city's proposed budget for fiscal year 2007, plus literature on code enforcement performance measures and the mayor's youth and arts education initiatives."
23 comments:
I guess the reporter missed the hard hitting comments from Seminole Heights residents.
BTW, did she say anything about her "Greenprinting" initiative?
I haven't seen much work on the trail connecting River Tower Park and Sulphur Springs Park.
What is the deal with River Tower Park?
Greenprinting Initive is not her's. Do not be confused. It is sponsored by the Mayor's Beautification Program and is a non profit having nothing to do with any mayor.
So the Mayor's Beautification Program has "mayor" in the title, Shannon Edge and Karen Palus from the city (Iorio's employees) are on the MBP executive committee and the MBP has a prominent place on the city's website yet the mayor has "nothing to do" with it.
Plus, Iorio has mentioned it several times publicly and is a big booster.
Okay, thanks for clearing that up.
All I can say is remember IORIO next year! There is not a chance in Hell she would ever get another vote from my family.
IORIO is worse than a gambler in casio heaven when it comes to money (she loves pissing it away)!
Mine either.
Not unless she fixes code.
I am incensed to know she isn't fixing it.
I dont even want to hear her speak at the townhall meeting.
I will be reading the papers.
If she refuses...I will adamantly support the other candidate..no matter what the party.
There are many people on the board, from the city, county and private business. MBP is a non-governmental, non-profit organization. They have a partnership with City of Tampa Parks, Hillsborough County Schools, Tampa neighborhood association, other non-for-profits and area busineses.
Regardless, the MBP is a political "gem" for any mayor. If a project fails, a mayor can distance oneself from the project and claim that it was not their doing. If it succeeds, the very nature of the title, Mayor's Beautification Program, suggests that the mayor is behind it. Brillant!
What and who on God's green earth
would make you complainers happy
The mayor is a fine person
go get a life.......and work on things outside of your selves
Life doesnt swirl around all of you here
I have to agree with tired of bitching...if you people were so unhappy, where were you at the town hall meeting?? It seems that the only people who put their money where their mouth is are the neighborhood leaders. It is so easy to bitch and moan on a blog. But when you can really make a difference, you are nowhere to be seen. So much for your credibility.
if she's hanging out with this dude, she aint getting my vote...
Excuse me but most people were at the county meeting trying to get the taxes lowered.
That did work thank you very much.
Code is second to money.
You're entitled to your opinion, but taxes are gonna be what they're gonna be. I for one don't think they are all that out of line. The cost of running the city is rising with the cost of everything, the bigger problem is that wages in this state are not keeping pace. I would rather have a voice in how and where my taxes are spent than worry about saving a few bucks a year. From what I've read the reduction that I'm actually seeing isn't all that much and with the cuts that it creates could very well make it Pyrrhic victory. But either way, that's what makes this country great, we have the freedom to make those sorts of choices. My point in the comments in a previous post was directed at the many comments in the vein of "I'm going to give the mayor a piece of my mind about code, sex offenders, retaining walls, etc.. " and not a one of those folks spoke up at the meeting, and by all accounts didn't even attend.
As the comments were posted that the neighborhood would have representatives there for us and ask designated questions so we wouldnt look out of control.
I love SH, but I'll tell you what, Tampa as a city has a long way to go. I just had the depressing reality hit home that our city is behind most the others in the state. I had a trip to Miami a few weeks ago and just returned from Jacksonville today. It just seems that they are both light years ahead of what Tampa is trying to do.
I admit, we have some history and character that is lacking in J-Ville and O-town (for sure). But as far as city planning and beauty and just plain old cool factor, we are missing out my amigos.
And the St. Pete Times has writers puzzling over the fact the youth in the Tampa Bay area are fleeing. I don't think Pam Iorio can be blamed for all the ###### stuff that happens/doesn't happen here.
I'm in no position to Rise Against the powers or can problem solve. I'm just putting out my opine on the current state of affairs here.
Ben:
I've lived here since I came to USF in 1980, and I agree. The coolest place I've ever been to is Austin, TX. Nice college town (like we are), but full of character. It has lots of traffic, but it's easy to get around on foot or by bicycle. And if you have to drive, the highways are planned better there than anyplace else I've ever seen. Access roads go up and down the major highways, and there are on and off ramps every half mile. Every mile or so there's an overpass with a left-hand exit onto a U-turn to let you go the opposite direction - imagine not having to hunt for an exit with a reentry gong the other way!
Tampa, OTOH, is full of roads and insane drivers that make it a damn hazard to get around on a bike even if you wanted to (which I do). Mayor Iorio inherited a lot of Dick Greco's edifice complex and she's had to try and fund it or retire it.
If I had a wish list, here's what it would be:
#1 - Take Tampa's treated wastewater and pipe it into the Hillsborough River down below the dam. Restore fresh water flow to the river and it'll smell better and won't accumulate trash. That would help the Riverwalk be more of a success.
#2 - Make the Riverwalk go all the way from downtown up to USF, and keep it lit. Along the Riverwalk, put enterprise zones to foster limited and appropriate commercial development along the river (coffee shops, ice cream parlors, small restaurants, fish houses, and the like).
#3 - Wider bike paths along streets, plus pedestrian-like legal status for bicycles. It's ludicrous to think that me on a mountain bike should have the same legal status as some idiot in a Hummer H3, and if some of the numbnuts in cars had to think about actual legal jeopardy for causing an accident they might be more careful at rush hour.
#4 - Nicer buses with fume hoods to keep the more.. er, fragrant riders from overwhelming the other passengers.
#5 - Not less code enforcement, but more code enforcement. And maybe an ad campaign to get people to pick up their yards. More volunteerism (roving squads of grass cutters, trash pickers, and kayak-bound river-cleaners, etc.) promoted by the mayor's office with pictures in the paper, awards, ceremonies, and the like.
#6 - Tell David Caton, Ronda Storms, Tom Scott, and the rest of the "my values must be *your* values" crowd to go pound sand. We have bigger fish to fry.
#7 - Heavier traffic enforcement.
#8 - Traffic humps in most residential streets, especially the ones that rush-hour drivers use to bypass main traffic arteries.
That's a partial list. One thing the mayor *could* do is remind people what they get for their property taxes. I guess the tax cuts the council voted on will do that.
Yes many things could be done. But like all the mayors before her, long standing issues get pushed aside.
The city gets 28 million dollar property tax windfall and dedicates $680,000 for traffic calming...hell her special assistant has 93,000 dedicated to her in the budget.
By the way, years ago when I was on a citizens advisory committee for transportation, the City's Transportation folks said those speed tables costed $900 a piece (and they were the least expensive traffic calming tool)...I am sure that is more like $2000 today. $680,000=340 speed tables.
Overpaid, ineffectual incompetents still run code enforcement. No room for PSA ad campaign to inform or promote a cleaned up Tampa.
The cut in the millage by council was 2%. That means cutting 3.34 million out of a 728 million dollar budget. Instead of property tax revenue rising from 139 million to 167 million it means it will only be 163.6 miilion.
It means the city budget instead of rising from 674.4 million 728 million it will only be 724.6 million.
Oh my!!
Go read the budget:
http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Budget/
Pay attention to positions moved from the mayor's office to give the appearance that Mayor's office budget was rising uncontrollably.
For the record, I don't oppose the Riverwalk or museums in principal. I do oppose them when long standing needs take a back seat to glitz and glitter projects.
So, by your math, the 2% rollback could have paid for 1670 speed tables throughout the city.
Anon 1:48, either your impression of Austin was from when it was still a decent city, or a completely different Austin than I moved back here from in 2005.
At this point about the only thing that you could hold ATX's highway system up for is an example of what not to do. The city grew exponentially in the 90's with no improvement to infrastructure. The result is an hour in traffic to make a 12 mile commute every day. (I had to buy a new truck with an automatic transmission because my knee started giving out from standing on the clutch for so long.)
Granted, the traffic here is horrible. The I-4 interchange has been a problem since I first moved here in the 70's/ walking or biking around the city only makes you a target, but hey it could be worse. Just look at the other side of the bay....or you can re-visit Austin.
I think it would be good to remember that Mayor Pam has only been the mayor for less than a full term and that things in a government, be it city, county or whatever, take a long time to happen. Did not get here over night and won't get better overnight.
Another thing to remember is that a lot of projects are funded by grants of various kinds or other dedicated funds. Meaning the funds cannot be moved around from project to project. So sometimes it might seem that money is being spent somewhere silly as more serious things are being summarily overlooked. When actually it only means there are funds for one project and not necessarily funds for the other project.
Then there is the fact that some of the things we call complain about have nothing to do with the city at all. Like Nebraska Avenue or what happens on the interstate. The city of Tampa has no control of FDOT.
One last note. Everyone was bitching about her salary. The salary of the Mayor of Tampa has been set, forever, to increase once every eight years. The eighth year arrived. It is the only opportunity for a change in salary. I believe they are going to do COL raises each periodically from now on.
So here I go sounding like a big Pam supporter. I guess in a way I am. Except for one big issue. CODE. Can't vote for her if CODE administration is not changed and the department purged and made efficient. Enough is enough.
I agree, If Curtis Lane, Bill Dorty and Harold Scott are still employed come election time, I will not vote for her. I honestly think she is holding that card until closer to the election. Come early next year, she will move them from one department to another and claim "look, I listened! I told you I was in favor of improving neighborhoods." At that time, All will applaud her for getting rid of the dead beats in code and will run to the polls and vote for her. If this happens, I still could not vote for her if she uses this issue as a political tactic. I am not a Pam fan, so I really do hope there is a candidate that comes forward to run against. How about Mayor Banghart. With all of the people in Seminole Heights and the publicity of the blog, we can make this happen!
So sad.......people discussing what the mayor did or did not do.
Her hands are tied like alot of others .....what the hell do you WANT from her....
Her prior office holder wasnt any better ? Does everyone in the mayor's office have to be trashed?
This city is never going to be like what the dreams you hold for it to be>get real..You live in chit sin city...
Its so far from being progressive its unreal
The overflux of people coming here from different places and do not respect the drivers or the bikers or anyone,ever try to get around a group of "yakkers" in a publix store .? they dont give a crap about anyone but themselves.....those who come here to start a new life......dont offer anything good here only if it benefits them.
The state is ran by good ol boys still and unless someone does something very drastic none of that mentality will change either
Stop pissing and moaning about Pam
She seems to genuinely care about this chit hole of a town
Just doesnt do it as fast as some of you bitchers want
She is one person......support her or stop bitching and do stuff your dams selves
Wow... I could not disagree with you more. Have you heard the saying "Do what you have always done and you will get what you have always gotten". This city will never change with people like you that accept the status quo as "all we are going to get" It takes people like our neighbors to stand up and say enough is enough. I do agree with the earlier posts that she has done very little, with regards to code, to make Tampa a better place to live. For years, the code office has talked about turning around a ship. It has been nearly 4 years, and that ship has sunk! Look at NYC and how fast Mayor Guiliano was able to turn that large city around. Look at St. Pete and see what Mayor Baker has been able to accomplish. If this is the best Pam can do, I am sorry, I will not vote for her. She has shuffled salaries, added huge salaries, built more parks without first correcting the ones we have. Ask yourself, what is one nice park in the city of Tampa? Pretty hard to answer! Next ask yourself, what is one clean neighborhood? While Hyde Park is very nice, they have thier share of problems, code issue, abandon houses, etc. With the exception of New Tampa, I can't think of one are that is clean and without code infractions. Fortunately, it is these "bitching neighbors" that are creating progress and forcing change. Without their bitching, do you think the city would have acted on the New Orleans sex house? Do you think the illegal scientologist church would have been shut down? That is an easy NO!
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