“Joe Speaks To Seminole Heights”

The only one to respond to my request.

“Joe Speaks To Seminole Heights” and explains “Why Seminole Heights
residents should vote Joe Redner, Hillsborough County Commission
District 5 – County Wide”

I am running for the BOCC because I’m worried. Worried about the future
of Hillsborough County, worried about overcrowded schools, shortages of
books, and the 1.2 billion dollar debt we built up because the BOCC
refused to impose even modest impact fees for schools over the last 10
years to keep up with development. I’m worried about the busing of
kid’s large distances from their homes, thereby eliminating the benefit
of neighborhood schools. I’m worried Hillsborough County will be left
behind because we don’t have a transportation system to move people
around in our County instead of around our County. We are looking into
building a 3.5 billion dollar beltway ostensibly to serve the 50%
increase in traffic we will have in the next 10-15 years, but we all
know it is to expand the urban service area. We have ozone alerts in
Hillsborough County now to protect people with lung problems, what will
happen with a 50% increase in traffic?

I’m worried that homes will be put out of the financial reach of the
hardest working and most productive part of our society – teachers,
police officers, city & county workers, and people in that income
bracket. I’m worried that our society henceforth will be negatively
affected by the lack of preservation of our wetlands, wildlife habitats,
sources of water, and other natural resources.

I’m worried about insensitivity, lack of compassion and understanding
that the BOCC shows when they refuse to fund agencies that not only help
needy people, but will save the County money in the long run: like not
having money for the Family Justice Center, a program for battered women
and their families; but finding money for a million dollar wall; a 40
million dollar sport complex; 70 million dollars for rich sports teams.
All money that with a little finagling, can be used to do the things
that are really needed in Hillsborough County. The developers and
related industries are so deeply entrenched in getting their lackeys
elected that the cost has just become a business expense and is added to
the homes to be paid for by the buyer.

The solutions to these problems are relatively simple. We make the
developers donate land and build neighborhood schools in the new
developments while working with the school board, the state and the
feds. We make the developers build affordable housing intermixed with
other homes in their new developments. We already have and are
developing more programs to help poor people buy homes; this
inclusionary zoning eliminates the need for busing in two ways. 1)
Schools will be close to home and 2) minorities will be mixed in with
the new developments. We don’t allow developers to develop in
environmentally sensitive areas of the county.

We change the presumptions. The presumption now is that, it is all
right to development anywhere in the County. The affected citizens
have to prove to the County the development could be detrimental to the
environment, we should switch that. The presumption should be, in every
case, that the development is harmful and the burden to prove otherwise
would be on the developer. Also, spending a little money to preempt a
problem, like indigent health care spending instead of spending a lot of
money for emergency care and hospitals. Ditto for the Family Justice
Center to take care of the problems of battered women and their families.

I am running for County Commissioner to make these changes happen. What
distinguishes me from my opponent is he has had 14 years and has done
nothing; my record speaks for itself, I know how to get things done.
Honest, rational, common sense government is what I adamantly believe in
and this is one of the many reasons that makes me the best candidate for
the citizens of Hillsborough County.

I have already made Hillsborough County a better place to live in; when
I’m elected these changes will be among my first priorities. Thank you,
Joe Redner