PINELLAS COUNTY –Neil Brickfield and Jane Gallucci want to be the Republican candidate on the Nov. 4 ballot in the race for District 1 Pinellas County Commissioner.
The Aug. 26 primary election will decide which candidate goes on to compete against Democrat Paul Matton in November.
The winner would replace incumbent Ronnie Duncan who is not running for another term.
Tampa Bay Newspapers asked the candidates to provide biographical information and answer three questions:
- What do you believe are the most serious challenges to be faced by members of the county commission?
- What, if anything, would you change about the way the county is governed?
- What do you believe makes you the best candidate for a seat on the county commission?
The candidates' answers follow:
Neil Brickfield said the most serious issue facing the Pinellas County Commission is the budget issues.
Our Community must set our priorities and fund them. I believe that public safety must be our highest priority. We must look at what we are required to do, need to do and want to do so we can have a government we can afford. I will watch our spending dollar by dollar.
Jane Gallucci said most serious challenges are maintaining the level of services after cuts that meet citizens’ expectation, workforce housing, economic development and transportation.
She advocates continuing a yearly survey on what is important to the citizens of Pinellas County and using that data to establish which services need to be reduced and which need to be maintained at a higher level.
She favors allocating money to the Housing Trust Fund to build workforce housing and to investigating every avenue to produce a collaborative working relationship with the cities and builders.
The challenge is to maintain and attract jobs that pay wages for employees to be able to live here. The commission needs to maintain the STAR center to continue to attract high tech jobs to Pinellas and work with the school system to identify occupations that the county needs.
She also advocates the continued use of Penny money to do road projects and assessing the needs of the population‘s ability to move efficiently around Pinellas County.
Brickfield said Pinellas County government needs to be fully committed to open government and fully engaging the public in the decisions that we make.
Our community needs to be fully informed and our government must make public involvement a priority.
Gallucci said she would make sure that everything that is done for the citizens of Pinellas County is conducted in an open, transparent manner so that all can see what business is being transacted.
I believe that all citizens have to have an opportunity to weigh in on anything that is on the county’s agenda. I know that the commission has an opportunity with a new county administrator to set a change in course from the previous administrator in the way it does business.
Brickfield said among the attributes that qualify him to serve as county commission is his opportunity to serve as a Safety Harbor City Commissioner dealing with growth, transportation and budget issues similar to those of the county commission.
My government experience gave me insight to how our government works; my business experience with governments gave me a view of how government works from the outside looking in. I want to make sure our government works on behalf of the citizens.
Gallucci said after serving the citizens of Pinellas County for 12 years as a school board member and as the only Pinellas County School Board member to serve as President of Florida School Boards Association and then the only Floridian in 25 years to serve as President of National School Boards Association, I believe the knowledge I have gained in working as a member of many boards makes me the candidate with a broad base of experience that translates to skills needed to be a high functioning county commissioner.
Also, in those positions I have had a great deal of experience in focusing on the big picture, working with over a billion dollar budget and, recently, I have had to make the tough decisions to cut 43 million dollars to balance the school district budget. My hallmark as an elected official has been my open door to listen to all constituents and my transparency and honesty in everything I do.
