CLEARWATER – About 80 residents filed into the Salvation Army’s Joy Center on Feb. 1 to hear the six City Council candidates answer questions put to them by moderator Howard Warshauer.
Half the questions came from the event’s sponsor, the Clearwater Neighborhood Coalition, and the rest were submitted by the audience.
Morningside resident Wayne Carothers, a 58-year-old disabled Vietnam veteran who owns a heating and air conditioning company, is competing for the Seat 4 being vacated by Councilwoman Carlen Petersen because of term limits. Former Councilman Bill Jonson, a 65-year-old Countryside resident and retired Honeywell accountant, is also competing for Seat 4. Also on the Seat 4 ballot is Joe Paige, a 52-year-old North Clearwater resident who owns a remodeling business. Herb Quintero, the fourth candidate for Seat 4, is a 41-year-old Island Estates resident who gained local fame when he successfully sued the city after it claimed that a mural on his bait shop violates the city’s sign ordinance.
Vice Mayor Paul Gibson, a 61-year-old Clearwater Beach real estate agent, is defending his Seat 5 against a challenge from Mike Riordon. Riordon, 50, lives in the Country Club addition and owns a bicycle shop.
When asked about the Church of Scientology, the candidates agreed that the church has been here for 35 years and isn’t going away. Besides, they said, Scientologists have restored several downtown buildings, own businesses and patronize the businesses of non-Scientologists. Gibson pointed out that, although much of the church’s property is tax-exempt, the church is Clearwater’s largest taxpayer, adding $1 million per year to the city’s coffers.
The candidates also agreed that, although there’s no harm in exploring alternatives, Clearwater shouldn’t merge its police and fire departments with countywide agencies unless the merger could be guaranteed to substantially lower costs or improve service. Jonson noted that the sheriff already provides forensics and jail facilities for Clearwater.
Carothers said that he is running because he wants people to know that “in small business, it’s survival out there,” and businesses need support, not more regulations, from the city. He said that he is proud of Clearwater’s sports, culture and easy access to other places. He believes that the East Gateway neighborhood, where he grew up, needs to get rid of the soup kitchen, bring back bicycle patrols and attract retail businesses before it will improve. Instead of razing the defunct Harborview Center, he favors exploring new ways to turn it into a magnet that will bring people downtown. He opposes well drilling in Countryside and says that job creation would be his first priority.
Paige believes that Clearwater “has philosophically and ideologically lost its way,” but is proud of the city’s police department and “neighborhood cohesiveness.” To illustrate his belief that the city over-regulates its residents and merchants, he held up a slim copy of the U.S. Constitution alongside a two-inch-thick binder of rules that Clearwater residents must follow when remodeling a bathroom. He advocates more cops and more private enterprises to revitalize the East Gateway neighborhood. He believes the Harborview Center and main library were built in the wrong place, and the city needs to attract diversified businesses to downtown. Saying that “this is a time for shared sacrifice,” he would cut the City Council’s pay by ten percent and “right size” many city departments. He believes that Florida “doesn’t have a water shortage problem; we have a water distribution problem,” and advocates building water pipelines instead of high-speed rail lines.
Jonson says that he has “a passion for public service” and will focus on neighborhoods, businesses and the budget. He is proud of the neighborhoods and neighborhood associations and believes that high-tech and “knowledge-based” industries are needed. He feels that Coachman Park events could be used to entice people downtown and that the city needs to bring back its budget task force and have a “continuous improvement process” to monitor spending and make careful cuts. He says that drilling in Countryside is a complex matter that must be approached carefully.
Quintero believes that the people don’t have a voice in city government, although he is proud of Clearwater’s police and fire departments. He advocates stronger leadership and more fiscal responsibility. He feels that code enforcement and new businesses will allow the East Gateway neighborhood to revitalize itself. He believes the Harborview site should be sold to a private developer to create a downtown destination, and the money should be use to reduce the budget shortfall. He favors a better relationship between the city’s business community and government, and favors seawater desalination over more wells.
Riordion is proud of the history and people of Clearwater but believes that the city government is too litigious. He realizes that there is a water shortage but fears that further drilling will cause sinkholes. He opposes public/private partnerships and believes that cracking down on slumlords and cutting red tape will allow East Gateway to revitalize itself. He believes that “more accountability” is needed in city government and that City Hall should consult neighborhood associations before Penny for Pinellas funds are used to build structures that the city can’t afford to operate and maintain.
Gibson favors fiscal responsibility and says “it’s all about how you manage your fiscal resources in the next fiscal year and the years thereafter.” He is proud that Clearwater is “a clean, safe city” but believes that derelict properties need to be put pack on the tax rolls. He wants a one-stop homeless center - away from downtown - to help East Gateway, and efficiency studies of all city departments. While admitting that that the city administration isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to staying within the budget, he says it often get a bum rap. While not expressly endorsing drilling, he says that nobody will want a desalination plant in their back yard. He said that the city tries to be fair in allocating money among the neighborhoods.
