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Council candidate files complaint over residency issue
But Mary Brennan said major renovations keeps her historic 1910 home in unlivable condition
By THOMAS MICHALSKI
Article published on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 |
PINELLAS PARK – One City Council candidate has charged another with not being a resident of the city and therefore unable to run for public office.
Randy Heine, who is running for the seat being vacated in March 2008 by Councilwoman Patricia Bailey-Snook, claims that Mary M. Brennan, seeking the same position, does not reside in the city.
In a letter to Diane M. Corna, city clerk, Heine said that Brennan “might not physically live” in Pinellas Park.
Heine charges that while Brennan uses 5827 72nd Ave. in Pinellas Park as her address, she actually lives in Largo with her sister.
Brennan admitted that she has lived with her sister for the past four years while her Pinellas Park home is undergoing major renovations.
“My home is historic,” Brennan said. “It was built in 1910 and is undergoing extensive work.”
Constructed by the sons of a pioneering religious leader who founded the Good Samaritan Church that still exists today, Brennan said she expects to move back into the home in January.
Heine feels that Brennan should not be allowed to run for local office. Others seeking Bailey-Snook’s seat include Jerry Mullins, Patricia Johnson and Edward Kosinski.
Bailey-Snook earlier this week endorsed Brennan.
”It is time for me to go,” Bailey-Snook said, “and I will leave the city knowing that the person whom I endorse will pick up where I left off.”
Bailey-Snook said as mayor she met Brennan when she was a journalist covering city government. Brennan later became Bailey-Snook’s legislative aide in Tallahassee.
“Mary has a lot of knowledge and would do well as a councilwoman,” Bailey-Snook said.
Marshall Cook is running against incumbent Councilman Rick Butler and Janet Macumber is running against Mayor Bill Mischler.
Brennan, a former journalist who once covered the city for the St. Petersburg Times and was publisher of the now-defunct Pinellas Park Press, currently is a marketing and public relations consultant.
Beginning in 1990, she served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives and was instrumental in passing 26 bills in the areas of aging, child care, mental health, economic development, education, welfare and nursing home reform.
Brennan says her platform includes working with the residents and business community to maintain quality and availability to city services. She also encourages more environmentally-friendly city policies that includes recycled materials collections and use of solar energy.
Brennan said the finances of the city will be a major issue during the next year because of the state legislature’s tax reform and other proposed initiatives that are expected to cut municipal revenues even further.
“As the city moves through the year,” Brennan said, “city programs and services will need to be closely examined as revenue streams decrease and expenses like gasoline and insurance continues to rise.”
Brennan said her experience on the city’s budget advisory committee and as a state representative where she spent six years on the appropriations committee will help her make the right decisions for the city.
“Next year the council will need to face difficult decisions as it strives to balance the budget and provide property tax relief for home and business owners,” Brennan said.
Brennan, like most other candidates, has pledged a “positive and upbeat” campaign while focusing on issues rather than mud slinging.
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Article published on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007
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