Friday, September 30, 2016

The Kriseman Administration a crisis of incompetency – Part 2


Early in September of 2016 Kriseman instituted a policy forbidding employees to talk to the media, or they could be fired.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author:
In Search of Robin

See Part 1- The Kriseman Administration a crisis of incompetency

This is Part 2 of a three-part series focusing on the competency of St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and his Office of the Mayor.

I was an assistant director and manager of IT with the City of St. Petersburg for 28 years. During that period, I worked for City Managers and strong mayors. This experience gives me a unique perspective on how the top leadership of the City of St. Petersburg affects the staff, its openness and effectiveness.

Early in September of 2016 Kriseman made a policy change that had Kevin King's fingerprints all over it forbidding employees to talk to the media, or they could be fired.

 Kriseman quickly reversed his position when the media called him on it. See Tampa Bay Times Charlie Frago St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman reverses policy governing city workers who speak to the media.

The real question is: how could a political leader even consider something like this when they are touting transparency? Bay Post Internet Doc Webb January 15, 2015 Kriseman Administration and Transparency

Kriseman continued the blame game trying to deflect to Congressman Jolly and Governor Scott calling their involvement in the City's sewage crisis "politically motivated."

Not a lot of comfort for people living out by the North West treatment plant whose yards smell like a toilet.

Kriseman punted on the St. Pete sewage crises by dumping the Albert Whitted sewage plant reopening to City Council see saintpetersblog Anne Lindberg Decision to reopen Albert Whitted sewage plant up to city council, Rick Kriseman says

This is another Kriseman effort to move the spotlight from his Office of the Mayor and put City Council in the hot seat. If City Council is smart, they will take that baton and go get the need money from Kriseman's shiny pet projects starting with the Ferry.

A municipal government is not an easy thing to manage.

As a local government gets bigger, the problems grow exponentially. One of the real problems with the strong Mayor form of government is getting a political animal elected that puts his/her or her inexperienced political cronies in operating and policy positions, and the results are what we now have in St. Petersburg.

Kriseman was never much of a politician, and he is even less as a manager and leader.

His inner circle is unqualified organizationally inept, governmentally inexperienced and incapable of embracing the City government structural culture to the point they can tap its many resources and knowledgeable people.

It is one thing to want to change an organization's culture, it something entirely different and dangerous to denigrate and ignore that culture. That is what Mayor Kriseman, and his office of the Mayor have done.

King and Kirby are genuinely disliked and not trusted by people down in the City's organizational structure, and few if any employees trust the Mayor.

The one seemingly intelligent person on Kriseman's staff, Dr. Kanika Tomalin, has yet to be given the opportunity to shine.

Kriseman has created a management environment where the workers, supervisors and managers simply hang their leaders out to dry by staying silent out of fear for their jobs.

It all comes down to this. I was with the City in a senior management position for 23 years and the Police Department for an additional five years. During that time, I have no recollection of anyone with bad news requesting whistle blower protection from any administration either strong Mayor or during the City Manager form of government.

I had to deliver my share of really bad news, some of it very costly, and I never felt that my job was threatened.

There is a much bigger issue here than the recent sewage spill and the way the Kriseman team reacted.

Also on the burner are the Pier, the Uplands, a new police building and whatever project Kriseman can come up with the fix the aging water and wastewater infrastructure.

Given what has taken place over the last 2+ years, how can the City Council or the public trust, the Kriseman administration and anything they say about any of these projects?

How can you believe the Kriseman administration's reports when the staff wants whistle blower protection before they speak out?

Part 3 of this series will post on Sunday.

IF YOU WORK FOR THE CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES PLEASE BE SURE TO E-MAIL A LINK TO THIS ARTICLE TO THEM AND LIKE IT ON FACEBOOK.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like or share on Facebook.

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Disclosures:

Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Kriseman Administration a crisis of incompetency – Part 1


The seeds of incompetency were sown almost immediately upon Rick Kriseman's election.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author:
In Search of Robin

This Part 1 of a three-part series focusing on the competency of St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and his Office of the Mayor.

I was an assistant director and manager of IT with the City of St. Petersburg for 28 years. During that period, I worked for City Managers and strong mayors. This experience gives me a unique perspective on how the top leadership of the City of St. Petersburg affects the staff, its openness and effectiveness.

It would be easy for those of you new to the area to conclude that the Kriseman administration's problems dealing with St. Pete's latest sewage dump are the result of a single incident going out of control.

Not so.

The seeds of incompetency were sown almost immediately upon Rick Kriseman's election. His decision to develop a politically driven office of the mayor populated by his political cronies was an early indicator of problems to come.

In January of 2013, prior to his announcement to run for Mayor, I sat down with Rick Kriseman for a casual conversation. Bay Post Internet Doc Webb January 4, 2013  A Casual Conversation with Rick Kriseman

In that conversation I asked, "How would you govern differently than the current administration?” “The best leaders are those who recognize their shortcomings and surround themselves with people who compensate for those short comings," Rick replied.

When I asked, "What would you do differently than the current administration?” Kriseman replied, “I would have better communication with both staff and Council. It seems the staff has no firm direction. They don’t know where the City is headed,” Rick replied.

All it took was a successful election for Kriseman to forget his direction. But then the recent past has borne out the fact that mayors like to tell people what they want to hear.

Immediately following his election Kriseman moved to create his expensive office of the Mayor, which has bumbled and stumbled its way through the first 2+ years of his administration.

My question of the Mayor's approach did not seem to set well.

Bay Post Internet Doc Webb Sunday December 22, 2013 Kriseman and King - Will it work? Bay Post Internet Doc Webb December 27, 2013 A Not So Casual Conversation with Kevin King

More as the Kriseman team slowly disintegrates:
Bay Post Internet Doc Webb January 3, 2014 Kriseman - Keeping the Team Together

Bay Post Internet Doc Webb January 15, 2015 Kriseman Administration and Transparency


Bay Post Internet Doc Webb  June 16, 2015 Kriseman Administration continues to misfire

Kriseman blamed a "low level" employee calling her "essentially a clerk" for an inaccurate account of the sewage spill.

It turned out the employee was much more than a "clerk." From Tampa Bay Times Mark Puente, St. Petersburg sewage spill stories remain at odds. "On Monday, Craven Askew, the wastewater official who blew the whistle on previously hidden aspects of the city's sewage crisis, said the person in question was a high-ranking employee qualified to make the call.

He wrote that the "water reclaim plant operation specialist" is a technical position, not a "clerk."

Kriseman then tried to blame an unnamed person contending someone told him the person was a clerk.

Who Ben Kirby or Kevin King?

Kriseman's treatment of this employee and his blatant attempt to cast the blame are demoralizing to all City employees.

Kriseman/King and Kirby's total disrespect for city employees from the professional staff to those out on the street serving you is poisoning what once was an outstanding public service organization.

IF YOU WORK FOR THE CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES PLEASE BE SURE TO E-MAIL A LINK TO THIS ARTICLE TO THEM AND LIKE IT ON FACEBOOK.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like or share on Facebook.

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Monday, September 26, 2016

Kriseman in a scramble needs to stop looking for a scape goat.

Rick Baker responds to the Kriseman blame game.

St. Petersburg Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin
The hallmark of the Kriseman administration has been not taking responsibility for anything negative. The level of spin and denial that consistently comes from the Mayor’s office has eroded almost all public confidence in the Mayor and his inner circle.
The Kriseman spin and blame cycle has been in effect since the day he took office.
The impact of this approach to governing was emphasized during the most-recent  sewage spill when a member of Kriseman’s City staff requested whistle blower protection to make sure he did not become the victim for revealing a report the Kriseman administration should have known about.
Just the fact he felt compelled to seek protection tells you reams about the comportment of the Mayor’s Office.
Kriseman in a desperate effort to deflect, started blaming everyone he could think of: former Mayors Rick Baker and Bill Foster, he suspended his Public Works Administrator and Engineering Director.
Now former Mayor Rick Baker has responded. From the Tampa Bay Times by Rick Baker, special to the Times Baker: Water, sewers are basic, constant city concerns.
Kriseman and his dream team like things shiny, they can brag about in Ben Kirby’s slick blogs and moderately professional U-Tube videos.
There is nothing blingy about sewer pipes, expensive waste water projects and sewage plants therefore, little interest from the Mayor’s office.
Couple that with a strong tendency against openness and transparency and we have a crisis of infrastructure and confidence.
There are a lot of people in the various city departments that want to help solve these problems. The issue is it seems they don’t trust the Kriseman administration and the Mayor’s office, and regardless of their platitudes, the Mayor’s office does not respect the staff.
The simplest method to deal with an administration that shoots the messenger is to not say anything.
Or perhaps more to the point the old adage: don’t try to save them from themselves, they don’t appreciate it.
Until Rick Kriseman and his dream team figure this out, all the city’s major projects, The Pier, the uplands, the Police station, the Rays, the purity of Tampa Bay and the public’s health and safety are all at risk.
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Sunday, September 25, 2016

The for-profit college debacle are state colleges any better?

It is time the US Department of Education look at State run colleges and universities. 


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

The federal government through the US Department of Education has done an excellent job of ferreting out abuse and fraud in the for-profit college business.

There have been a number of these colleges, including Corinthian, and most recently, ITT Tech completely shut down.


The main concern was the intensive marketing efforts at those eligible for college loans and especially veterans.

There were many questions regarding the quality of the education the value of the degrees and certificates.

US Senator has Dick Durbin has led the charge looking into the for-profit college sector.

"The continued upheaval in the wake of Corinthian’s collapse is a long overdue reckoning for an industry that profits off of students while sticking them with a worthless degree and insurmountable debt," Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said in a written statement.

For some additional insight check out the article in Higher Ed by Paul Fain Vanishing Profit, and Campuses.

Here is a List of For-Profit Universities and colleges Wikipedia which includes a list of those for profits that have closed.

It is time the US Department of Education look at State run colleges and universities.

The massive influx of money from student loans has allowed tuitions at state run colleges and universities to soar to astronomical levels. It is not hard to believe that some of these same aggressive and misleading marketing tactics are at play in major public colleges and universities.

Along with all this money has come over bloated salaries for professors and administrators, growing numbers of departments and degrees, which produce graduates with no marketable degrees or skills and massive student debt.

Nothing corrupts an educational institution, whether for- profit or nonprofit faster than a big infusion of easy money. State college campuses have become more palatial than practical. One only has to drive out I4 and look at Florida Poly tech to see the effect and expectation of big money from student loans.

It is time to look at the same issues: marketing techniques, job promises, student-loan marketing, placement and job results and make sure state run institutions are not just as guilty as the for-profits at running up student debt.

A degree fine art with an emphasis on cracked pottery that takes a student six years to earn and results in a $125,000 in student debt is not a career benefit. It is a millstone he or she will carry around their neck for a good part of their life.

Student loans are too easy to get; colleges are too quick to push them, too eager to let students extend times to complete degrees (more money from student loans) and provide little or no counseling regarding the after graduation effects of these heavy debt loads.

New criteria for student loans need to be established based on the earning potential of the degree being sought. Degrees with a low market value should qualify for no or much lower student-loan  access.

There are a lot of 24 year olds and up college graduates living with their parents because they cannot get a job that will pay their student loans and any reasonable living expenses.

I for one would like to see all current college loans paid off to the loan holders, the leeches that mortgaged a generation of college students, at ten cents on the dollar and the entire current student loan program stopped or highly modified.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like or share on Facebook.

See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff , Patrick Murphy for US Senate, Charlie Crist for Congress

Saturday, September 24, 2016

St. Pete sewage scandal – mayor takes cue from Duke Energy, seeks state bailout

At a meeting of the Pinellas County Legislative Delegation on Tuesday, St. Pete mayor Rick Kriseman claimed that he and “his top aides” didn’t know about a crucial 2014 sewage consultant’s report until last week. Yet somehow the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) knew about the report, and disclosed at the delegation meeting that they had received the report from the city a year ago.
Kriseman at a ribbon cutting.
It was not at a sewage plant.
Kriseman said he intends to seek “state and federal assistance” to bring the sewer system up to standard. Seasoned lawmakers the Guardian spoke to said that means handouts, not loans.
Kriseman seems to be exercising the “Duclear Option”, so named after Duke Energy’s reach into taxpayer pockets to cover the costs of its own incompetence. Sewage and stormwater infrastructure are normally pipe for through a line item charge on the monthly bills of the utility’s customers. The relevant charge is actually the stormwater charge, currently $6.85 per month. More on why stormwater is the relevant charge later in this article.
Kriseman also indicated that he is lawyering up by ordering an investigation into the whole affair. However, before the investigation even got underway, Kriseman appeared to have found the culprits when he the next day put two top city employees on unpaid leave. Placing city employees on unpaid leave without an official finding of fault is a risky move even during the best of times. And these are not the best of times for Kriseman.
Any city investigation would likely be done by an outside law firm, no doubt one that would be picked by the mayor and city council. The opportunities for blame shifting and scapegoating would be great under such a scenario.
Governor Rick Scott appeared today to be displeased with Kriseman’s investigatory ideas and ordered the DEP to conduct its own investigation. In an official statement, Kriseman claimed that the governor’s actions were politically motivated.
Kriseman is a Democrat, Scott is a Republican, but the mayoral election is non-partisan as per sec. 3.02 of the city charter.
david_jolly_220Meanwhile, congressman David Jolly called for a federal investigation into the whole smelly affair by the EPA. Kriseman has yet to say whether he believes that is also politically motivated, given that Jolly is a Republican.
The problem is not insufficient sewage treatment capacity per se. The problem is infiltration of water into the sewer system during heavy rains. The infiltration can occur for many reasons, but according to St. Pete Public Works Administrator Claude Tanskersley, half of the problem may lie with the aging sewer laterals that connect a building to the utility’s sewer system. Kriseman specifically called for a rebate program to assist homeowners in replacing aging sewer laterals, a procedure that can cost thousands of dollars.
Wengay Newton.
Wengay Newton
Back to yesterday’s meeting: former St. Pete city council member Wengay Newton may have given opponents of Penny for Pinellas (PFP) some great ammunition with which to kill it. In his comments, Newton twice said that PFP funds earmarked for sewers had been “diverted” to other uses by the city.
If the controls are this lax after 30 years of PFP, are they likely to get any better should the voters reauthorize the tax for another 10 years? PFP is slated to be on the ballot countywide next year.
Newton termed out from council this year and is almost certain to be the next state representative for house district 70. However, Newton told the Guardian that he is “not taking anything for granted.” Newton made sure that the audience and the delegation knew that he voted “no” on closing the Albert Whitted sewage plant, a closing that seems to be the cause of all the troubles.
Even if an investigation finds that Kriseman, his top staff and council weren’t given the relevant information, the scandal highlights the importance of oversight by elected officials. To overlook is not the same as to oversee.
As always, the Guardian reports and the readers decide.
Cross Posted with permission from Tampa Bay Guardian

Friday, September 23, 2016

The Jolly/Crist Debate My Most interesting Moment


The more interesting moment was the exchange between Jolly and Crist regarding the current sewage mess in St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

You can catch up on the debate between David Jolly and Charlie Crist pros, cons and moderator critiques in the Tampa Bay Times and on a number of Blogs.

I'll leave the election politics to them with the comment: I thought Governor Christ did an exceptional job. (You will note below: I am a contributor to the Crist campaign.)

To me, the more interesting moment was the exchange between Jolly and Crist regarding the current sewage mess in St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay.

When pressed by Crist as to why he (Jolly) had not done anything or attempted to get federal support for St. Petersburg Representative Jolly simply replied because your Mayor, (Rick Kriseman) has not asked for anything.

I had been pretty much snoozing my way through the debate up to that point.

What?

Could it be true that through all of this sewage dumping mess with waste swilling back and forth in Tampa Bay with the tides, Kriseman had never asked Jolly for some help navigating the federal bureaucracy?

I expected a torrent of Facebook Posts, Tweets and lists of emails from the Kriseman administration showing all they were doing to secure federal help for a mess it will take all the help that we can get to clean up.

Nothing!

Could it be that Kriseman is so politically partisan that he would not stoop to call David Jolly and ask for his help?

 Is Jolly so crass he would not call the St. Pete Mayor and offer this assistance?

To me, this is a classic example of why Kriseman was so ineffective in the Florida Legislature. He has never learned how the business of government works.

Kriseman knows how to push selection committees made up of citizens around but has no clue as to how to use the political process and bureaucracy of the state and federal governments to his advantage.

Jolly on the other hand, seems so caught up in his passionate desire to "change the political process" that he would not aggressively make every effort to help his constituency regardless of politics when they desperately need it.

It appears to me neither is fit to hold office.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like or share on Facebook.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

The Budget Shell Game In the Twilight Zone at County Center

Tampa, Fl
Posted by: Sharon Calvert
Cross Posted with permission from: 
Eye On Tampa Bay

Did the taxpayers of Hillsborough County once again get the wool pulled over our eyes?
We posted here about Commissioner Higginbotham's transportation funding plan that passed on September 8th. It drastically reduced the amount of money going to fund our neglected roads and transportation needs over the next 10 years from what Commissioner Murman's proposal would have funded.

What occurred:
As part of Higginbotham's transportation funding plan, $35 million would go to transportation in FY2017. 

How is the county funding the new $35 million of transportation funding? 
With $14.1 million of reprioritized DEBT and only $10.6 million from new revenues.

And while the county is funding transportation with new debt, they are syphoning off $10 million of our new revenues to fund an untested $30 million impact fee buyback scheme that benefits developers.

And we've gone through ANOTHER budget cycle where the commissioners have refused to appropriate the $23 million BP oil spill settlement money that has no restrictions on its use. It should be going to our greatest funding gap and need - transportation!

And County Center thinks we're supposed to break out into a happy dance?

How did it occur?

First, Higginbotham would not have proposed $35 million go to transportation in FY2017 if he had not already discussed his plan with County Administrator Mike Merrill. The specifics for how the $35 million would be funded was not disclosed when the plan was discussed at the September 8th BOCC meeting or at the budget public hearing that same evening. 

Higginbotham's plan initially included mobility fees as a funding source. Luckily, Commissioners Beckner and Murman stopped that funding shell game by removing

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Kriseman - Covering it up almost as fast as he is dumping it into the Bay

If you're a visiting tourist do your swimming at the pool, and you might want to steer clear of the local shellfish for a while.


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

If you have been following the local news lately, you are probably keenly aware of the amount of crap dumped into Tampa Bay most notably by the City of St. Petersburg.

For an overview check out Charlie Frago Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer: St. Petersburg's 'black cloud' of sewage woes grows by 58 million gallons.

If you want more information just go to the Tampa Bay Times website and put "sewage" in the search box and read on.

The amount of crap dumped into Tampa Bay seems to pale in comparison to the amount of crap coming from the Kriseman administration about when, where, why and how much sewage was actually dumped into the Bay.

If you buy the argument, they do not know how much I have a large bridge just south of St. Pete, I would like to sell you.

Kriseman and his team have always had a transparency problem when it comes to bad news.

Weak arguments about the "quality" of the sewage running across 22nd Avenue North are just plain stupid.

Kriseman says the water is safe to swim in how about his honor and the Chief of staff put on some bathing suits and go for a swim at Lassing Park. A real head in the water not just wading around.

Kriseman says he believes his scientists. I suspect that's true, as long as they tell him what he wants to hear.

If you're a visiting tourist do your swimming in the pool, and you might want to steer clear of the local shellfish for a while.

Since the problem is really County wide, the County Commission is starting a task force. Check out Tracey McManus Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer's article: In wake of sewage dump, Pinellas County Commission agrees to form task force.

The makeup of this task force should be interesting.

My bet is it will be populated with a group of choice elected officials, including most of the familiar faces we have seen on these task forces, who, by the way, are the ones, who should have been working with this problem all along.

Ken Welch would be a likely chair.

These task forces rarely accomplish much other than delaying the fix.

Look for studies, consultants, engineering contracts, more consultants, reams of reports nobody understands and some fascinating turf wars between jurisdictions along with a lot of wasted time and money.

Should we get another storm, more flooding and sewage dumping, the meetings will be a finger-pointing episode that rivals the Keystone Cops.

If you live out along 22nd Avenue North in St. Pete, you might want to get your own water test kit so when there is another flood of water running down your street from the Northwest Treatment plant you can get the real story about what is in that water.

 You can find them on Amazon.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like or share on Facebook.

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Disclosures:

Friday, September 16, 2016

President for everyone?


Don't Clinton's "deplorables" deserve a political voice?


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

Hillary Clinton’s recent comments about the basket of deplorables have created a fire storm. Obviously fodder for the Trump campaign, the real question is did these statements represent a deep held view of the Democratic nominee about certain groups in our society.

There are really two distinct issues here.

First is the people who actually fall within the groups delineated by Clinton and second, those who may empathize with one of these groups.

In the first case, it is easy to understand those who would be offended. In the second group, the population may be significantly larger because as a society, we have become much more liberal in our thinking.

Some are passing this incident off as Clinton pandering to her high-roller  base, but I would offer a slightly different case given the events immediately following the “basket of deplorables” comments.

It is a reasonable assumption, based upon the Sunday incident; Clinton was already tired and possibly not feeling well.

When I am tired, exhausted or not feeling well I have a tendency to be a little short and simply say what I feel without a lot of forethought. Perhaps we got an inside look at how Hillary views those she would cast as deplorable.

Trump has been severely criticized for his early comments about Muslims and illegal immigrants, but his comments were directed at our ongoing security issues, while Clinton’s comments single out specific groups as somehow unfit for political consideration.

Last time I checked it was our diversity that makes us the country that we are and those wishing to lead us from the highest office in the land should be willing to accept us as we are.

Fitness for the presidency includes an appreciation for all of us.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like or share on Facebook.

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Disclosures:                     

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Governance is the Pinellas County School Board's Biggest Problem

It is time for term limits for school board members. 

St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin
  
The Pinellas County School Board was back in the news this recently. Here are a couple of interesting articles.


Colleen Wright, Tampa Bay Times Staff writer: Pinellas school district faces another discrimination complaint.

From the Pinellas County School Board District Bylaws and Polices Manual

0144
Term


(1)  Members are elected for a term of four (4) years.



(2)  Board members shall be elected at the general election in November for staggered terms of four (4) years arranged so that, of seven (7) members, four (4) members shall be elected at one general election and three (3) members shall be elected at the ensuring general election.



(3)  The term of office shall begin on the third Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the year in which the member is elected.



F.S. 1001.35, 1001.371

Adopted 12/9/09; Revised 7/26/11

If you're not sure who the elected members of the Pinellas County School Board are here is a list from the Pinellas County School Board Web site.  You can click the link for more info.

Carol J. Cook was elected to the School Board in 2000 and re-elected in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Mrs. Cook served as Vice Chairperson of the Board in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2009-10, and 2011-12. As Chairperson of the School Board, Mrs. Cook served in 2005-06, 2010-11, 2012-13 and 2013-14 school year.

Linda S. Lerner, was elected to the School Board in 1990, re-elected in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010; and, served as Chairman, 2002-03 and 2014, and Vice Chairman in 1997-98.

Janet R. Clark was first elected to the School Board in 2004 and re-elected in 2008 and 2012. Ms. Clark served as Vice Chairperson in 2008-09 and Chairperson, 2009-10.

Rene Flowers was elected to the School Board on November 6th, 2012, to complete the term of deceased School Board Member Lew Williams

Terry Krassner, Vice Chairperson, was elected to the School Board in November 2010 and re-elected in 2014. 

Peggy O’Shea, Chairperson, was elected to the school board in 2006 and re-elected in 2010; and, served as Vice Chairperson, 2007-08, Chairperson, 2008-09 and Vice-Chairperson in 2014.

Dr. Ken Peluso was elected to the School Board in 2014.

There are no term limits for those elected to the Pinellas County School Board.

The old saying, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" seems to apply here.

I have come to believe that the blaming teachers for failed students and teachers and the school board blaming parents for failing students while making no overt attempts to deal with these issues and the people causing the problems in new and practical ways is the real reason for our failing schools.

Governance is the real problem in the Pinellas County School district. Yet we re-elect the same people who caused the problems and expect different results.

It is time for term limits for school board members. We need to force new blood and new thinking into the leadership of the Pinellas County school district.

Do not give me the old governance continuity argument. Look around. How has that worked out for our students?

We can start now by voting out the incumbents and demanding a change in the governance of the Pinellas County School system starting with setting up enforceable term limits.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to Like or share on Facebook.

See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.

Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff

Friday, September 2, 2016

The Republican base is really screwed up

Why would you want to put Rubio back in the Senate where he will spend his entire time running for president?


St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin

For the life of me, I cannot understand why Republican primary voters would overwhelmingly vote for Marco Rubio for a second term.

I'll give you that his opponent Carlos Beruff, whom I supported, was a shaky option but to give Rubio such a margin shows me the Republican establishment is completely out of touch with reality.

Rubio who has the worst voting record in Senate, announced he would likely not serve out his term if re-elected and changes his position about as often as he changes his socks.

Six years ago on April 22, 2010, I Posted Republicans Should Be Cautious.

Why would you want to put Rubio back in the Senate where he will spend his entire time running for president?

Rubio's position on every issue will be: how does this affect my run for the presidency and not what can I do for the American people or Florida?

Rubio will tip toe around Donald Trump trying to pick up all the money and votes he can without really jumping on the Trump bandwagon.

Rubio's challenger for the Senate seat is Democrat  who comes with an exceptional load of baggage that I am sure the Rubio team can exploit.

Murphy is accused of questionable campaign contributions and padding his resume.

Just about, everyone agrees this will be a very nasty Senate race with lots of outside money flowing to both sides.

This race is shaping up to be the lesser of two evils.

If you follow my blog, you will note I have never been a fan of Marco Rubio. I think he is a self-centered opportunist and that actual public service is way down on his list of priorities.

In all good conscience, I cannot vote to set up a four or six-year presidential campaign funded by the taxpayers so Rubio can have a chance at the presidency.

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Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff