The Plant City Area Democrats hosted a public forum Thursday, July 21, for candidates running for District 6 County Commissioner and Clerk of Circuit Court. The forum, led by panelists Neal Chandler, Evelyn Davis and Henry Johnson, took place at the Glover School in Bealsville. Rev. Ricardo Coronado, of La Red Ministries, served as the event’s moderator.
Current District 6 County Commissioner Kevin Beckner went head to head with Pat Frank, the incumbent Clerk of the Circuit Court. Beckner faced term limits in the County Commission and is running for Frank’s spot, a position she’s held since 2004. The two are also running against Republican Eric Seidel.
Running to take Beckner’s place on the County Commission on the Democrat ticket are Pat Kemp, Brian Willis, the Rev. Tom Scott and John Dicks. The candidates are opposed by Jim Norman and Tim Schock.
Republican candidates for each of the offices were not part of the forum. The Plant City Times & Observer caught up with the Republican candidates the following week.
The candidates answered questions from panelists and attendees. Early voting begins Monday, Aug. 15, and Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Clerk of the Circuit Court Forum
Pat Frank, Incumbent
Q: Upon your election 12 years ago, what were the conditions of the office 12 years ago and what did you see as opportunities to improve inefficiencies?
A: When I became clerk, we have to realize that technology was just kicking in then…When I came in, I knew that we had to get up to speed because technology was going to be the wave of the future. So I said at the very beginning, ‘I’m going to start to do away with paper, and we’re going to get everything on computers.’ It was a frightening and awesome task to take on because the volume of work we have in this office…it’s humongous. I have digitized…54 million documents. That is an awesome task…so it’s very important to start doing that. We have done so much, but we have so much still to do.
Q: What are your plans for the office for the next four years? What do you specifically hope to improve and fix?
A: We have to continue to digitize documents so that we don’t have paper, and that requires what is called redaction. We cannot have all the information out for public view. There are certain things that have to be prohibited from public view…such as rape victims’ names, probate matters and Social Security and bank numbers.
The rest of it has to be done with eyes on. We are reviewing every document before its viewed to make sure that we aren’t exposing people that should not be exposed…So, this is very expensive and it’s very difficult. (I’ve got) to get the legislature to give us the funds to be able to do this job correctly. I have 50 electronic projects in motion right now. Last year, I received two statewide awards for the excellence of this office.
Q: Much has been made of the financial hits the clerk office has taken from state funding. What opportunities would be taken to replace those lost funds?
A: I’ve been on three telephone conference calls statewide about the budget this week. That’s what I’m working on. I’m trying to get the clerks together to give one message to the legislature. But we have a difficult situation. We have very small Clerks within our association, from very small counties where they may have only 10 employees. Their needs are different from ours. What is happening is, because the state keeps cutting our overall budget all the time, they keep coming to the large counties and expecting us to subsidize the small counties. That is not a good system, and we need to go back and revamp that. It’s going to be a challenge to get the legislature educated about this. As I said, this is a very complex office. It’s not a simple one to run.
Kevin Beckner
Q: Why are you running for Clerk of the Circuit Court?
A: I believe that the Clerk’s office needs new leadership. I believe that they need somebody that’s energized who works full time. But most importantly, I have spent…since April of 2015 going around and talking with different law firms, talking with different users of the systems and also talking with other Circuits out there. What I’ve found
is that, much of the technology–while we have made advances–there’s also a lot of things that we have not been able to do technology-wise that other Circuits are doing. So I think that there’s efficiency issues. I think there’s also a lack of representation of the legal system within the minority community and also the underserved communities…one of my beliefs that other Circuits have done is that (we) should start a self-help center, to make sure that everybody has equal access to the justice system. For 16 years, I’ve been a Certified Financial Planner…I am very well qualified to be your CFO, and I have a passion to improve the justice system and to improve our current system that we have now to make sure that it is not only cost-effective, but that every individual has equal access to that system. That’s what I’m committed to do, to bring the same passion that you have seen as a county commissioner to the clerk’s office.
Q: What is the condition of the office today? What would you like to see improved during your first term in office?
A: I’ve spent since last April not only talking with the users of the systems, but also talking with the people inside the system. I’ve interviewed 24 — over 24 — current and past employees. One of the larger issues that that office faces is an employee morale problem. I’ve been told by employees…that there’s a lot of misplacement of talent and that is the cause for some of the (inefficiencies) that’s being caused inside the office. First and foremost, anytime new leadership comes into an office, it’s very important that you have continuity of service. I will spend the first 12 to 18 months analyzing, working in the weeds with all of the employees and learning all of the different functions of the Clerk’s office to make sure that we are matching talent with where we have people in place. The most important part is that we have the right boots on the ground. Beyond that, it’s looking at the improvement of processes, looking at the continued expansion and improvement of technologies and making sure that we have the best resources that we possibly can.
Q: How do you see your past experience as a financial advisor being relevant to the execution of the position?
A: The duties of the Clerk is the Chief Financial Officer. They are responsible for every single dollar that’s coming through the County. They’re also responsible for performance audits…as well as the management of people’s investment portfolios. As a financial advisor…I’m very accustomed to and would be able to excel at doing that type of oversight. As your County Commissioner, I’ve been responsible for…the preparation of a $3 billion dollar-plus budget. Working with the government budgets, I’m very experienced.
Eric Seidel
Q: What do you hope to improve?
I hope to improve customer service. I was a consumer lawyer with FOX 13 for many years, and I've had a lot of people tell me they get frustrated when trying to do business with the clerk's office. They feel treated more like numbers than people. I think we should have a greeter at the door. I think it's very important to be treated as a customer. I also want to improve the website, and use videos to become more visual. The content on the website can be improved. Videos could show how to file a small claim, or how to file domestic violence injunctions and where
they go in the Clerk's office for that.
Q: What are your top three issues?
1. Helping consumers of the Clerk's office
2. Improving services for filing and providing legal documents
3. Improving the website with the use of videos and ease of access.
District 6 County Commissioner Candidates
Brian Willis
Q: What are the major elements of your transit plan for the County, and how would you propose we pay for it?
A: Transportation is critical. For 30 years, we’ve been kicking the can down the road. I’m putting out a plan that supports construction of a regional transportation grid. So often I’ve heard a transportation discussion that leaves out a large part of the County…that doesn’t do anything for Brandon, that doesn’t do anything for Plant City. I
think we need to change how we’ve been doing this. We need to be looking at a grid. We need to be looking at an interconnected grid so that no matter where you are, you have an option for how you move around the County. Some of those options might be different…but, we need to be meeting the different needs of each of our communities. We have been seeing decreasing revenues in the County for a long time…we cannot dig ourselves out of the transportation hole that we are in with the current budget. We can’t do it without cutting other critical programs. We need a transportation referendum to get passed. A sales tax referendum is the only option the legislature gives us to increase revenue. I’ve supported both the referendums that have happened in the past.
Q: County funding for parks and recreation was cut during the recession. Now that the county has come back, why can’t recreation centers like ours in Bealsville be reopened and staffed?
A: I believe that we need to, and I would fully support reopening and staffing them. I agree that we are coming out of a recessionary budget…but I believe that our parks and recreation centers, especially here in Bealsville — we paid for them with taxpayer dollars, so we need to staff them and open them up. We need to find the revenue in the
County budget to make that happen. It’s not happening because the current County Commission is not prioritizing public services. I would be a voice for you and a champion for you on the Commission to make that happen.
Q: Sustainability. What more should Hillsborough County do to create a sustainable environment for the next generation? Specifically, would you support a ban on fracking?
A: Yes, I absolutely would support a ban on fracking. The heart and soul of our community, the reason people come here and the reason people live here, is our beautiful waterways, our beaches and our natural environment. There’s so many people that try to present this choice as if we have to decide between our environment and the economy or our environment and jobs. I think that’s completely misguided. The fundamental reason we’re here…is because of our environment. We need to protect our water from pollution…we need to protect our natural environment. I think that’s incredibly important. It’s great to say that we’re going to be energy-friendly…but we need to look at practical steps we can take today.
Rev. Thomas Scott
Q: What are the major elements of your transit plan for the County, and how would you propose we pay for it?
A: I have 14 years of experience in fighting for transportation. I was on the County Commission. My three terms of chairman (of the County Commission), I led the board into discussions (on transportation)…I have a wealth of experience in regards to transportation. If you want to have a referendum, you’ve got to have four votes to place it on the ballot…I propose we use the (Medicaid) tax without a referendum and use that money to move forward transportation. That way we don’t have to raise the tax, we use an existing tax that’s already there.
Q: County funding for parks and recreation was cut during the recession. Now that the county has come back, why can’t recreation centers like ours in Bealsville be reopened and staffed?
A: When I was on the board up until 2006, we had exactly that. Recreation and parks was established and staffed, and you didn’t have to pay a fee. The Community Investment Tax (then) paid for a lot of facilities to be built, but it
didn’t pay for the operation of those facilities. You have a district commissioner, and you have three other at-large commissioners…you’ve got to learn how to work the system. Also talk to the three other people. They are in the budget cycle right now…they can restore the funding and the staffing of recreation. They have the money to do it.
Q: Sustainability. What more should Hillsborough County do to create a sustainable environment for the next generation? Specifically, would you support a ban on fracking?
A: I would support that (ban), which would go through the Environmental Protection Commission. Also, you can do incentives for solar housing…protecting our environment is so critical for protecting our future generations and protecting our children.
John Dicks
Q: What are the major elements of your transit plan for the County, and how would you propose we pay for it?
A: Transportation is probably one of the biggest issues of this election. It’s really crazy when you think that Hillsborough County is 1.3 million people, and yet we don’t have any effective mass transit system really operating, and our roads are crumbling. We’ve got congestion everywhere in the county. It’s almost a sin to think
you’ve got a 20 minute trip that turns into a one hour journey. These things can be solved if we start working together. But the problem is, on the County Commission, they’re not working together…it’s time we start bringing people together. That’s what I was effective doing as mayor, was bringing people together. With that said, we need four votes…if we can find those, we can make this thing happen. The most logical way…is through the sales tax. But again, the County Commission this time spent three years and several million dollars and never even allowed us to vote on it. All of that’s got to change.
Q: County funding for parks and recreation was cut during the recession. Now that the county has come back, why can’t recreation centers like ours in Bealsville be reopened and staffed?
A: Parks and Recreation is so important. I mean it’s important for adults, but the reality is that it’s really important for our kids. They need a place to go that’s safe where we know where they are. They can exercise, they can get strong, it helps them build their brains as well as their bodies. I was so upset when we had to cut that during the
recession…but it’s coming back. We need to go right back and fund those things. We’ve got enough money, we just need to allocate it correctly and bring that back.
Q: Sustainability. What more should Hillsborough County do to create a sustainable environment for the next generation? Specifically, would you support a ban on fracking?
A: I didn’t like fracking for two reasons. Number one, I didn’t like the concept of it. But number two, I particularly didn’t like the state legislature telling the cities what they can and cannot do. That gets done way too often. We can make our own decisions a lot better than what they can tell us. Regarding sustainability, I think it’s important…to lead by example. My family’s been involved in sustainable energy for years and years. I’ve been driving an electric car for five years. The issue is, you’ve got to lead by example.
Pat Kemp
Q: What are the major elements of your transit plan for the County, and how would you propose we pay for it?
A: The big question. We’re not going to solve it easily. We have a long way to go. I’ve been working on transit issues for decades…(we) need to be pushing a transit system here in this County. We need to extend our rail and look at our light rail. We need to really triple our bus service…and we really need to look at our land use.
Q: County funding for parks and recreation was cut during the recession. Now that the county has come back, why can’t recreation centers like ours in Bealsville be reopened and staffed?
A: I’m familiar with the situation in Bealsville, and I’ll tell you this: if you can have a wonderful building but not have the staff, what’s the point? I’ve looked at the libraries around town and the County controls the libraries. In the neighborhood that I live in, ad neighborhoods that are not the wealthiest neighborhoods, the library hours…are more limited. I think there should be a standard system. I think we need to be looking at that. This year, the County Commission had $100 million in excess funding that they hadn’t counted on, and they did not restore places like Bealsville. I think we definitely need to look at that before we even open new parks. We just need to have these resources well-used, because we already have the buildings in place.
Q: Sustainability. What more should Hillsborough County do to create a sustainable environment for the next
generation? Specifically, would you support a ban on fracking?
A: Yes, I support (the ban). I worked on conservation and environmental issues for three decades. I’ve been the conservation chair of the Sierra Club Executive Committee. I have the Sierra Club endorsement. One of the problems I’ve found with the transportation referendum is that it was too backwards looking. It was too focused on roads, rather than moving to transit, rather than looking at the environmental issues that we have…we can make a renewable future here, and we can do it by 2050.
Jim Norman
Q: What are the major elements of your transit plan for the County, and how do you propose we pay for it?
A: I do not want to raise taxes. We should demand to be at the table for the (Seminole) gaming compact. That's $3
billion in new money. Our citizens should get direct benefit. That money is being generated here, so we should get a piece of the pie. We should get $50 million annually…all of our money should not be taken out of our community and dumped in Tallahassee. That's $50 million each year for 20 years. We need to be at the table to receive our fair share. It's not pie in the sky. With our growth of ad valorem and this money … we should invest it in ports. When Cuba opens, we can then be competitive with that part of the market and seize on that opportunity to create jobs. This argument I'm making is jobs, jobs, jobs, with no taxes. I want to make the best investment to move
the most people.
Q: What are your top three issues?
1. Caring for military veterans and their families
2. Supporting youth
3. Providing a good quality of life for all citizens to raise a family.
Tim Schock
Q: What are the major elements of your transit plan for the County, and how do you propose we pay for it?
I believe we need to focus our initial efforts on four key areas.
(First), fix our roads and make them more efficient. That does not just mean widening those roads. It means installation of traffic management systems and traffic signal systems that adapt to what is actually happening on the road and making our existing roads safer and more efficient.
Modify our existing transit system to focus on delivering services based on how people move around the county and that they will actually use. Our transit system must include express service with limited stops from all parts of the County coupled with the ability to deliver the last mile of service.
Begin developing a 21st century transportation infrastructure. We need to begin laying the foundation for what transportation is going to look like in the next 25 years including autonomous vehicles, ride sharing (i.e. Uber and
Lyft), car sharing (i.e. ZipCar), and personalized transit options. Imagine the impact of providing services like this to our seniors and how it can improve our ability to move more freely. Instead of playing catch up to other communities around the country, we should leap frog them to build a truly transformational transportation system.
Implement land use policy that retains the diversity of our communities and neighborhoods including our rural areas. Make no mistake, our land use policy has a tremendous impact on the ability of our county government to provide not only transportation infrastructure but the services that we all need including public safety.
Q: What are your top three issues?
1. Serve with Honesty, Integrity and Principled Leadership
2. Develop effective and efficient transportation solutions
3. Promote economic empowerment for small businesses and entrepreneurs
4. Fiscal responsibility
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.