Recent reports may suggest that Tampa City Hall is on fire. The mayor of the war, city council, and Rogue administrators run Amok, and a culture of secrets and incompetence protects the city’s future.
From my chair, it seems to be exaggerated. Certainly, Mayor Jane Custer and the seven-member council have some major policy differences. Most elected leaders have strong personalities, so it’s not surprising to see politicians clash publicly. The caster has been praised for two years, and the potential candidate is making a fuss to take over her. Other dynamics also work, from growth pressures to the composition of urban bureaucracy. But the idea that city hall is dysfunctional is something I wouldn’t buy. Here it is important to separate the real conflict from the drama.
The council was held last week at a special session to address the caster’s recent demands that the committee be more polite and “respect for urban staff” and showcase the era. The mayor’s letter comes from several clashes between council members and managers who increased wattages at city hall and pushed regular give-and-takes between separate branches of the government into daytime soap.
Let me give you an example. South Howard’s Flood Relief Project is a controversial plan to help critics outcome slightly and more stormwater runoff than they say is highly destructive. Councillor Bill Carlson calls the project the most divisive thing he’s ever seen. He accused bystander managers of denounced residents’ management and misleading them about better, cheaper alternatives. Many companies in South Howard agree.
This isn’t a stupid nausea between councillors and mayors, but it’s a serious difference in opinion about expensive projects that disrupt the daily lives of hundreds of local residents and employees. It is understandable that this argument is appropriate for it to unfold in public, and that feelings about the plan may be raw.
Here you are responsible for improving the relationship. Council members who require Casters to recognize that the Slow Slow Walks’ demands are clear, that is what a strong form of government mayor would do. They lead by promoting their agenda rather than others’ agenda. This is the privilege of an elected CEO. Don’t like it? You then either change the city’s charter or run for the mayor yourself.
The mayoral administration, who frequently works behind the scenes, should stop boasting about transparency. Stopping yourself like it’s transparent will become a disposable line that infuriates critics, and ultimately works to deny the interests of doubt in the administration. Instead of having her Chief of Staff perform the interference, the mayor was able to restore some territory by further involvement of the council. The mayor’s greatest power is their very existence.
He featured Tampa mayors and councils since the 1990s, when Dick Greco returned to his third tour. If anything, Tampa mayors and councils have been very well-known for many years, sharing common interests and showing mutual respect.
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Part of the blame appears to be another growing pain in a growing region. Tampa has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Growth, public debt, urban density, traffic congestion and other signs of age are at the expense. Council members are conduits for residents’ concerns, so it’s no surprise that more conflict will bubble up as neighborhoods demand better services and compete for limited resources.
Let me give you some suggestions. The administration needs to better manage permits. It also requires many road and utility projects that will irritate the daily lives of businesses and residents. It also needs to improve the quality of council renewals. Councils are often pointless and therefore rude. Councils can improve image and workflow by better communicating city staff’s requests. Members must also stop talking to each other. And someone corks the council’s lawyer.
This tiff for this decoration has nothing to do with me. On the contrary, it shows that the mayor and council are interested in their work relationships and public perception of the Tampa city government. To that end, Council Chairman Guido Maniscalco has some wise suggestions to move forward. That sounds like a good time.
