My Vision for Dunedin
January 2009

Good morning! Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to share with you why I should be re-elected to Seat #1 on the Dunedin City Commission.

Many of you here responded to my call for “PURSUING OUR VISION, BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE” when you joined me at my campaign Kick-off party. You also joined with other Dunedin residents several years ago to help craft a Vision Statement which told us that you want Dunedin to retain its unique, small town, coastal ambience. Implicit in that Vision is a commitment to the distinctive community that is Dunedin. What is that community? I contend, I believe, that it is more than the sum of our roads, water lines, lift stations and trash pickups. People in any community expect that of their local government. I believe our citizens see Dunedin as more special.

Our community is about neighborhoods which are the keystone of our community. That’s why I introduced the Neighborhood Enhancement Matching Grant Program shortly after joined the Commission. To date, approximately 15 neighborhoods have availed themselves of this opportunity to improve their appearance and a number of applications are under consideration by our Committee on Environmental Quality.

Our community is about sensitivity to our increasingly fragile environment. That is why I called for change in our City Charter to require a citizen referendum whenever the City wants to sell open space and green space which it owns. That is why I initiated the effort to obtain “Green Local Government” designation for the City and why I have pushed for promoting a culture of environmental sustainability. I also demanded Clean Marina status for our municipal marina and asked the City and Pinellas County to cooperate in getting our Causeway designated as a “linear waterfront park.” When economic conditions improve in the State of Florida, this designation should position us well to obtain State grants for improvements and beautification.

Our community is about smart development and innovative redevelopment. That’s why I called for a study of South Douglas Ave. when some property owners there expressed concern for what type of development might occur there. That led to our “corridor studies” of South Douglas and Patricia Avenues. The results of these studies will hopefully lead to the type of enhancements and redevelopment that our Vision Statement contemplates. Future studies are planned for Causeway Blvd. and Main Street between Alt. 19 and the water.

I believe smart development also means revising our Building Codes to give us the flexibility to deal with a Dunedin that has changed substantially since the current codes were adopted. This is underway.

Our community is about our youth. I have consistently supported structured programs and activities that will help our youth mature into responsible adults.

Our community is about our seniors. Besides supporting a broad spectrum of programs for our older adults, I pushed for a pilot transportation program which offers more flexibility and options to seniors than do the more traditional programs.

I also called for increasing the senior homestead exemption to the maximum amount under law.

These are just some just some of the ways I have tried hard to make good things happen for Dunedin. I believe we can continue to make good things happen even in the face of our current economic and financial crises.

You know, last week all of us became familiar with the term “bird strike.” Well, Dunedin’ budget has been hit by two “bird strikes.” The first bird strike was actually a triple one on our ad valorem tax revenues. These revenues continue to drop as a result of, first, legislative action in action in Tallahassee; second, a demand by our citizens for tax relief which was achieved by a statewide referendum; and, third, a dismal real estate market.

The second birdstrike is the economic condition of the State of Florida. As a result of this poor economy, we will be seeing a reduction in revenue sharing funds and in our share of the Penny for Pinellas.

How will we deal with these blows? Our City Manager and staff are currently working hard on how to bring the Commission a balanced budget when we may be facing another 15% reduction in ad valorem tax revenues. I can’t help but believe that some reshaping of our City government it is inevitable. But as we approach this, we must be strategic. I will insist on a budget that addresses the challenges we face in a strategic way, in a way that has the least negative impact on our level of services but at the same time positions us to continue making this community a better place to live. You know, in the law there is a saying that “easy cases can make bad law.” As we approach our budget, I say “easy solutions, simplistic solutions, may make bad policy.” Our challenge is to tackle these problems creatively and positively and in a way which servers all of our citizens.

Finally, we have been asked “What are the three biggest challenges facing Dunedin over the next several years? To borrow an expression from another profession: budget, budget, budget.

THE CITY’S TOP TEAM
November 2008

A few weeks ago we held a public meeting on a continuous sidewalk, pedestrian crossings and some other improvements to Causeway Blvd. Representing the City were the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager, the Public Works Director, and the Directors for Parks and Recreation and Planning and Development. I was impressed that the top leadership of the City was there and I know the residents in attendance very much appreciated it too.

Let’s take a look at our top team. By now, all of you are familiar with our not-so-new-anymore City Manager Rob DiSpirito. Who doesn’t know Harry Gross, who, during a career spanning over 30 years, came up through the City’s Leisure Services Department and is now our Assistant City Manager? Doug Hutchens from Public Works is another familiar face. He, like Harry, has made presentations here.

Two of the group I first mentioned are probably not so familiar to you: Vince Gizzi and Greg Rice. Each of them has been here less than a year. But they’ve hit the ground running in what is an increasingly challenging environment for local government. I’m excited about what they’ve already done and know that they are great additions to our team.

First the “Good News Department.” Vince says that how a lot of people refer to his Parks and Recreation Department (formerly Leisure Services).

Vince, who had extensive experience in the City of Fort Lauderdale where he had experience with baseball teams and stadiums and a variety of recreational programs, has initiated a number of changes since his arrival earlier this year.

· He’s reorganized his department to allow for a position for special projects. This position, which did not involve a new hire, is meant to deal with projects that can be time consuming and distracting for regular staff and thus allows them to focus more on the jobs they were hired to do;

· Through rearranging schedules in the Parks Dept., Vince implemented a 7-day work week which means, among other things, that the Causeway now has maintenance work 7 days a week;

· He’s implemented a plan to reduce costs for special events;

· Upgraded the maintenance strategy for St. Andrews Links;

· Was recently appointed a voting member to the Dunedin Country Club Board;

· With the local Kiwanis Club, is in the process of implementing a “Every Child a Swimmer” program;

· Working with Pinellas County on a Landscape Plan for the Dunedin Causeway;

· Seeking partners to help fund a sprayground at Highlander Park;

· Developed upgraded entry and interior park signage.

Greg came to us from Ashland Kentucky where he was Director of Planning and Community Development. Greg has brought his emphasis on customer service to the newly named Planning and Development Department. Working with Lael Gabiel, who came on board this past April as the development services project coordinator, Greg has developed a spreadsheet showing each stage of a development’s progress through the City’s process. That process involves dealing with five departments and part of Lael’s job is ensuring that the process runs as smoothly and seamlessly as possible for the Department’s customers.

Greg is also working to simplify the process. In addition to creating the position of project coordinator, Planning and Development has already implemented steps to ensure better front-end information to the customer; has created a customer service survey instrument; has set a goal of returning phone calls within 24 hours; and is redesigning the department’s offices with a view to improving the customer’s experience in the department.

Finally, Greg has begun to tackle a task that, over the past two or so years, the City Commission has been asking for: review our decades old codes and bring them in line with our City’s Vision. This significant project will involve public participation and consensus building and will emphasize what the community wants to see.

ON STEWARDSHIP

September 2006

It is a pleasant coincidence to share the program this morning with Rod Collman and hearing about the environmental friendliness of the new Community Center. It segues nicely into the theme of my City Report. My theme is stewardship.

Earlier this year the Commission approved a Cultural Plan for the City. One of the Goals of that plan is to preserve Dunedin’s unique sense of place and one of the findings supporting that Goal relates to stewardship.

It said Dunedin’s citizens and elected officials have inherited stewardship of this special community and quoted Jeannette Hale: “I hope our legacy will be to pass on to the next generation a sense of responsibility for this community.” Mrs. Hale was referring to stewardship.

Stewardship is a powerful word. Its specific meaning varies with the context in which it is used and, as an elected official of Dunedin, I consider stewardship to mean responsibility for taking good care of the resources entrusted to us. More specifically, I believe it means ensuring a livable community for our citizens now and for future generations, pursuing collaborative solutions to issues and problems in an era of tightening resources and providing for social inclusion.

Some of the Commission’s recent actions reflect this sense of stewardship. Just last night, the City Commission approved a recommendation of the Committee on Environmental Quality to begin the process to become certified as a “Green City.” This designation would mean that the City of Dunedin has committed itself to environmentally friendly practices. Not only would the City be conserving resources by employing these practices but, in the long run, it will be saving money for our citizens and taxpayers. This is an act of stewardship.

Efforts such as the LEED certification for the Community Center and our pursuit of “Green City” certification are but two examples of how Dunedin is trying to conserve resources while at the same time ensuring a livable community and saving money. This is stewardship.

These conservation efforts and respect for resources dovetail with other efforts at livability. Earlier this year, we undertook a review of our current development codes with the idea that we need to bring them into the twenty-first century. If you have watched recent City Commission meetings, it should be clear that our citizens have a different vision for our City than city planners had decades ago. Our citizens want our codes to reflect and encourage a livable, “human scale” community. They do not want high rises that are incompatible with our present community. As we look at our building and zoning codes, we should also consider requirements for environmentally friendly buildings such as new the Community Center. This is another demonstration of stewardship.

Still another example of stewardship of this special community is our concern for open space. This past March our citizens overwhelmingly approved a Commission initiated amendment to our City Charter which, in essence, preserves from future development all City-owned property designated as open space/recreation in our Comprehensive Plan. This includes parks and waterfront property, the marina and pocket parks along Santa Barbara, our world renowned Donald Ross golf course golf course at the Dunedin Country Club and the par-3 course at St. Andrew’s.

You are all aware of recent discussions about the Weaver Property on Bayshore Blvd. Because we will not be getting state funding, acquisition of that property seems unlikely. But I think it was important that the Commission was open to exploring the possibility of acquiring that property.

Another demonstration of stewardship was our response to citizens’ concern about our waterfront – we authorized a new park maintenance person for the Causeway, Edgewater Park and the pocket parks. For too many years, our residents living on and around the Causeway have complained about the poor maintenance of the Causeway. The Causeway is not only the entryway to Honeymoon Island State Park, it is also the “backyard,” so to speak, for thousands of our residents. Providing a high level of services applies to all of our neighborhoods.

The cost of this new position was offset by the Community Redevelopment Agency picking up the cost of the park maintenance person dedicated to the downtown core. This action freed up money in the Parks budget for the Causeway maintenance worker. I mention this because I think it is an example of how we can think smart and make our tax dollars work smarter. Our citizens expressed a concern about the “seedy” look of Edgewater Park, the pocket parks and the Causeway. By thinking creatively, we were able to provide for a higher level of service at our waterfront parks while keeping a tight rein on personnel costs

If we are to be good stewards, if we are to take good care of the community with which we have been entrusted, then we must be creative, and cost-effective, in responding to our citizens.

Earlier, I mentioned collaborative solutions to solving problems. Recreational facilities on the south side of town have been an identified need for a long time. Spearheaded by Commissioner Kynes, the City joined in an effort with the School Board, the City of Clearwater and several other entities to provide athletic fields for our youth at the new Middle School. This project has been recognized by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Authority as an outstanding example of multiple communities working together to meet an important need of those communities. This collaboration will be recognized at the upcoming conference of the National League of Cities.

Stewardship is a challenge not only to the City Commission. It is a responsibility shared by the many community service organizations represented here in the Dunedin Council of Organizations. We look forward to working with you in the stewardship of Dunedin’s very unique ambience.