From: "Ken Kramer"
To: "Psych Opponents"
Subject: Clearwater - Did you vote today? Tuesday Jan 29, 2008?
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:24:16 -0400
Tell all your Clearwater friends to vote today for Frank Hibbard - mayor.
And if you dislike mental screening of children and are registered
Republican - vote for Ron Paul for president!
Mayor Frank Hibbard, shown near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
January 13, 2008 Sunday
HIBBARD HAS LED CITY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Clearwater voters expect city elections in March, but when they go to the
polls for the Jan. 29 presidential preference primary, they will find they
need to choose a mayor and make decisions on six city charter amendments.
Two of Clearwater's best-known politicians are facing off in the mayor's
race. Frank Hibbard, the current mayor, would like a second three-year term.
Rita Garvey, who was mayor from 1987 to 1999, is asking to return.
Hibbard, 40, served on the City Council from 2002 to 2005 and became mayor
in 2005 when no one filed to run against him. A married father of two
college-age children, Hibbard is a financial adviser and vice president at
an investment firm. He has lived in Clearwater 29 years.
Garvey, 62, was first elected in 1980 and served as a city commissioner
until being elected mayor in 1987. She volunteers as coordinator of the
bookstore at the Clearwater Main Library. A widow with three adult children,
Garvey has lived in Clearwater 38 years.
This is a pivotal election, offering Clearwater residents the choice of
looking to the future or returning to the past. Frank Hibbard has provided
vibrant, forward-looking leadership as mayor. Garvey's record as mayor was
mixed, and since she left office, she has not followed city business enough
to remain well informed.
The Times recommends that residents give Hibbard their vote.
Though he was young and had only three years in city government under his
belt when he became mayor, Hibbard had ambitions for Clearwater. He wanted
the stagnation that had plagued Clearwater during the '90s to end. He wanted
Clearwater Beach revitalized with modern amenities to support the city's
vital tourism industry. He wanted new people living in downtown to help
spark a renaissance there. He hoped to get neighborhoods some things they
needed, such as traffic calming.
Hibbard takes the job of mayor extremely seriously and spends many hours at
it, despite having another full-time job. While Garvey has always called
Clearwater a small town and approached the mayor's job from that folksy
perspective, Hibbard knows Clearwater is the second-largest city in the most
densely populated county in Florida, and therefore a place that needs
hands-on leadership. He has helped make Clearwater a player in the Tampa Bay
region.
Because of his leadership skills, he has been tapped for other roles,
including president of the Pinellas Mayors Council, chairman of the county
Metropolitan Planning Organization, and board member of the Florida League
of Mayors and the Tampa Bay Partnership. His skills and his interest in
solving traffic problems resulted in an appointment to the board of the
Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, a new group wrestling with how to
bring modern mass transit to west central Florida.
While Hibbard has been mayor, the city government has been stable and new
development has occurred. Condominium towers are under construction
downtown. New libraries are open downtown and in North Greenwood. Two
neighborhoods have new recreation centers. The Glen Oaks Park project was
completed to help divert stormwater that previously flooded homes and
streets. City officials finally won voters' approval for a boat slip project
at Coachman Park.
The first new hotel built on Clearwater Beach in 20 years was opened and
other hotel projects are in the pipeline. Beach Walk is already partially
built, and once finished, will provide a great public amenity for walkers,
skaters, bicyclists or those who just want to enjoy a meal at a sidewalk
cafe.
When he was first elected mayor, Hibbard could not have guessed that a bust
in the housing market, a faltering economy and state tax reform soon would
challenge officials at all levels of government. When it happened, the
Clearwater City Council was one of the first in Pinellas to implement
spending controls and propose cuts. The property tax rate was reduced almost
20 percent over the past two years.
While Hibbard has been grappling with the growing complexities of governing,
Garvey, by her own admission, has not been paying attention. Garvey says she
decided to run for mayor at the last minute when it appeared no one else
would challenge Hibbard.
It is important for voters to remember Garvey's last months in office. On
Nov. 5, 1998, Garvey was on her way to City Hall to preside over an
important meeting at which city commissioners would vote on a plan to build
a roundabout and massive fountain at the entrance to Clearwater Beach. She
crashed her car into a parked van, walked back home and had her husband
drive her to City Hall.
Two weeks later, police announced that she was being charged with leaving
the scene of an accident and driving under the influence. Tests placed her
blood alcohol level at 0.335, more than four times the level at which
Florida presumes drivers are impaired. Garvey announced that she was an
alcoholic - an admission that followed several months of unusual behavior by
Garvey at City Commission meetings.
Garvey lost her bid for re-election in March 1999 to Brian Aungst. She also
lost a campaign for a commission seat in 2001 - a year in which she now says
she relapsed and sought counseling again for her alcohol problem. It is not
clear how much Garvey drinks today.
Garvey's decision to run again has reopened public discussion about both her
alcoholism and her record as a city official. Some of those supporting
Garvey recall her tenure with nostalgia. In the role of small-town mayor,
she popped up at pot lucks, neighborhood meetings and ribbon cuttings.
Commissions on which she served built branch libraries, approved a new
bridge to Clearwater Beach, instituted a strict sign code and planted
flowers around town.
However, commissions on which Garvey served also created the costly
Harborview Center, approved new city office buildings that were too small
and whose construction was bungled, and ignored the decline of Clearwater
Beach until the tourist area became dilapidated.
Hibbard, on the other hand, is determined to preserve a high quality of life
for Clearwater residents - a determination reflected in the successes of his
first term - and he has several issues he wants to continue working on in a
second term. He is still trying to find a developer who will build a movie
theater in the city. He and other officials are meeting with landowners as
they continue the difficult task of finding affordable land for a parking
garage on Clearwater Beach. While there may be fewer city projects in the
years ahead, Hibbard believes his financial background will be useful as the
city tries to find creative ways to finance quality-of-life projects in a
tax-cutting era.
Hibbard has worked hard and accomplished much, and done it with dignity and
intelligence. He is a mayor for the future, not a mayor from the past.
The Times strongly recommends a vote for Frank Hibbard for mayor.
_____
573 signatures needed to make 25,000
http://www.petitiononline.com/TScreen/petition.html Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfU9puZQKBY
If you would rather not receive the latest news via this e-mail line, please
send a message to
records@psychsearch.net with "UNSUBSCRIBE ME" in the subject line.
To: "Psych Opponents"
Subject: Clearwater - Did you vote today? Tuesday Jan 29, 2008?
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:24:16 -0400
Tell all your Clearwater friends to vote today for Frank Hibbard - mayor.
And if you dislike mental screening of children and are registered
Republican - vote for Ron Paul for president!
Mayor Frank Hibbard, shown near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
January 13, 2008 Sunday
HIBBARD HAS LED CITY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Clearwater voters expect city elections in March, but when they go to the
polls for the Jan. 29 presidential preference primary, they will find they
need to choose a mayor and make decisions on six city charter amendments.
Two of Clearwater's best-known politicians are facing off in the mayor's
race. Frank Hibbard, the current mayor, would like a second three-year term.
Rita Garvey, who was mayor from 1987 to 1999, is asking to return.
Hibbard, 40, served on the City Council from 2002 to 2005 and became mayor
in 2005 when no one filed to run against him. A married father of two
college-age children, Hibbard is a financial adviser and vice president at
an investment firm. He has lived in Clearwater 29 years.
Garvey, 62, was first elected in 1980 and served as a city commissioner
until being elected mayor in 1987. She volunteers as coordinator of the
bookstore at the Clearwater Main Library. A widow with three adult children,
Garvey has lived in Clearwater 38 years.
This is a pivotal election, offering Clearwater residents the choice of
looking to the future or returning to the past. Frank Hibbard has provided
vibrant, forward-looking leadership as mayor. Garvey's record as mayor was
mixed, and since she left office, she has not followed city business enough
to remain well informed.
The Times recommends that residents give Hibbard their vote.
Though he was young and had only three years in city government under his
belt when he became mayor, Hibbard had ambitions for Clearwater. He wanted
the stagnation that had plagued Clearwater during the '90s to end. He wanted
Clearwater Beach revitalized with modern amenities to support the city's
vital tourism industry. He wanted new people living in downtown to help
spark a renaissance there. He hoped to get neighborhoods some things they
needed, such as traffic calming.
Hibbard takes the job of mayor extremely seriously and spends many hours at
it, despite having another full-time job. While Garvey has always called
Clearwater a small town and approached the mayor's job from that folksy
perspective, Hibbard knows Clearwater is the second-largest city in the most
densely populated county in Florida, and therefore a place that needs
hands-on leadership. He has helped make Clearwater a player in the Tampa Bay
region.
Because of his leadership skills, he has been tapped for other roles,
including president of the Pinellas Mayors Council, chairman of the county
Metropolitan Planning Organization, and board member of the Florida League
of Mayors and the Tampa Bay Partnership. His skills and his interest in
solving traffic problems resulted in an appointment to the board of the
Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, a new group wrestling with how to
bring modern mass transit to west central Florida.
While Hibbard has been mayor, the city government has been stable and new
development has occurred. Condominium towers are under construction
downtown. New libraries are open downtown and in North Greenwood. Two
neighborhoods have new recreation centers. The Glen Oaks Park project was
completed to help divert stormwater that previously flooded homes and
streets. City officials finally won voters' approval for a boat slip project
at Coachman Park.
The first new hotel built on Clearwater Beach in 20 years was opened and
other hotel projects are in the pipeline. Beach Walk is already partially
built, and once finished, will provide a great public amenity for walkers,
skaters, bicyclists or those who just want to enjoy a meal at a sidewalk
cafe.
When he was first elected mayor, Hibbard could not have guessed that a bust
in the housing market, a faltering economy and state tax reform soon would
challenge officials at all levels of government. When it happened, the
Clearwater City Council was one of the first in Pinellas to implement
spending controls and propose cuts. The property tax rate was reduced almost
20 percent over the past two years.
While Hibbard has been grappling with the growing complexities of governing,
Garvey, by her own admission, has not been paying attention. Garvey says she
decided to run for mayor at the last minute when it appeared no one else
would challenge Hibbard.
It is important for voters to remember Garvey's last months in office. On
Nov. 5, 1998, Garvey was on her way to City Hall to preside over an
important meeting at which city commissioners would vote on a plan to build
a roundabout and massive fountain at the entrance to Clearwater Beach. She
crashed her car into a parked van, walked back home and had her husband
drive her to City Hall.
Two weeks later, police announced that she was being charged with leaving
the scene of an accident and driving under the influence. Tests placed her
blood alcohol level at 0.335, more than four times the level at which
Florida presumes drivers are impaired. Garvey announced that she was an
alcoholic - an admission that followed several months of unusual behavior by
Garvey at City Commission meetings.
Garvey lost her bid for re-election in March 1999 to Brian Aungst. She also
lost a campaign for a commission seat in 2001 - a year in which she now says
she relapsed and sought counseling again for her alcohol problem. It is not
clear how much Garvey drinks today.
Garvey's decision to run again has reopened public discussion about both her
alcoholism and her record as a city official. Some of those supporting
Garvey recall her tenure with nostalgia. In the role of small-town mayor,
she popped up at pot lucks, neighborhood meetings and ribbon cuttings.
Commissions on which she served built branch libraries, approved a new
bridge to Clearwater Beach, instituted a strict sign code and planted
flowers around town.
However, commissions on which Garvey served also created the costly
Harborview Center, approved new city office buildings that were too small
and whose construction was bungled, and ignored the decline of Clearwater
Beach until the tourist area became dilapidated.
Hibbard, on the other hand, is determined to preserve a high quality of life
for Clearwater residents - a determination reflected in the successes of his
first term - and he has several issues he wants to continue working on in a
second term. He is still trying to find a developer who will build a movie
theater in the city. He and other officials are meeting with landowners as
they continue the difficult task of finding affordable land for a parking
garage on Clearwater Beach. While there may be fewer city projects in the
years ahead, Hibbard believes his financial background will be useful as the
city tries to find creative ways to finance quality-of-life projects in a
tax-cutting era.
Hibbard has worked hard and accomplished much, and done it with dignity and
intelligence. He is a mayor for the future, not a mayor from the past.
The Times strongly recommends a vote for Frank Hibbard for mayor.
_____
573 signatures needed to make 25,000
http://www.petitiononline.com/TScreen/petition.html Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfU9puZQKBY
If you would rather not receive the latest news via this e-mail line, please
send a message to
records@psychsearch.net with "UNSUBSCRIBE ME" in the subject line.
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