Mulhern gets the Iorio-Trib one-two punch
November 12, 2007 at 4:31 pm by Wayne GarciaTampa City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern has been leading an effort to expand the representation of the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission board (currently made up of only county commissioners) to include the cities as well. Two weeks ago, Mayor Pam Iorio attempted to short-circuit that effort by writing to local legislators and letting them know that she, not the City Council or Mulhern, speaks for the “City of Tampa” and that she doesn’t support messing around with the EPC.
And if Mayor Pam is against something, you know it won’t be long before the Tribune’s editorial page weighs in on Herroner’s side. So came the editorial this weekend,
Mulhern has responded and shared a copy of her letter to the Trib with PoHo. She raises several valid points overlooked by the Trib:
The recent conduct of the EPC board evidences the problems inherent in a regulatory board overseeing itself. With the board made up exclusively of County Commissioners, a conflict arises when the agency wishes to bring an action against the county.
Mulhern’s full response is posted after the break.
Regarding “Power Shift on Boards Will Bring Less Unity and More Backbiting” (Nov. 11)
Your editorial on two local bills submitted to the Hillsborough legislative delegation was strangely contradictory in examining the composition of countywide boards. The Tampa Tribune defends the inclusion of the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City on the Planning Commission and Sports Authority boards, yet denies the logic and fairness of city representation on the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) board.
All of our State enacted countywide boards have representation from the County Commission, and the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City – all except for the EPC. None of the other boards even has a majority of County Commissioners. My bill, sponsored by Representative Glorioso gives the County four seats, Tampa three seats, Plant City and Temple Terrace one seat each – a composition in line with the Planning Commission, Sports Authority, Public Transportation Commission, Metropolitan Planning Organization and Port Authority.
To say that I “…erred in starting this dustup” ignores the reality of Hillsborough County politics. Representative Ambler asked last year for more seats for the County on the Planning Commission and Sports Authority and promised to bring the bill back this year. Adding the EPC (with a County Commission majority) in no way disguises the Commission’s continued push for control of all boards.
The recent conduct of the EPC board evidences the problems inherent in a regulatory board overseeing itself. With the board made up exclusively of County Commissioners, a conflict arises when the agency wishes to bring an action against the county. Another reality is the undue influence that certain special interests exert over the County Commission representatives. A diverse board from all four government bodies — with no single entity having a dominating majority — would reduce the threat of special interests controlling the shared resources of the county and the three municipalities.
The EPC regulates air, water and noise pollution, not just wetlands. The cities are also home to the Hillsborough River, the coast of the bays, lakes, canals and creeks. Cities produce by far the largest proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. The global environmental crisis we face makes it imperative that we not delay any action that can better protect our resources and reduce our contribution to the looming hazards of climate change.
Hundreds of constituents are protesting the stewardship of the EPC board by the County Commission. Our state legislative delegation should heed the voices of Hillsborough County, Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City and vote for fair representation on the EPC board. My bill gives our state representatives the opportunity to stand up for a power share, and face down a power grab. This bill is about protecting the environment for our children and grandchildren, not protecting anyone’s political turf.
Mary Mulhern
(Full disclosure: Mulhern was the arts critics for Creative Loafing prior to her election earlier this year.)
