The Political Whore

Today is investiture day for county commissioners on both sides of Tampa Bay. The contrast between what these new additions to the county boards means is stark.

In Tampa, where the Hillsborough County government has veered irresponsibly to the right over the past decade, the election of one man is going to make a huge difference. Kevin Beckner beat Brian Blair, who had formed a bloc with commissioners Ken Hagan and Jim Norman, often picking up votes from Democrat Kevin White and GOP colleague Al Higginbotham to approve pro-business, pro-development and anti-tolerance measures. Already, however, that power seems to have shifted, if only on certain issues. Beckner would vote with commissioners White, Rose Ferlita and Mark Sharpe to put a sales tax increase for rail transit on the ballot in 2010, a progressive move sought by Mayor Pam Iorio that the conservative bloc on the board fought against for years.

The new additions to the centrist Pinellas County Commission move that board further to the right, with one bringing a strong fiscal conservative bent (Neil Brickfield) and the other bringing social conservative credentials (Nancy Bostock). Don’t expect to see the Pinellas board ever become as intolerant or destructive as the 1996-2008 Hillsborough boards were, but an inexorable shift toward less government is definitely in the cards.

Investiture details after the jump.

Hillsborough:

Hillsborough County will hold its investiture ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 9 a.m. to administer the oath of office to Commissioner-elect Kevin Beckner and newly re-elected Commissioners Ken Hagan and Al Higginbotham. The ceremony will be held in the 2nd Floor Boardroom, County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., downtown Tampa. A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony. The public is invited.

Pinellas: Set for 2 p.m. in the fifth-floor boardroom in the county center in downtown Clearwater, 315 Court Street.

Both ceremonies are open to the public.

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