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Four so far have entered race for three seats on Temple Terrace City Council

 
Gil Schisler, a financial consultant, is running for Temple Terrace City Council. He is one of four candidates running for three seats.
Gil Schisler, a financial consultant, is running for Temple Terrace City Council. He is one of four candidates running for three seats.
Published Aug. 2, 2018

TEMPLE TERRACE — So far, four well-known local residents have announced their intention to run Nov. 6 for the three seats up for election on the City Council.

Current council members David Pogorilich and Robert Boss are stepping down, having reached their term limits after eight years on the job. Incumbent Cheri Donohue, who is at the end of her first term, is running for re-election.

Also in the race are James Chambers, retired long-time director of the city's Leisure Services department; Gil Schisler, retired corporate chief financial officer; and Don Statz, retired contractor and retailer.

The top three vote-getters will win the open seats. Any prospective candidates who haven't filed for election have until noon Aug. 31 to do so. The formal qualifying period opens for a week starting at noon Aug. 27.

Council and mayor positions are essentially voluntary. The council job pays $3,470 per year and $50 per month in travel expenses.

Here's more about the announced candidates:

James Chambers, 62, retired director of Leisure Services, said he wants to keep the streets, sewers, buildings and other city infrastructure strong. Chambers said the city needs to boost the pay of city employees —particularly police officers and firefighters — to keep them from leaving for better pay and benefits.

"It's hard to attract (employees) with such a pay gap,'' he said.

Chambers notes that he has held two jobs in his life — working in a gas station and working for the Temple Terrace Department of Leisure Services. He started at 16, monitoring the tennis courts on weekends. He retired two years ago.

Cheri Donohue, 69, incumbent council member running for her second term, said she believes that by working with the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit authority — she is a member of the board — she has helped increase bus service on Route 6 in Temple Terrace and helped restore Route 48, "reconnecting riders and businesses along the north and eastern boundaries of Temple Terrace.''

Donohue, former president of the Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce, said her connections to the Innovation Partnership, Florida League of Cities and other governmental agencies help keep Temple Terrace included in plans for the future of the county and state.

Donohue grew up in Tampa and has lived in Temple Terrace for 38 years. She is former associate director of grants and scholarships with the Hillsborough Education Foundation. She has served on a number of city advisory boards, including the police pension board, the school advisory committee and redevelopment task force.

She was named Temple Terrace "Citizen of the Year'' in 1990. A "Cheri Donohue Award'' for community involvement and commitment was established in 1982 by the Temple Terrace Junior Woman's Club. This year she was named a "Home Rule Hero'' by the Florida League of Cities for her efforts to preserve the power of local government.

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Gil Schisler, 64, retired accountant, spent his career managing budgets, serving as chief financial officer for two corporations. He volunteered his services to help clear up confusion in the 2017-18 Temple Terrace city budget. He also was tapped for the charter review committee and the citizens strategic advisory committee for the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club. He's been a city resident since 1973.

Schisler said he is optimistic that the city is on the right track with redevelopment and paying off debt, and he thinks he could help the city build on that success. The city borrowed $24 million last decade to buy, improve and redevelop land on the east side of 56th Street from Bullard Parkway to the Hillsborough River, but the property sat idle until recently, when two buyers announced plans to put a bank, retail shops and luxury apartments on the north end of the property.

Schisler said the city has to move ahead with disposing of the rest of the redevelopment property, noting the importance of reaping the revenue from developments in order to pay down remaining debt without having to raise the property tax rate.

City departments need to identify their needs as opposed to wants, he said.

"A lot of progress has been made since the last election, and we need to keep it moving forward.''

Don Statz, 67, retired contractor and businessman, has been a city resident for 42 years and regularly attends and speaks out at council meetings. He has served on the code enforcement board and is currently a member of the citizens strategic advisory committee for the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club.

He notes that he's a "proven businessman who understands what it means to meet budgets, balance revenues and expenses and not create deficits.''

He said the city needs to strengthen its code enforcement department, back its enforcers, and consider contracting with a lawyer to pursue liens on delinquent properties on a contingency basis.

He also wants to address the high turnover rate among first responders, particularly the police department, which was down 12 officers at the end of July.

His construction background should also be an asset for the city, he said.

Statz was co-owner of the family-run Victorian Village Gift Shoppe on Fowler Avenue for 22 years. It closed its doors this year.

Contact Philip Morgan at pmorgan@tampabay.com.