TAMPA — Hillsborough County commissioners named their top citizen honor Wednesday for a prominent and controversial conservative activist who died this summer.
It will now be called the Ralph Hughes Moral Courage Award, after the longtime advocate of lower taxes and less government regulation. Hughes died in June.
But the 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Mark Sharpe and Rose Ferlita dissenting, came after a demonstration of moral outrage from some community activists.
Neighbors' of Hughes concrete casting company in Seffner described him as an evil man who wielded influence only because of his money. They said he advocated government decisions that helped his business, which supplied building materials to the construction industry.
Dover resident Karla Holding cited Hughes' felony conviction as a young man for severely beating another person and robbing him. (He was later pardoned.)
Jerry Lewis of Seffner said a more fitting tribute for the pro-growth advocate would be to pave a park and name it after Hughes. Others said the award shouldn't be named for anyone.
"Please leave the Moral Courage Award named after the county we all love," said activist Martha Bingham, an aide to Pat Frank when she served as a county commissioner.
Commissioner Jim Norman, who proposed the idea, chastised the crowd for its harsh rhetoric. He said the award was created to recognize people who have stood up to government, and Hughes did that for nearly 25 years.
"I'm ashamed of the disrespect," said Norman, who distributed a DVD of snippets from Hughes' speeches before commissioners. The DVD was prepared by an employee of the county's television station, at a cost of about $200.
Activist Kelly Cornelius later assailed that expenditure, which Norman said was to educate other commissioners about Hughes' long-term activism.
Commission Chairman Ken Hagan echoed Norman's assessment of the speakers' tone. "I think many of today's (speakers) could learn a thing about civility and respect," he said.
The commissioners who supported the proposal each got thousands of dollars in political contributions from Hughes. Some noted they frequently disagreed with Hughes but admired his dedication and didn't always receivehis financial support.
Ferlita countered that Hughes' financial support was the main thing that set him apart from other activists. She recalled meeting with him at her pharmacy while running for the commission two years ago.
She said he mentioned his views on issues and the financial success that allowed him to give to those willing "to look my way in terms of making decisions."
"Ralph expected something back from me if I was going to be one of his chosen candidates," she said, explaining why she did not seek his backing or support renaming the county award.
Former Commissioner Joe Chillura was the lone speaker in favor of renaming the award. He said Hughes didn't expect blind allegiance, and the two disagreed strenuously on several issues while Chillura was in office.
"Ralph's 'special interest' was to make this world a better place," Chillura said. "I will always be convinced of that."
The Moral Courage Award was created at the behest of former Commissioner Jan Platt. The award itself was initially purchased with bond money forfeited by commissioners convicted as part of a 1980s vote-buying scandal.
"It's too bad they didn't create another award for him that dealt with taxes, which was his main theme," Platt said. "This award will take on a completely different meaning."
This year's Moral Courage Award recipient will be Sun City Center activist Dave Brown. He has been fighting county efforts to force residents to install expensive devices on their water pipes to prevent pollution from wells or other irrigation sources.
He was chosen over Hughes, nominated posthumously by Chillura, by a citizen panel that vets nominees. He said he's glad the award won't be named after Hughes until next year.
"You'll have to decide whether that's an award you want to accept," Brown said. "Next year's recipient, I think, will have a moral decision to make."
Bill Varian can be reached at varian@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3387.
[Last modified: Sep 23, 2008 05:40 PM]
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