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Three candidates compete for two Belleair commission seats

 
Published Feb. 19, 2015

BELLEAIR — A former town commissioner will take on two incumbents in a three-way race for two at-large seats up for grabs in the March 10 election.

Incumbent Commissioner Mike Wilkinson and Deputy Mayor Stephen Fowler will defend against former commission colleague Karla Rettstatt.

Fowler has served on the Town Commission since he was elected in 1997. Wilkinson was appointed in June 2010 to complete another commissioner's term.

Rettstatt — who previously served on the dais from 2006 to 2010 — said her newest bid was initially sparked by the urging of several voters.

She had taken time away from the commission to spend time with her mother before she died, but remained active, volunteering with community groups and attending town meetings.

"I wasn't pleased with all of the recent voting occurring by our commission," Rettstatt said. "After thinking about it a long time, I decided to put my hat in the ring because I think I can make a difference here."

Among her priorities: Help facilitate JMC Communities' recently approved Belleview Biltmore redevelopment plan, which includes preservation of the deteriorating historic hotel's west wing.

"To me," she said, "this will mean a relief of the heavy tax burden that the abandoned hotel currently places on every family in Belleair."

Her position is similar to that of her opponents.

Fowler said he was for a complete restoration until recently.

"There's not enough left to do the kind of Legg Mason restoration and tourist destination that they brought to the town" in 2007, he said, referring to a previous owner that had proposed incorporating the adjacent golf course and beachfront Cabana Club on Sand Key into plans before they were sold off.

Fowler said the newly approved mixed-use zoning designation gives greater flexibility than a purely residential category proposed last year.

Wilkinson echoed that sentiment: "I think that the residents of the town are ready to move on. And as sad as it is to see it go, there really was no other option that made sense or even came before us. … The evidence (that the hotel was not salvageable) was irrefutable."

Each candidate also said they would focus on green space preservation, continued infrastructure improvements and finding a solution to the town's looming shortage of potable water due to saline intrusion.

Fowler, 70, is an architect and president of Fowler Associates Architects in Clearwater. The married father of three has been a Belleair resident since 1976.

Wilkinson, 50, is also a married father of three who owns Wilkinson Insurance and is a recruiter with Merit Consulting, a Jacksonville-based executive search firm. He has lived in Belleair since 1994.

Retired restaurateur Rettstatt, 56, formerly co-owned Jimmy Guana's in Indian Rocks Beach and Jimmy's Fish House in Clearwater Beach. A town resident of 23 years, she and her husband have a teen son.

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Wilkinson and Rettstatt have won the endorsement of Mayor Gary Katica, who was automatically re-elected when no one filed to run against him.

Katica, 81, has been on the commission since 2000 and was first elected mayor in 2007. He attributed his fourth unopposed mayoral term to his sensitive ear and steady action on behalf of residents: "I am humbled and I appreciate the confidence the people in Belleair have had for me. And I will never let them down."

He decried decisions by Fowler, whom he said "has been on the wrong side of a few major votes" regarding the Biltmore. He was especially dismayed by Fowler's involvement in helping to distribute to commissioners materials by an outside investment group that later denied expressing interest in hotel restoration.

"There are people who are doers. There are other people who are sayers," Katica said. Wilkinson and Rettstatt "are both doers and that's what I'm interested in."

Wilkinson said he appreciates the support of the mayor and all residents. The other candidates declined to comment on Katica's endorsement.

In Belleair, elected leaders serve three-year terms and receive monthly stipends of $200 for the mayor and $150 for commissioners to cover expenses.

Contact Keyonna Summers at ksummers@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4153. Follow @KeyonnaSummers.