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March column: Two sides want compromise on civilian review board, but still seeking an agreement

 
Published Oct. 1, 2015

Mayor Bob Buckhorn and City Council Chairman Frank Reddick are supposed to meet Friday to try to negotiate a compromise over a civilian police review board and the number of mayoral appointees and council appointees it should include.

It's unclear what their chances of reaching an agreement are, but they're probably a lot better than they were two weeks ago.

In an interview Sept. 19, Buckhorn referred to the debate as "a tempest in a teapot" and said he had no inclination to change his executive order establishing a board on his terms — an 11-member panel with nine mayoral appointees and two by the council.

That was before a tumultuous Sept. 24 council meeting interrupted by protesters demanding a stronger board. Buckhorn says he's now willing to amend his order.

He changed his mind, he said, because, "All of us saw that display and realized it was not healthy or productive. I want to get this behind us and focus on the good things that are happening in this city and not get preoccupied with solving problems that don't exist."

Reddick said this week that he's also willing to compromise, but the two sides still appear pretty far apart.

Reddick initially proposed one appointment for each council member and four by the mayor, but said this week that he'll accept a majority of mayoral appointees — eight on a 15-member board.

"I want to bring this to some form of conclusion," he said.

But Buckhorn said he wants "a manageable board," no larger than the 11 members he proposed.

Challenger expected

Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez will get a Republican challenger.

Look for Todd Jones, a career real estate appraiser, to announce soon, possibly today.

Jones said that in his campaign, he'll emphasize his strong credentials as a real estate appraiser. Much of his career has been in representing taxpayers challenging property tax assessments.

He's a past president of the Florida Association of Property Tax Professionals and holds several certifications in the field, including the prestigious Counselors of Real Estate.

"I'm looking at this as an opportunity to give back," he said. "I know how to fix the problems in the system.

"I'll be the only appraiser in the race. This is a job I know inside out. It will be a choice between a career politician and an expert appraiser."

Jones hasn't run for office before, and beating Henriquez, a former state House member and previously a well-known football coach at Tampa Catholic High School, will be tough. GOP insiders say Jones will be well-funded, and he's hired prominent campaign consultant Matt Blair.

Jones, 58, has a master's degree in business from the University of South Florida and taught real estate appraisal at the University of Florida.

And who knows whether it will help against Henriquez, but he's also an eighth-degree black belt in tae kwon do and a former national karate champion in the super lightweight category — a category he acknowledges he would no longer fit into.

Iorio is a no-go

Maybe it's because her current employer, Big Brothers Big Sisters, moved its headquarters to Tampa earlier this year, or because people still think of her as a potential candidate for higher office, but the rumor persists that former Mayor Pam Iorio is thinking about or actually planning to seek the top city job again in 2019.

Iorio has squelched it before, and she did again recently.

"There's absolutely no validity to that at all," she said. Is she ruling it out? Yes, she said.

"I don't plan on (a return to city politics) at any time in my life."

Contact William March at wemarch@gmail.com.