1. My first city appointment, by City Council, in 2001, was to the Civil Service Board, which is charged with ensuring fair treatment for City employees. During that three-year term I served one year as chair. I loved serving because I learned so much – first, mediating with the City employees; second, that compromise by the City can often benefit all.
My goal was always fairness and honesty with all.
2. In 2003, Mayor Pam Iorio appointed me a Special Magistrate on the Code Enforcement Board, which deals with “zoning, building control, and other relevant disciplines.” Hearing cases challenged me to question my position on development. How do property owners’ rights balance with the City’s need to preserve public safety? In learning those codes, I found many I personally disagreed with. But I will not abide those who circumvent the codes – if the public disagrees with current codes, we should work to change them.
3. After nearly a decade on Code Enforcement, in 2012 Mayor Bob Buckhorn appointed me to the Variance Review Board, where I currently serve, helping determine when property owners should granted allowances regarding the City’s codes on trees and landscaping, signage, and zoning. The VRB is charged with balancing a property owner’s rights against the potential impact of the variance on public safety and the city as a whole. Through my first term of service I’ve learned the importance of basting our neighborhoods together into an album quilt protecting us all, not creating boundaries that separate us.
But wait! There’s more!
✔️ Since 2013 I’ve been a member of the Ybor City Development Corporation. The trials, tribulations, and triumphs of Ybor City are a microcosmic example for all of Tampa. In less than 20 years we’ve seen Ybor City transition out of blight and into a thriving incubator of business start-ups, from entertainment to retail to high-tech. V In 2011, I was asked to join the Ybor City Museum Society board of directors, and am now its chair. V I’ve been a member of the Ybor City Rotary Club since 2008, serving as president in 2013-2014. V Also in 2008, I joined Meals on Wheels as a driver, and have been humbled by the circumstances of so many marvelous people I’ve met. V In 2007, I became active in the nonpartisan political forum, Tiger Bay Club of Tampa, and served as president during 2012-2013.
✔️ Since 2004 I’ve served as a Republican precinct committeeman, and in 2011-2013 served as president of the Tampa Republican Club. V Since 1997, I’ve been a proud member of the Rough Riders 1st U.S. V. Cavalry™ where I served as Roosevelt Elementary Assembly Committee co-chair. V I was a member of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce and am currently a member of the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce. V Lastly, in 2007 I served as vice president of my condo homeowner’s association – and anyone who’s served on such a group knows there are few challenges greater than that!