“The public has spoken and I have taken notes and listened closely,” Mr. Hayward said today. “These are the issues our citizens are talking about as I go out and meet with them along the campaign trail. I heard you and under my administration, you can bet, I will act on these issues. I’ve said from day one of this race that I would challenge the status quo and tackle the toughest issues facing our community. I don’t have a shelf labelled ‘too hard’ where I put difficult challenges and let them go ignored and collect dust.”

According to the release, the Putting Citizens First Plan includes 20 solutions for creating jobs, restoring trust, taking action and improving neighborhoods. The policies encompass many peoples’ concerns, such as creating education and workforce training opportunities for our local talent, making the city budget transparent to the public, creating a cost-reduction incentive plan for city staff, promoting mixed-income housing and initiating greening of city vehicles and buildings.

Download AH20Solutions2011.pdf (PDF, 52.84KB)

Ashton Hayward, 41, may be a political newcomer, but he’s certainly not short on the management and leadership experience many voters are looking for in an executive mayor.

Born and raised in Pensacola, Mr. Hayward says he was was looking for a challenge after graduating from Florida State University. He moved to New York City, where he enjoyed a successful career as an executive with AT&T and later the Financial Times, managing employees and multi-million dollar accounts. Mr. Hayward credits his success in the corporate world to his ability to build relationships and bring people together, a skill set he hopes to bring to City government.

Wanting to start a family, Mr. Hayward and his wife An moved back to Pensacola in 2003. Since his return, he’s been heavily involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for public television station WSRE as well as the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment, Planning Board, and Architectural Review Board.

Asked to make his case, in ten words or less, why voters should elect him mayor, Mr. Hayward replies, “I have the experience, foresight, and consensus-building skills to lead our City forward.”

Top three issues

Jobs. “The thing that I think is important is that politicians should be helping to creating jobs in the boom times and the bad times,” Mr. Hayward notes. “We’re losing population faster than we truly know. That trickles down to ad valorem and sales tax revenues. Our population is disappearing before our eyes and we don’t have a handle on it.”

Economic development. “There will be a huge push on the economic development side to work hand-in-hand with the new Chamber CEO, James Hizer,” Mr. Hayward says. “My economic development team will have a mix of people from the public and private sectors. It will be a regional, national, and international development strategy.”

Recognising that government itself can’t create jobs, Mr. Hayward stresses that creating “an environment that attracts businesses” is where the City can play a key role. “Cities that are successful look attractive, are clean, are bike and pedestrian friendly,” he explains. “They have a vibrant downtown, sidewalks, access to the waterfront. Our waterfront is our biggest economic driver. We need to have a real land plan that ties in all of downtown from the west on Pace Boulevard all the way east to the Bay Bridge.”

Getting a handle on the budget and pensions. Mr. Hayward favours recruiting an outside group such as TaxWatch to examine the City budget. He’s also talked about offering incentives to department heads who trim waste and improve efficiencies.

Standing out

Asked what differentiates him from the three other candidates in the race, Mr. Hayward focuses on his business experience as an executive with AT&T and the Financial Times. “After college, I chose to move to one of the most competitive cities in the world. I chose to move to New York to see if I could be competitive in a fast-paced corporate environment,” he says. “I don’t know that any of my opponents have worked on a level where you’re managing hundreds of employees and multi-million dollar accounts. I’ve grown businesses, I’ve grown departments. I’ve been successful in the corporate arena and as an entrepreneur.”

First five actions

Candidates were asked what, if elected, his or her first five actions would be.

1. Hire a Chief Administrative Officer. “The CAO is going to be critical to running the daily operations of the City. I’m going to do a local and a national search. It’s critical that I find the right person for the job in the first six months.”
2. Meet with department heads. “I’m not going to have a cavalier attitude. I’m going to meet with every department head and ask him or her exactly what they do. I’m going to lay out my vision. We’ve got to restore trust. We’re going to look at the structure of every department and explore ways to maximise return to our citizens.”
3. Create a “citizens’ advisory committee” to look at the City’s enterprise operations and departments.
4. Evaluate every piece of City property to evaluate whether we’re utilizing each for the highest and best use. “We have to generate revenue at the City as quickly as we can. We have to look at our assets and our rate of return. Ad hoc decision-making has made us wilfully poor.
5. Have an outside group look at the budget to establish immediate transparency. “I want taxpayers to be able to see in real time what we have, where’s it going, what’s in reserves. I think the only way we can do that is to have an advisory group come in from the outside. We have to get a handle on the budget.”

Budget issues

Police and fire. Budgets for City police and fire have seen substantial reductions in recent years, which some would argue has affected response ability. Do you plan to restore police and fire funding?

The way we’re going to be able to rectify that situation is by creating an environment in which outside capital will come into our city, create jobs, and increase our revenue sources. I know we’ve had some cutbacks and we’re short-handed in both departments. We need to really evaluate how we’re spending money and see what we can do. Firefighters and police officers are our first responders, and we’re not going to balance the budget on their backs.

Arts funding. With recent budget crunches, there has been discussion about the City’s role in providing funding to outside not-for-profits. Do you favour the City funding not-for-profits that do not provide social services, such as arts groups?

For any city to be successful it has to support the arts. That’s what makes cities great is their culture and history. It’s critical that the city play a role in supporting culture. Every great employer wants to see what kind of cultural activities a city has.

Raises for City employees. Most City employees have not seen a raise in three years. Will you make budgeting for raises a priority in your administration?

I don’t think we can do that until we accurately account for the budget. I think our employees are entitled to raises when they’re performing. I also want to implement year-end reviews where department heads tell me what they’ve done and why they deserve a raise.

Pension liability. What steps will you take to address the City’s $80 million unfunded pension liability and make the three pension funds whole?

First and foremost, pension funds are being affected everywhere. It is the huge 800 pound gorilla in municipalities everywhere. I’ve been studying this issue with my advisory team, some of whom are pension experts, to figure out the most intelligent way to manage this issue. These issues need to be addressed with broad community support; I want to hear ideas from the community also.

Vision

City Administrator. The new Charter provides that the City Administrator should have “relevant management, executive, or administrative” experience. What are you looking for in a City Administrator?

I’m looking for someone that has extremely good organisational skills; someone that has managed more than just a department, that has managed more than 100 employees; someone that will be able to execute my vision and be able to run the day-to-day operations of the City when I’m not there.  I’m looking for someone that’s been involved in a corporate or government setting on a high level.

Pensacola’s Promise. What are your impressions of the “Pensacola’s Promise” plan? Will you work to implement the plan in your administration?

I will commit all my energies to making education accessible to everyone in our community. I think the Promise plan is a great plan. We need to look at every avenue to see how we can improve accessibility to education. We should be doing anything and everything to ensure everyone has those opportunities.

BP oil disaster. In directing the City’s response to the BP oil disaster, is there anything you would do differently than what is being done now?

Well, sure. As a candidate I was out in front of this from the beginning. If I was the mayor now, I’d make sure we had proper legal advice for the City, make sure our shorelines and citizens’ property is protected, and keep on the pressure to hold BP accountable. The critical part is making sure we have the right legal advice to ensure we are protected as a municipality. We’re going to see shortfalls in ad valorem and salex tax revenue that we use for critical services.

Annexation. As you know, the City of Pensacola is essentially “built-out” and losing population. The City hasn’t annexed a significant area since 1988. Is annexation a top priority, and if so, how do you plan to begin that process?

I’m most definitely going to be looking at annexation. I’m going to be looking at city planners and working with real estate and land planners to do that. It’s on the top of my list.

“Lightning round”

Candidates were asked several questions and asked for yes or no answers if possible.

Generally speaking, are senior City staffers overpaid?

Yes.

Would you be open exploring the to the possibility of consolidating City police and/or fire with County equivalents?

As a leader, I’m always open to new ideas.

Would you have supported the City-County consolidation plan developed by the Consolidation Study Commission?

I definitely had concerns about the plan. There are some functions we can potentially consolidate.

Do you support zero-based budgeting?

I think we need to prioritise the city’s spending. I do support requiring all budget allocations to undergo a justification process.

Without naming names, are there staffers at City Hall you have already determined would not be returning in your administration?

No.

Would you support requiring senior City staffers to live within the City limits?

I would like all City employees to live within the City limits, but I wouldn’t require it. I think we all need to take ownership of our city.

The charges include withholding information from a practitioner to obtain a controlled substance, obtaining a prescription by fraud, and trafficking in hydrocodone. Mr. Perritt is being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail.

NorthEscambia.com has the details:

On June 30, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from a local physician’s office alleging that Perritt had fraudulently obtained hydrocodone through his wife, a former employee of the office, who called in several prescriptions for hydrocodone for herself and Perritt.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents allege that between December 2009 and July 2010, Perritt visited several physicians within the Santa Rosa county area for the purposes of obtaining hydrocodone. Agents say Perritt did not disclose to any of the physicians that he had already been prescribed hydrocodone by another physician. More than 1,200 hydrocodone pills were fraudulently obtained during this time period.

Mr. Perritt’s wife Jennifer was arrested on similar charges last week, after which his campaign claimed Mrs. Perritt became addicted to prescription pain medication after suffering from a degenerative spine condition. Last Friday, Mr. Perritt pledged to continue his campaign despite his wife’s arrest.

At 39, Charles Bare is the youngest candidate in the race to become the first executive mayor under the City of Pensacola’s new mayor-council form of government. He may be a political rookie, but he’s not entirely unseasoned. A University of West Florida graduate, Mr. Bare worked for the U.S. Department of Education before returning to UWF, where he served as Director of Governmental Relations. An Army reservist, he deployed to Iraq from 2003-2004. After returning home, he served as a district representative for Congressman Jeff Miller, and founded a small business, consulting firm Catalyst Technologies.

Asked to make his case, in ten words or less, why voters should elect him mayor, Mr. Bare replies, “I believe in citizen-led government.”

Top three issues

Economic development. Unimpressed with the City’s traditional economic development model, Mr. Bare promises to shake things up if elected. “Right now we pay the Chamber to do our economic development,” Mr. Bare says. “A large percentage of their budget comes from public sources. I don’t think they’re doing a good job.” He would instead set up an “economic development council,” which is a model used by cities and counties elsewhere. Such a council would initially be tasked with assessing the skills possessed by our workforce and working with Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida to find out what programs are popular. “Until we have a good grasp of what we have here, we can’t go out and bring in new business,” he explains.

Public safety. “I don’t like the cuts we’ve had to training and personnel,” Mr. Bare says, referring to cuts that have affected both the police and fire departments. “I believe that right now we roll three firemen on a truck, so we have to have a second truck on scene to go into a fire. That affects the safety of our home and the insurance rates for our businesses. If the PFD’s rating falls any lower than it is, business insurance rates will go up.”

After having spent time with various police officers during ride-alongs, Mr. Bare also has thoughts on changes that could be made at the Pensacola Police Department. “We need to look at the way we manage personnel,” says Mr. Bare. “I don’t believe the 12-hour shifts are an effective way to manage personnel. I would prefer 10-hour shifts that overlap. Right now we have a 15-minute overlap between shifts. I’m very concerned that during shift changes we don’t have adequate coverage. We should have 10-hour shifts with overlaps of around two hours.”

Transparency. Mr. Bare also has detailed plans to open up the City government and better disseminate information to citizens, something he thinks the City does poorly. He’s mentioned revamping the City’s outdated website and forming a citizens’ committee to develop better methods of getting information out. “I believe there’s a lot of information that’s not readily shared,” he says. “There are staff within the City government that are not as open to citizen input as they should be and do not share as much information as they should. Citizens need to know how every dollar is being spent — how much a street sweeper costs, how much it costs to equip a fire crew. I believe we don’t do a good job of that as a City.”

Standing out

Asked what differentiates him from the three other candidates in the race, Mr. Bare focuses on his combination of education and experience. “I’m a local graduate, I was very active in student government and served as the SGA president,” Mr. Bare says. “I came back to UWF to work as the Director of Governmental Relations, where I spent time in Tallahassee and representing the university president in the community when the Legislature wasn’t in session.”

Mr. Bare credits his government experience with allowing him to hone his financial skills. “My first job out of college was with the U.S. Department of Education, reviewing financial aid programs. That led to me serving as a criminal investigator with the Inspector General’s office. I have a natural suspicion for money and following where it goes. I have an ability to dig deeper and make sure that we’re spending money correctly.”

He also views his military experience as a plus. “I spent 365 days away from home in Iraq in hostile territory,” he says. “The job was very demanding, trying to rebuild their economy, that was a big challenge. Pensacola’s economy doesn’t look to be as big a challenge after Iraq.”

First five actions

Candidates were asked what, if elected, his or her first five actions would be.

1. Hire a Chief Administrative Officer.
2. Create an Economic Development Council.
3. Appoint a “citizens’ task force” to look at ways to make government more open, including the City’s website, methods of better communicating and bringing citizens in government, and ways to communicate with citizens who do not have access to the internet.
4. Meet with department heads. “I’d treat department heads like a cabinet, and outline my vision for the City.”
5. Hire an environmental advisor to advise the City about environmental impact not just with the BP situation, but on everything the City does. “It was clear to me when I’ve been to Environmental Advisory Board meetings that City staff does not know the environmental impact of a lot of things they do. We could do a better job of minimising our impact on the environment.”

Budget issues

Police and fire. Budgets for City police and fire have seen substantial reductions in recent years, which some would argue has affected response ability. Do you plan to restore police and fire funding?

I plan on evaluating the training budgets especially, and equipment, and personnel. I wouldn’t say I would restore it to the pre-economic downfall level. I know our response time is still pretty good. We need to look at manpower and training. I would want to restore quite a bit of the training budgets. SROs (Student Resource Officers) have special training needs. For Fire it is essential to me that we have four people on a truck. I want a fire truck to be able to come up to a fire and send two people into it.

Arts funding. With recent budget crunches, there has been discussion about the City’s role in providing funding to outside not-for-profits. Do you favour the City funding not-for-profits that do not provide social services, such as arts groups?

I think the arts is a vital part of our City. I think they need to seek funding from as many sources as possible and rely on fundraising where possible. If I have to make a choice between funding arts and four people on a fire truck, my focus is going to be on public safety. I do think it’s important, but it’s not going to be my focus. We have to look at it on a case-by-case basis. The best I can do as mayor is to promote the arts in our community and recognize their contributions to the community, but it’s going to be very tough to fund the arts especially with BP’s impact on tax revenue.

Raises for City employees. Most City employees have not seen a raise in three years. Will you make budgeting for raises a priority in your administration?

I think it depends in large part on the status of our economy. I would like to give employees raises, but I have to balance that with our needs. We’re in a budget situation right now where we can’t give them. It’s not going to be my top priority to give raises. It’s my top priority to keep good people, and if raises are the only way to do that then we’ll have that discussion. I would favour performance based raises.

Pension liability. What steps will you take to address the City’s $80 million unfunded pension liability and make the three pension funds whole?

I don’t think there’s a short term solution to that. It’s going to take money, and we don’t have money right now. I don’t want to take away pension benefits. People came into the system with the expectation that they would receive certain benefits and I don’t want to take those away. We can make changes for the future. Ultimately we’re going to have to find a way to pay for it and it’s something that a lot of cities are struggling with. There’s no fast solution to it.

Vision

City Administrator. The new Charter provides that the City Administrator should have “relevant management, executive, or administrative” experience. What are you looking for in a City Administrator?

I’m looking for someone that will be a chief of staff. Not the day to day person running the city, but if I’m out, I want to feel comfortable that this person can manage the staff in my absence. I’m looking for past City management experience or someone who is military with experience on the base commander level.

Pensacola’s Promise. What are your impressions of the “Pensacola’s Promise” plan? Will you work to implement the plan in your administration?

My reservation is the funding source from ESP’s marketing fund. I firmly believe that if we have extra money in ESP we need to give people a rate reduction. [ESP Director Don] Suarez tells me he needs the marketing dollars to compete with Gulf Power. I think the idea is great. We should also focus on two year degrees, vocational schools, and apprenticeships. Some people may not want to go to college, we need to give them the opportunity to do that.

BP oil disaster. In directing the City’s response to the BP oil disaster, is there anything you would do differently than what is being done now?

Immediately after the spill, I would have called the Environmental Advisory Board together to look at the potential impact on our coastline. As Mayor, I would have called the City Council into session sooner. We would have had more frequent meetings than the once-a-month the Council is meeting this summer. People need a public forum to discuss issues such as this. I also think it was irrational for the City to let the County take the lead. If elected I’ll hire an environmental advisor that will communicate issues to the public.

Annexation. As you know, the City of Pensacola is essentially “built-out” and losing population. The City hasn’t annexed a significant area since 1988. Is annexation a top priority, and if so, how do you plan to begin that process?

To begin the process, you have to look at the areas that are ripe for annexation, that may not be happy with services they are currently receiving. We have to focus on those things that we do better than the County. Ultimately you have to get people to vote for annexation. We have to have a city that is running efficiently and that can attract people before we can annex. With all of the issues we are facing, this City is going to have a tough time continuing to maintain the same level of services to the territory we have now.

“Lightning round”

Candidates were asked several questions and asked for yes or no answers if possible.

Generally speaking, are senior City staffers overpaid?

I’d have to do more research.

Would you be open exploring the to the possibility of consolidating City police and/or fire with County equivalents?

Police yes, fire no.

Would you have supported the City-County consolidation plan developed by the Consolidation Study Commission?

It wasn’t a full consolidation plan, but I think it should have gone to a vote.

Do you support zero-based budgeting?

Yes.

Without naming names, are there staffers at City Hall you have already determined would not be returning in your administration?

Yes.

Would you support requiring senior City staffers to live within the City limits?

I would prefer it, but we’ve got work to do before we can require that. I would support a discussion on it.

According to blog The Third Report, the Broxson campaign was concerned about the frequent disappearance of their signs and decided to set up a remote surveillance camera. By chance, Mr. Brown and his wife showed up and began removing Broxson signs while Broxson staffers were secluded behind a bush setting up the camera.

Florida House District 1 covers the northern half of Escambia County, nearly all of Santa Rosa County except for Gulf Breeze, and a portion of Okaloosa County. The incumbent, Greg Evers, is term-limited. Four Republicans, including Messrs. Brown and Broxson, will face off in the August 24 primary.

Links

• The Third Report: “Florida Republican primary candidate caught on video removing opponent’s campaign signs”

In addition to various partisan primaries, Pensacola residents will cast their votes in the City’s mayoral election.

For more information, see escambiavotes.com, can call the Supervisor of Elections’ office at (850) 595-3900, or visit it in person at 213 South Palafox Street.

Under the provisions of the new City Charter, the petitioners have until the close of business on August 20 to gather and submit the signatures of 3,400 City electors. If they do, the City Council will have the option of either reversing its May 13 decision or submitting the issue to a referendum vote.

Potential outcomes

Here’s where it gets tricky. The City of Pensacola is not a party to the design-build contract which the petitioners with which the petitioners take issue. That contract is between the Community Maritime Park Associates, Inc. (CMPA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and Magi Construction, LLC, the Community Maritime Park developer. While the Pensacola City Council has the power to appoint and remove all members of the CMPA, the CMPA is not a City board, and is instead a legally distinct entity which was established to manage the planning, construction, and eventual operation of the Community Maritime Park project. The May 13 action that the petitioners’ committee seeks to reverse was essentially the City Council giving its blessing to a contract between two other entities.

What effect, then, would a successful campaign by the petitioners have? Perhaps none, says City Attorney Rusty Wells. According to Mr. Wells, the 2009 development agreement between the City and the CMPA provides that the City’s right to approve or disapprove CMPA contracts must be provided in a “timely” fashion. In his opinion, a disapproval of the contract this far down the line would not be considered “timely” in a court of law.

If the petition effort  is successful, Mr. Wells predicts catastrophic financial consequences for the City:

To the extent that the referendum is intended to alter in any adverse manner the use of proceeds received by the City through the sale of the $46,000,000 Redevelopment Revenue Bond issue or the subsequent New Markets Tax Credits transaction, it would place the City in breach of its many contractual commitments to the bond purchasers and tax credit investors, creating an enormous financial liability and utterly destroying the City’s future ability to secure municipal financing.

The politics

Four years after the bitter referendum in which the Community Maritime Park concept was approved by 56% of City voters, those on the losing side of that vote continue to take issue with the project. Their opposition has taken various forms — from Save Our City, to No $48 Million Debt, to Park Yes Stadium No — but many of the principals have remained the same. The latest opposition group’s name indicates support of the overall project (while taking issue with the stadium component specifically), but petitioners like Marty Donovan, Byron Keesler, and Todd Snyder have consistently opposed the project.

Meanwhile, much of the political establishment remains ardently in support of the Maritime Park generally and the stadium specifically. While several City Council members have expressed various concerns, both publicly and privately, and have occasionally voted against various elements throughout the process, the attitude of Council members seems to range from cautious optimism to full-fledged support. Three of the four mayoral candidates are vocal supporters of the project.

The pro-park political committee from the 2006 referendum, Friends of the Waterfront Park, has remained in existence, and it looks to be gearing up for the possibility of another fight. After more than three years with no contributions or expenditures reported, the committee took in $10,000 during June and July, most of which went toward three ads in the News Journal.

The City Attorney’s July 16 memorandum on the petition issue is included below:

Download RW-memo-CMP-071610.pdf (PDF, 59.53KB)

Mr. Bare was unique among the four mayoral candidates as the only one who received no $500 contributions, the maximum allowed per person or entity each cycle. His contributions ranged from as little as $10 up to $250, excepting a $291 self-loan.

The Bare campaign also reported $5,186.11 in expenditures during the F1 period.

In a statement released this morning, his campaign highlighted support “from housewives and teachers to business owners and physicians, many of whom have never given to campaigns before.”

“Politicians have had their chance, and blown it,” Hayward said. “Everyone I talk to is as frustrated as I am with the lack of progress in our city. They know, as an independent businessman, I am not beholden to special interests. I have the experience to make decisions and get results that will improve Pensacola and our quality of life.”

Mr. Hayward’s largest donations came from Julian MacQueen, who gave $1,500 through three companies, and Ray Russenberger, who gave $1,000 through himself and two companies. Mr. Hayward also received $500 donations from several attorneys, including Martin Levin, Bob Kerrigan, and Bruce Partington.

Links

• Ashton Hayward F1 finance report

That figure includes $4,000 from developers Anthony Terhaar and Jim Cronley and associated companies. Terhaar & Cronley supported Mr. Wiggins’ opponent Diane Mack during her City Council run in 2008, going so far as to host her victory party at their headquarters on East Belmont Street. Guess they’ve picked a new horse.

Links

• Mike Wiggins F1 finance report

Referencing a recent memorandum by City Attorney Rusty Wells, Councilwoman Mack said that the petition, even if successful, cannot stop the stadium, but that it could drive desperately needed private investment out of Pensacola.

“Don’t let yourselves become pawns for the Donovan-Nobles no-growth duo,” she said. “This Council will let nothing stop or further delay the Community Maritime Park.”

The report, which covers the period April 1 through July 16, records contributions from 14 separate dentists and/or dentistry practices totalling $1,450.

Mrs. Benson, of course, is a pro-fluoridation board member facing two anti-fluoridation challengers in the August 24 primary.

Links

• Lois Benson F1 finance report