Category: News

District 7: One More Vote, Dec. 6

After spending months just trying to get voters familiar with their names in a crowded six-person race, Hunter’s Green residents Jim Davison, an emergency room doctor, and Luis Viera, an attorney, are ready to start talking about issues and getting voters who live in the City of Tampa to the polls one more time — on Tuesday, December 6, in case you didn’t know.

“I think the name recognition part is pretty much over,’’ said Davison. “Now it’s about turning out the people that you think are going to vote for you.”

After taking the top two spots at the Nov. 8 General Election, Davison and Viera are headed to the Runoff Election on Dec. 6 to decide who will replace Lisa Montelione and serve her final 16 months representing District 7, which includes all of the city-based Neighborhoods in New Tampa, on the Tampa City Council. District 7 is a large and diverse area which runs north from Waters Ave. to County Line Rd., and includes Forest Hills, Terrace Park, New Tampa and the University of South Florida area.

Early voting for the runoff continues through t0day, Sunday, December 4.

Despite entering the race last and raising only $14,000 for his campaign — easily the least of the all the candidates — Davison received 9,158 votes in the general election, or 30.6 percent, winning 13 of the 20 precincts that cast ballots on Nov. 8. He was second in five others. Davison, 62, celebrated his win on election night with chicken wings at the Hunter’s Green Tennis & Athletic Center.

Viera, who has raised more than $80,000, far more than any other candidate in the race, finished with 6,689 votes, or 22.3 percent, to advance to the runoff. Viera did not win any precincts but was second in 10 of them and third in eight others.

“It was a difficult race,” Viera says. “We fought for every single vote.”

Arbor Greene’s Avis Harrison, a former school teacher, was third (4,781), followed by former police officer and Copeland Park resident Orlando Gudes (4,218), Cory Lake Isles resident Dr. Cyril Spiro (3,719) and La Gaceta editor Gene Siudut (1,319).

Now that the race has been whittled to two candidates, Davison and Viera say they are eager to start focusing more on issues that were overshadowed during the last campaign, due to the number of candidates and the overwhelming presence of a nasty and contentious presidential election.

Here are some of the issues both candidates say they will focus on if elected:

TAXES: Davison says the biggest difference between he and Viera is their position on taxes. “I never saw a tax Luis was not in favor of,” Davison says, adding that he would work to roll back the millage, or property tax rates, in New Tampa. He claims they haven’t been rolled back since 2008, and ad valorem taxes will set a record in 2018 to offset any cuts.

luisviera2 — Luis Viera with supporter Mike Suarez.

Viera, 38, says he is in favor of a robust development of District 7’s communities. But, he says it is foolish to expect that those things can be accomplished simply by rolling back taxes.

“We certainly cannot, given the development we need in this city and our communities, just frivolously lower taxes,’’ Viera says, adding that he isn’t pro-tax, but, “I haven’t seen a tax reduction that Jim is clamoring for that will benefit the community.”

Both candidates agree that New Tampa should receive a larger piece of the pie made with its tax dollars, in the form of the same community enhancements being made in west and south Tampa’s parks, as well as downtown. “Downtown needs to be spruced up but not at the expense of its neighborhoods,” Davison says.

Viera has long-referred to New Tampa as a “donor district,” and also does not agree with the way tax monies are dispersed.

“We give way too much of our money to downtown Tampa without proper development of our neighborhoods (in North Tampa),” Viera says.

TRANSPORTATION: Davison has been a transportation activist in New Tampa for nearly two decades. He adamantly opposed government initiatives like GO Hillsborough, which sought a half-cent sales tax to pay to fix and maintain existing roads, relieve congestion and build new roads.

luis Davison says those promises were lies, and that the money is already available in future budgets to help with transportation without more taxation.

That has been a theme of Davison’s in this campaign — that government officials aren’t being honest with the numbers. He says the city claims the half-cent tax would raise $3.5 billion over 30 years. Davison says that figure is actually closer to $6 billion, creating essentially a slush fund for the city. He says he has stacks of papers that prove it.

“Lets just say this: Jim is skeptical of a lot of things,’’ Viera says. “This goes back to the issue of being able to work with others. When you presume they are liars, you say they are lying to you.”

Viera says Davison is making “unfounded accusations” and, “to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never seen anything to prove that the mayor’s office is lying to us.”

Davison is in favor, however, of the ongoing Tampa Bay Express (TBX) project, which will primarily widen I-275, I-75 and I-4 with 91 miles of express or toll lanes. “Without more lane capacity on 275, that will strangle District 7,’’ Davison says.

Viera, a TBX supporter, says transportation is a huge issue and an important need, with $8-billion in needs in the coming years that need to be paid for. Realistic solutions, he says, cannot be implemented unless there is funding to pay for them.

COMMUNITY NEEDS: The 2017 budget unveiled earlier this year by Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has $4.72 million in it for Fire Station No. 23, which will be located at 20770 Trout Creek Dr., behind the AutoZone and Christian Brothers Automotive off Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

Also in the budget but unfunded — and opposed by Davison — are plans for another fire station, No. 24, earmarked for the K-Bar Ranch area off Morris Bridge Rd.

Davison says that as someone who has spent much of his career in the emergency medical field, he doesn’t think New Tampa needs another fire station as badly as it needs more paramedics, as he claims 80-85 percent of 9-1-1 calls in New Tampa are for medical reasons. Davison adds, however, that he would like to a see a police station built in our area and an expansion of the New Tampa Recreation Center, which has been promised twice and never delivered by city officials.

Viera says he thinks a firehouse in K-Bar Ranch is necessary, especially as the area grows and expands.

And, he wonders if Davison is for community development, how can he expect to pay for such enhancements?

“You’re going to have more parks and rec centers, but you’re also going to cut your taxes?,” Viera asks. “Voters should be suspicious of that. You can’t serve both sides. It’s math: 2+2 equals 4, and Jim is for the 4, not the 2+2. I am for the 2+2. It’s a reality that if you make investments, you need revenue (to pay for them).”

KINNAN-MANSFIELD: New Tampa’s 100-foot stretch of unconnected road continues to befuddle local politicians. Despite some movement earlier this year — as Montelione and Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore tried to force the issue — the connection of Kinnan St. in New Tampa to Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe remains in limbo.

Both candidates say they want the roads connected. Davison says the city should pay the $500,000 for a traffic study that Pasco County is requesting in order to move the connection along.

Viera says the link should have been made long ago. He says it is, “symbolic of the kind of respect we don’t get in New Tampa. If this happened in South Tampa, it would be fixed immediately. We need a sense of urgency on it.”

GETTING THINGS DONE: Because Viera has a long list of endorsements from high-ranking local Democrats like U.S. Congresswoman Kathy Castor and City Council chair Mike Suarez, as well as Montelione, Davison says Viera will just become part of the problem on a City Council already filled with Democrats.

“Luis is a nice guy but has fallen into that same political trap of telling people what they want to hear,’’ says Davison, whose most recent endorsements have come from former opponent Avis Harrison and District 63 State Rep. Shawn Harrison. “That upsets me about him. I thought he was better guy than that. That’s disappointing.”

Viera says Davison, a registered Republican and Donald Trump supporter who relishes his role as an outsider, lacks the temperament to work with others and get things done. On a Council with six other members, Viera says diplomacy will get more things accomplishment for New Tampa.

“I think that issues of temperament are important,’’ Viera said. “I believe you achieve results with vigor, and by being resolute, not by being the type of person who will make accusations and be a loose cannon.”

Committee Keeps Meadow Pointe Intact, Rezones Seven Oaks

With a smattering of black shirts with the number 12 — representing Option 12 — crossed out serving as a backdrop, the Pasco School Boundary Committee (SBC) changed course Friday afternoon and unanimously rejected its initial recommendation for new school zones in Wesley Chapel, choosing Option 20 to pass on to the Pasco County School Board (PCSB) for final approval.

The vote wasn’t close, with 16 of the 21 voting members raising their hand for Option 20. Option 13 received five votes from the committee comprised of school principals, parents and county administrators.

Option 12, the initial option recommended by the SBC at its last meeting, didn’t receive any.

Option 20 will now be passed on to Superintendent Kurt Browning and his staff, and then to the School Board for public hearings at 6 p.m. on Dec. 20 and Jan. 17.

Parents can attend and mount a challenge to Option 20, but Linda Cobbe, the district spokesman, said Browning told her “he doesn’t have any intention on changing any decisions made by the committees on the new boundaries.”

The 16-5 vote caused muffled rejoicing and a few silent high-fives from many of the 80 or so parents in attendance at the Wesley Chapel High gymnasium.

Option 20 will keep Meadow Pointe III and IV, Country Walk and Union Park in their current zones, and while no one of the SBC said it had anything to do with their vote, the selection alleviates many parents fear of their kids being transported to school via Meadow Point Blvd. and S.R. 54, which was a prevalent theme of the Nov. 29 parent town hall that was attended by more than 1,000

The Seven Oaks community, some of whom were in attendance, will not be as happy. Their students will now be zoned to attend Wesley Chapel (WCH) and Weightman (TWM) middle schools, except for current juniors at Wiregrass Ranch High who will be grandfathered in.

Option 20 was originally among the final three for the SBC, but ultimately dismissed for two reasons: because it didn’t provide as much relief to the overcrowded schools as 12, and it rezoned Seven Oaks.

But some eagle-eyed Meadow Pointe residents disputed the numbers. Kevin Croswell, representing Meadow Pointe III, spoke at a School Board meeting on Nov. 15, saying the original enrollment numbers presented by the county to the SBC in Option 20 were incorrect. Their numbers, which turned out to be the correct numbers and were adjusted by the district staff, showed Option 20 offered almost the same relief as Option 12.

“I think certainly the numbers helped,” said Chris Williams, director of planning. “We corrected those numbers…and basically 20 became comparable to 12.”

Also, the possibility of rezoning Seven Oaks again in 4-5 years when a new middle school is built on Old Pasco Rd. next to the new school, Cypress Creek Middle and High School, seemed to be less of a sticking point.

The new middle school could also be 6-7 years or longer down the road, said Williams, depending on how quickly the money, raised from impact fees, becomes available. That longer timeline seemed to cause a few SBC members to have less of a concern about “double-dipping” Seven Oaks in the rezoning pool, and to take a stronger look at Option 20.

“It’s not the community (of Seven Oaks), it’s about keeping the schools together and keeping the integrity of the feeder pattern schools together, that’s the most important thing,” said SBC member and Seven Oaks resident Denise Nicholas, who also is the Pasco County Council PTA (PCCPTA) President. “I did not vote for 20, because I truly don’t believe in rezoning twice. I don’t think it’s fair for any community, whether it be Seven Oaks, Meadow Pointe, Union Park, Stagecoach, whoever, to be double-dipped and have to be moved twice.

Many SBC members attended the Nov. 29 parent town hall at Wesley Chapel High, which drew more than 1,000 residents that made clear their scorn for Option 12.

Most in attendance at the town hall seemed to favor Option 20, with traffic as the primary concern. Parents of students in the Meadow Pointe III and IV, Country Walk and Union Park areas were dismayed they would have to send their kids to school north on two-lane Meadow Pointe Blvd. and west on S.R. 54, which will begin a widening project in 2017.

Neighborhood News Assistant Editor John C. Cotey can be reached at john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

Emptying The Town Hall Notebook

More than 1,000 parents and students streamed into Wesley Chapel High’s gymnasium Tuesday night, all hoping to convince Pasco County administrators that the recommended plan for school rezoning of their communities – Option 12 — was a bad one.

Did they succeed after the three-and-a-half hour town hall? We’ll find out Friday, when the Pasco School Boundary Committee (SBC) meets at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the arguments made Tuesday night, and whether any of its members – made up of school principals, parents and county administrators – have changed their minds about recommending Option 12.

The SBC, brought together to zone the new Cypress Creek Middle and High School (opening in 2017-18) and reduce overcrowding at Wesley Chapel’s other schools, unanimously voted to recommend Option 12 to the school board in its last meeting.

Option 12 fills the new school with mostly students living west of I-75, but to relieve overcrowding at Wiregrass Ranch High and John Long Middle, also re-zones students who live in neighborhoods with access to Meadow Pointe Blvd. (north and south of S.R. 56), which affects families in Meadow Pointe III and IV, Country Walk, Union Park and other communities.

The re-zoned students, who currently attend John Long Middle (JLMS) and Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH), would move to Thomas E. Weightman Middle (TWM) and Wesley Chapel High (WCH).

At least 50 parents wore black shirts with the 12 crossed out on it at the meeting. The crowd appeared split between two options, 13 and 20, and clearly opposed to 12.

Option 13 basically keeps communities south of S.R. 56 in their current WRH and JLMS zone, preserving Meadow Pointe III and Union Park. For the most part, Option 20 keeps the current zone as it is, with the exception moving Seven Oaks and Northwood to WMS and WCH.

To sum up the meeting: no one wants to drive up Meadow Pointe Blvd. to S.R. 54 to Curley Road during peak traffic hours to get to and from school.

img_2078-2 — Pasco Director of Planning Chris Williams.

Here’s some notes from the parents town hall at WCH, where more than 50 parents and students lined up behind a microphone and made their cases in front of a panel of county administrators (you’ll have to excuse the lack of names. Only a handful of speakers identified themselves, and chasing them down after they spoke was not possible. I’m basically emptying my notebook here.):

The first mention of Option 20, by Pasco director of planning Chris Williams, drew a raucous ovation. By the same token, the first mention of Option 12 was roundly booed.
The first speaker was in favor of Option 20, and said there was a petition backing her support with 1,120 signatures on it that was emailed to the School Board Tuesday afternoon.
One speaker worried about the “emotional impact” on kids not being to attend their neighborhood schools. She worried that the mental health of many of the re-zoned children would be compromised.
One parent who has two children at WRH and in the band said the re-zoning would be a logistical nightmare. This is a legitimate concern echoed by a number of parents during the night.Students who will be seniors next year don’t have to change schools, but their siblings who are incoming freshman or rising sophomores or juniors will have to. “Friday night is going to be very hard,’’ the mom said, with one student performing in band at WRH while the other is performing at the same time at WCH.It was suggested the county consider grandfathering in siblings of seniors to prevent this.
The biggest loser of the night? S.R. 54.“It’s horrible. It’s horrendous. It’s dangerous,’’ said one speaker.A large majority of the supporters of Option 20 cite traffic as their main reason, since it will keep their students from having to be transported up Meadow Pointe Blvd. and then across S.R. 54 to WCH.No one wants to travel on S.R. 54, especially considering a widening project right in front where it crosses Meadow Pointe Blvd. begins in 2017.
Supporters of options 13 and 20 are emboldened by a Florida Department of Transportation review by Joel Provenzano, but especially supports of Option 20.A permits review manager and traffic engineering specialist for FDOT, Provenzavo concluded “the best traffic pattern for the state roads (by far) is Option 20.”Provenzano’s professional opinion was debated Tuesday night, with some suggesting it was just that – an opinion. No official study has been done by FDOT concerning the school options and traffic patterns, and some Seven Oaks parents said their path to school, north on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and east of S.R. 54, would also be fraught with danger.Williams said the county typically doesn’t consult with FDOT – or the Fire and Sheriff’s departments – when drawing its school zones. Again, we’ll see how much of an effect Provenzano’s assessment has on the committee come Friday.But the frustration over the possibility of a 10-minute bus ride to school becoming a 30- or 45-minute ride to school was palpable Tuesday night.
One parent was distraught that her daughter had taken all the prerequisites for WRH’s culinary program, and now would have to attend a school that didn’t have one. A Wesley Chapel student was concerned the sign language courses she had been hoping to take would not be offered at the new school.They were told to look into school choice. If your child is sold on one program or another, and the school they are zoned for doesn’t offer it, they can apply to another school. There are no guarantees, however, that choice will be granted.
Kevin Croswell, representing Meadow Pointe III, spoke out against Option 12. Croswell is against any option that breaks up his community, and thinks the SBC was influenced by Seven Oaks Voice — another parent group that submitted their own proposal for re-zoning that protected its community — because three of the SBC members are Seven Oaks residents.According to Williams, that is not true. He says there are two Seven Oaks residents on the SBC, and they were chosen by the school principals from WRH and JLM, who were allowed to pick two parents apiece. Williams added the county had nothing to do with those choices, and that trying to choose a parent from every community that might be affected would create chaos.However, the lack of Meadow Pointe representation on the SBC was a sticking point for a number of parents in the crowd Tuesday night. One parents yelled out “It’s rigged!”
At least two speakers criticized Meadow Pointe residents for not being more aware of what was going on and attending previous SBC meetings.It wasn’t until the final recommendation that Meadow Pointe and the surrounding communities mobilized. Those residents will tell you if they had had any idea their area had any chance of being re-zoned, they would have been more involved.
Some John Long Middle students spoke, leaving some panel members a little cold as they criticized what may be their new schools. One JLM student suggested to the panel it bring Weightman and Wesley Chapel up to par with his school, which is an A-school, and Wiregrass Ranch (a B school), which would prevent fights about rezoning.Another JLM student claimed that the re-zoning would leave him “friendless.” That drew a collective “awwwwwww” from the crowd.
WCH, a C-rated school in 2015 after four straight years as a B school, took a bit of a beating throughout the night, as did TWM, which is a B school. Wesley Chapel principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles did not have to be restrained even one time. Good job, Carin.
A number of band and athletic parents, as well as a few band members themselves, weren’t happy about the possibility of changing schools.Citing scholarship offers and exposure, they argued that leaving a band at WRH that finished 4^th in the state for a new band that may not be as good was detrimental to their college hopes. Same goes for a few parents of athletes, especially football players, some who will have to leave two good teams at WCH and WRH for the inaugural Cypress Creek team.With no seniors, that team will almost certainly take its lumps and go 0-10. On the other hand, being one of the players that help start a program can provide its own level of fulfillment.
Tom McClanahan, who is representing Union Park, spoke briefly, as did Mark McBride, who leads Seven Oaks Voices. The two community leaders have formed an alliance in support of Option 13.The two have already submitted proposals. Williams says he has received a handful of similar proposals from community leaders, and all have been forwarded to the SBC members.McClanahan’s proposal says that Option 13 reduces the overcrowding of every school below their current levels (Option 12 leaves WCH and TWM over capacity) and provides a more equitable distribution of students. The nine-page report was submitted to the SBC and the school board.
And since Option 12 does leave WCH and TWM overcrowded, what are they thinking, asked another speaker, contending that north of S.R. 54 is a much bigger residential growth area than Wiregrass Ranch. Epperson Ranch is building homes, she said, Water Grass is still growing and Avalon Park could see as many as 4,000 new homes built in the coming years.And let’s not forget the Connected City.
Eva Cooper of Meadow Pointe III, who has a sophomore and a senior at Wiregrass Ranch, lobbied for Option 20 because she claims Option 12 only keeps six communities together, while Option 20 doesn’t split up any. She asked why the SBC decided to keep Seven Oaks, where 19 percent of WRH students live, intact, while splitting up Meadow Pointe, which has 46 percent. “Why are we accommodating so few, and affecting so many?,’’ she asked.
Another Option 20 supporter and Country Walk resident, Tina Dosal, submitted a proposal based on maintaining the Double Branch feeder pattern. Maintaining feeder programs is one of the considerations the SBC was tasked with, but Dosal was one of the few to actually make the feeder argument.
The panel Tuesday night was comprised of Chris Williams (Director of Planning), Carin Hetzler-Nettles (Wesley Chapel principal), Dr. Monica Isle Ed.D (Area Superintendent for east county), Kimberly Poe (Strategic Initiatives and Allocations Program Manager), Dr. David Scanga Ed.D (Area Superintendent for central county), Elizabeth Kuhn (Assistant Superintendent for Support Services), Gary Sawyer (Director of Transportation Services) and Matt Wicks (County Athletic Director).

In conclusion, at least 90 percent of the people in attendance Tuesday night think Option 12 is terrible. But did they make their case strongly enough for Option 13, or Option 20?

Proponents of each of those options turned Tuesday night into a battle between 13 and 20. But to use a football analogy, it all reminds me of an NFL review of a questionable reception.

The call is made (Option 12, in this case), but the referees won’t overturn that call without clear evidence they were wrong. A number of different angles of the instant replay were offered Tuesday night, and on Friday when we’ll know what the SBC sees when it comes out from under the hood.

The public cannot speak — your chance was Tuesday night — but they can attend the SBC meeting Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Wesley Chapel High media center. Williams said despite all the information provided Tuesday, as well as all the emails and proposals he has received and passed on, he expects a decision to be made and an option to pass for recommendation to the school board, which will hold two public readings of the proposal before voting on it in January.

Assistant editor John C. Cotey can be reached at john@neighborhoodnews.com.

Wesley Chapel Wiregrass Ranch

Meadow Pointe, Union Park Parents Hope To Change School Rezoning

option12 — Option 12, pictured above, moves residents in areas numbered 16-23 from the John Long Middle/Wiregrass Ranch High zone & puts them at Weightman Middle and Wesley Chapel High.

When Tom McClanahan first heard that the community in which he lives — Union Park — was being re-zoned and his two children would be attending Thomas Weightman Middle School and Wesley Chapel High School (WCH) instead of nearby John Long Middle and Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH), he was stunned.

Because Union Park is tucked in the southeastern corner of Wesley Chapel, he and other residents never thought re-zoning to help stock the new Cypress Creek High (previously referred to as GGG) — which is located north of S.R. 54 and west of I-75 — would involve them. “That’s why we didn’t get involved,’’ he says.

Until now, that is. Tonight, McClanahan will present an alternative to the Pasco County School Board in preparation for the the big Tuesday, November 29 meeting when a large crowd of parents from Union Park and Meadow Pointe III & IV is expected to gather at WCH’s auditorium to voice their concerns.

Since the new school zone — Option 12 — was chosen by the Pasco County School Boundary Committee (SBC) on Oct. 20 for Cypress Creek High and to relieve overcrowding at all the Wesley Chapel middle and high schools (which are all over capacity) parents in the areas expected to be most affected in Meadow Pointe III and IV and Union Park have rallied to decry the new zones.

Option 12 re-zones all students who live in neighborhoods with access to Meadow Pointe Blvd., like Sheringham, Heatherstone, Claridge Place, Nesslewood and Larkenheath. It also moves more than 300 middle and high school students out of Country Walk and Fox Ridge in Meadow Pointe IV, as well as students all the way east to Union Park.

Groups opposing Option 12 have met numerous times since the proposal was put forth as the SBC choice, developing what they feel are better options. Those options have already been sent to Pasco School Board members and members of the SBC, which is comprised of principals from Wesley Chapel’s schools and parent representatives — including two from Seven Oaks, originally a candidate to be re-zoned.

None of those representatives, however, were from Meadow Pointe or Union Park.

meadowpointesplit “I would say that personally, I was very surprised and confused by the recommendation,’’ said Kevin Croswell, who is representing Meadow Pointe III. “I was surprised because of our physical proximity to our current schools versus the proposal to send students 8-10 miles away. It also splits up Meadow Pointe III. We’d be the only community split up, which contradicts one of the guidelines of re-zoning, which is maintaining subdivision integrity.”

According to Croswell, 56 percent of students in Meadow Pointe III would remain at their current school, with 44 percent having to attend Weightman and Wesley Chapel.

Both groups represented by Croswell and McClanahan have met, and both say they are proceeding professionally and respectfully.

They have asked their neighbors not to flood Pasco’s School Board with angry calls or emails, and instead would like their proposals to do their talking for them. They think when taking future road construction on S.R. 56 and S.R 54 that will impact travel to Weightman and WCH into consideration, as well as slight modifications of other plans (like Options 13 and 20) that could provide greater relief — particularly to Wiregrass Ranch, which is at 168 percent of its capacity — they can get results.

All concerns and feedback raised at the parent meeting will be addressed a few days later, at what could be the final SBC meeting on Friday, December 2, where it will be determined if any changes need to be made.

“It is certainly possible (changes will be made),’’ said Chris Williams, Pasco’s planning director. “The committee usually does a pretty good job and considers things and talks through them and is willing to look at problems from a different perspective.”

Folks in Meadow Pointe and Union Park admit, however, that they were caught by surprise and acknowledge that it is late in the game. But, McClanahan says he has his fingers crossed.

“All of us moved here, because of the schools, so it’s a tough pill to swallow,’’ McClanahan says. “Part of me thinks we might just be going through the motions, but Chris Williams, and some committee and Board members (say) they are willing to tweak things if we are able to present a good enough proposal. And, I think we can.”

Editorial: I’m No ‘Pundit,’ But I Was Wrong About This Election, Too!

In our last issue, I asked the question, “Does anyone still believe ‘La Donald’ was the best choice for the GOP to try to take back the White House?”

Well, Mr. Editor, the answer given by the American public was a resounding, “Heck, yeah!,” as New York billionaire Donald J. Trump is our President-Elect. Deal with it.

Although I took some very-much-expected heat — from both sides, by the way — for it on Facebook, I did as I promised and voted for no one in the Presidential race, even though I cast votes in almost every other race on my ballot on Nov. 8.

And apparently, I wasn’t alone. As chronicled in assistant editor John Cotey’s election recap in our current Wesley Chapel issue, Pasco County (which slaughtered the national voter turnout, 72 percent to 57 percent) more than doubled the total number of “undervotes” (or voters who cast ballots but did not cast a vote in the presidential race) from the 2012 Election.

Although I still hadn’t seen any news media run a story about how many people nationwide cast ballots (but not for president) this year, I did find one ABC News story from the controversial 2000 Presidential Election (remember “hanging chads?”) stating that there were more than two million undervotes for president nationwide that year — and I’m betting this year’s election will surpass that total when all of the final stats are released.

The reason I believe that — and the reason so many fewer registered voters, percentage-wise, cast ballots at all this year — and the reason Trump defeated former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for that matter, is that the campaign was so negative, so draining upon our republic and our people, something had to give.

And give, it did. If anyone still believes in any of the national polls, I have some beachfront property for sale in the Everglades for you. People were so disenchanted with both candidates that it’s hard for me to believe any candidate got any votes at all.

But, considering that most exit polls showed that the biggest single issue that affected how people voted this year was the need for a change, no one should be surprised that Trump won. Whether you love or hate Hillary, there’s no doubt that Americans made it loud and very clear that President Obama’s administration didn’t help enough people enough for them to want to accept four more years of what the outgoing president himself called a “continuation of the progress we’ve made,” which sounds great on the surface, but didn’t instill a whole lot of faith in the millions of Americans who are still struggling.

Sure, you can blame some of the president’s inability to govern on a Republican-led Congress that fought every policy he tried to implement, but voters nationwide said by delivering what really was a landslide (more on this below) victory for Trump that they’re tired of the bickering in our nation’s capital.

That’s why, even though his first-ever elected office of any kind is our Commander in Chief, so many undecided voters seemingly decided to try the new “kid” in town.

I still couldn’t vote for a reality TV star who doesn’t seem to respect women, but the fact is that many more women than expected did vote for him. In fact, the most hard-to-believe statistic I heard was that something above 60 percent of non-college-educated white women voted for Trump. College-educated women voted for Clinton, but by a much slimmer margin.

And, the fact Clinton won the popular vote isn’t really that important. She isn’t the first candidate to earn more individual votes and lose. It’s why the electoral college system was implemented in the first place. In this election, for example, Trump won 30 states, Clinton took 20 and the District of Columbia. But, Trump’s largest margin of victory in any of those states was only the 800,000 votes he won by in Texas. Clinton, on the other hand, won California (2.6 million) and New York (1.5 million) by a combined 4.1 million votes and she won her top-ten states by nearly 8 million votes, while Trump won by only 5.3-million in his top-ten states. Considering that there were only about 120-million ballots cast nationwide, that’s an awful lot of making up to do in his other 20 victorious states, so it’s no surprise he fell a couple of hundred thousand votes short of catching her in the popular vote.

So, even though he was never “my candidate,” I do understand why Trump won, from both the ideological and numbers standpoints, and with his Republican stronghold in both houses of Congress, it would appear he’ll have an easier time of getting his plans implemented. I guess time will tell whether or not all of the people protesting his victory will still be protesting when his (first?) four years is over.

He may not have gotten my vote, but he does have my attention.

Congrats, WC Jazz Fest!

Congratulations go out to Tim Hancock of Jazz Tyme Productions, as his third Wesley Chapel Jazz Festival, held Oct. 15 at Avalon Park West, attracted an estimated 5,000 people.

Look for a recap and more pics at WCNeighborhoodNews.com.

editorial