Guest Editorial by ALAN COHN
Every 8–12 years, the Tampa City Council and Mayor form a Charter Review Advisory Commission to review and update the city’s governing charter — the document that defines how our city government operates.
District 7 City Councilman Luis Viera appointed me to represent New Tampa on that commission.
His only instruction to me was simple: Use your best judgment and do a good job.
I took that responsibility seriously.
And I’m proud to say we did something monumental.
We made Tampa’s city government more accountable, more transparent and more responsive to the people it serves.
People have every right to question government. In fact, they should.
That’s why I helped champion the creation of Tampa’s first-ever Inspector General.
The Inspector General (IG) will have the independence to investigate allegations of (governmental) corruption and wrongdoing without political interference or favor. The IG will be selected by a distinguished panel that includes the State Attorney, Public Defender, Chief Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit, Mayor, City Council and others.
Why does that matter?
Because while the City Council has the authority to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, it has no dedicated budget to conduct those investigations. And, when elected officials investigate elected officials, there can always be questions about political motivation.
The Inspector General changes that.
It puts an independent watchdog inside Tampa’s system of government whose job it is to follow the facts and protect the public interest.
Only a handful of cities in Florida — including Doral and Jacksonville — have an Inspector General. Tampa is about to join them.
But, we didn’t stop there.
We also delivered a major win for the residents of New Tampa.
For years, Councilman Viera has fought to secure funding for parks, playgrounds, infrastructure and other projects our community needs.
But, getting funding approved doesn’t necessarily mean a project gets built.
Too often, residents are left wondering: What happened to that project? When will it be completed? Why is it delayed?
That’s changing.
We’ve created a new transparency system requiring the city to provide an annual progress report on major capital improvement projects — including their current status, delays or problems and anticipated completion dates.
If taxpayers are funding it, they deserve to know what’s happening with it.
That’s what good government looks like.
We made other important changes as well, and I look forward to sharing more about them soon.
The final changes to the city charter have now been approved and sent to the City Council and Mayor. They will ultimately go before Tampa voters next spring.
I’m especially grateful to Councilman Viera for choosing me, trusting me and giving me the opportunity to fight for the people of New Tampa.
He asked me to use my best judgment and do a good job.
And I think we did.
And, this is exactly the kind of government I believe Tampa deserves: independent, transparent, accountable, and always working for the people.
Alan Cohn is New Tampa’s appointed representative on Tampa’s Charter Review Advisory Commission and a candidate for Tampa City Council, District 7
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