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Health & Fitness

Did 828 Backfire?

Managing this disparate group was like herding cats so they decided on co-chairs

There were a lot of people who thought Mayor Bill Foster's 828 Committee was a bad idea. Was it good planning, a political ploy or just another Bill Foster knee jerk reaction?

If this were not a Mayoral election year, one could understand the concept. 

Given the likelihood of a LENS defeat, let's hit the ground running. But with the distinct possibility that Mayor Foster could end up a lame duck after the primary, the idea just seemed odd.

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The committee started being populated, with lot of the old familiar faces, the LENs opponents yelled foul, then they were added, but the public distrust of the 828 process was immediate and continues.

Managing this disparate group was like herding cats so they decided on co-chairs, with former Pier Task Force vice chair Ed Montanari, and Concerned Citizens  Committee Chair Fred Whaley and thus the group was polarized right along the lines of the struggle of the last two years.

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Brilliant!

The latest debacle for his honor the Mayor comes after he indicated that this group could consider some options for the existing Pier. They immediately took him up on his offer and Fred Whaley made a motion to reopen the old Pier.

The Group has asked City staff for some estimated costs on reopening the old Pier, and it will be interesting to see if Staff plays straight or pads the costs making the the deal look to expensive.

Given the current legal appeal of the Save The Pier Group, it would seem the City is on some thin ice here.

The public, in the mean time, is trying to sift through this unnecessary distraction while they try to sort out the LENS ballot item.

It's hard to tell what Foster's real motivation was in the 828 process, you would like to chalk it up to a good faith effort, but it certainly has blown up in his face.

His premier planning committee, which I genuinely believe they were trying to load up with Foster/LENS friendlies, is now considering undoing his honors' Pier revenge on the people by asking the Mayor's own staff to give them the details on reopening at least part of the Pier.

Now his honor flip flops again and says St. Petersburg Will Not Reopen The Pier. "It's not happening" said the Mayor. Take that all you tax paying citizens.

You just can't make this stuff up.

I don't really see much positive planning coming out of this group. A good outcome would be some degree of access to the existing Pier.

I would still like to see a few work-a-day folks on this committee have some serious input.

Since the stated task of 828 is to plan on how we get to a new plan, part of the plan for the new plan should include making sure that the real people have a part in the new plan.

I know...go back and read it again.

To me all of this shows once again just how inept Bill Foster is at leading the City. 

There was no rush. All of this could have waited until after the August Primary, then there would have been a clear decision, no politicking for the Mayor's Race, or the LENS vote and a committee such as this could have provided some valuable input.

All this does is continue the polarization that the LENS has created and drag it over into the next phase of refurbishing the current Pier or designing and building a new one.

e-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net, or send me a Facebook Friend request.

Campaign Disclosures: Contributor to Kathleen Ford Campaign, Darden Rice Campaign, Concern Citizens of St. Petersburg

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