By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 15, 2011
TAMPA —
For the third time in four years, Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan has been appointed to a one-year term as the board’s chairman.
On Tuesday, the board voted 5 to 2 to approve Hagan’s nomination, which was opposed by outgoing Commission Chairman Al Higginbotham and Commissioner Mark Sharpe.
Higginbotham said he was the target of “vicious attacks” from “outside influences” lobbying other board members not to nominate him.
“It was an aggressive campaign,” Higginbotham said, declining to say who was behind it. “I have a reputation as someone who doesn’t have an open door for lobbyists and have been making hard decisions on the budget, and that makes some people unhappy.”
Higginbotham nominated Sharpe to replace him.
The behind-the-scenes wrangling leading up to Tuesday’s board reorganization meeting prompted Commissioner Les Miller to propose changing the annual nominating process to rotation, giving each commissioner a one-year stint as chairman after 2012.
“This would take the politics out of the process,” he said. “I was shocked to be getting calls a month before this from people asking me to support certain nominations.”
Miller’s proposal was backed by a majority of the board, which voted 5 to 2 to proceed with drafting an ordinance and to hold two required public hearings on the measure.
Commissioners Higginbotham and Victor Crist voted against the measure, saying they wanted more time to study Miller’s proposal before proceeding to public hearings.
Commissioner Sandy Murman, who was appointed vice-chairperson, said the behind-the-scenes manipulation over selecting a board chairman has gotten “out of control.”
“Our process is flawed,” said Murman, who backed Miller’s plan. “We need to change it.”
Crist said he also heard from individuals and groups seeking to influence the nominations, but questioned why anyone would bother trying to sway the vote.
“The chairman has no more influence than any other member of this board,” he said
Commissioners will hold the first public hearing on the proposal on Dec. 7.
