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Brian Willis says Sandy Murman proposed reforms don’t go far enough

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Reacting to a perceived backlash to the behind-the-scenes effort with the Go Hillsborough transportation initiative, Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman on Wednesday released a proposed ordinance to provide more transparency on who is trying to influence public officials. Lobbyists who visit county commissioners or employees would have to register for a fee and disclose what their interests were, allowing the public to search and track lobbyists’ activities online. Nonprofit lobbyists would be required to register annually but pay no…

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Sandy Murman announces effort to clean up special interests’ influence in county government

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman announced today a set of reforms for those who do business with County Commission officials and staff in the wake of the controversy involving the $1.35 million contract the county made with transportation consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff on the Go Hillsborough transportation initiative. Nine days ago WTSP10 questioned the influence of Tampa public relations consultant Beth Leytham in Parsons Brinckerhoff acquiring the contract. Leytham is the politically wired-in consultant who is making $187,500 to do communications work…

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Mitch Perry Report for 9.22.15 — Hillsborough County transportation tax now DOA?

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Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill is calling on Sheriff David Gee to investigate the contract awarded to Parsons Brinckerhoff for the public outreach effort for a proposed transportation sales tax. He’s also calling on PB to stop all work on the Go Hillsborough campaign, until Gee’s inquiry is complete. That second action sounds more dramatic than it is. The Go Hillsborough meetings will continue over the next two weeks. County Chair Sandy Murman had hinted last week that she was prepared to…

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Go Hillsborough transportation plan begins second wave of meetings

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There are lots of cultural differences between Tampa and the larger outlying areas that encompass Hillsborough County. One of those fissures until recently was gay rights. Whereas the city itself had a robust LGBT community and representatives who treated that community with respect, the County Commission voted on policies that discriminated against gays, until they reversed some of those votes in the past two years. Another issue where the county and city residents diverge in their interests is on transportation. And…

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Mitch Perry Report for 8.20.15 — The 1% solution for a Hillsborough County transportation tax

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The news that the Go Hillsborough campaign has reintroduced the prospect of the Hillsborough transportation tax going from a half-cent to a full penny apparently alienated a few county commissioners, who didn’t get a heads-up that County Administrator Mike Merrill was about to do that on Monday. So now that they’ve got that out of their system, I’m curious as to what will be the magic moment that convinces Merrill and consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff to tell the Policy Leadership Group that…

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Hillsborough County to study what it would cost if PTC were to go away

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(Update: Jeff Brandes & Uber respond). This past week St. Petersburg-based state Sen. Jeff Brandes said that he intends to once again introduce legislation in next year’s Regular Session to reform the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. Brandes, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, was reacting to the news that the PTC, which regulates commercial vehicle use in the county, would continue to have its officers cite Uber and Lyft drivers, even after a Hillsborough judge blocked efforts by the agency to ban ridesharing in Hillsborough.…

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Mitch Perry Report for 8.18.15 — It’s not going as planned for Scott Walker

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

Four years ago, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was considered a strong challenger to Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination. Then the Iowa Straw Poll happened. Pawlenty fared poorly, and on August 11, 2011,  he was stunningly out of the race. Flash forward four years later: Is Scott Walker this year’s version of Tim Pawlenty? Walker has been considered all year by many commentators (and this reporter) as among the top-tier candidates for the nomination. And nowhere has the Wisconsin governor been strongest…

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