Leadership is about providing what we need, not just what we want

By Chris Ingram

On Friday of last week, Josh Burgin qualified to run against Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe for the at-large seat Sharpe has held for the last six years.

Burgin, who is a nice guy whom I consider a friendly acquaintance, made a calculated move based on the assumption that Sharpe is vulnerable for two reasons: 1) because Sharpe has been a strong advocate for the local option transportation improvement penny sales tax; and, 2) because Sharpe is an incumbent in a year when voters appear to be very anti-incumbent.

So now this nice fella’ Josh wants to represent us on the commission. Great! We need more young people with fresh ideas. But Burgin, who is 34 years old, isn’t ready for primetime. His life experiences include all of being the Executive Director of the local G.O.P., and an aide to former commissioner Brian Blair.  To my knowledge he has never run a business, or served in the military, and he never finished college (strangely enough, his wife answered a call to his campaign phone and she didn’t know if he ever attended college, or if he had gone to college, where). Not that all of these things are a necessary requirement, but when you start adding up Josh’s accomplishments, the resume screams “untested.”

So what makes Josh run? For that, you have to understand the “I’ll get you” mentality of the man who got him to run. The same man who recruited Burgin, two years ago told me “I know Buddy Johnson is a moron but he’s our moron, so we need to support him,” in a discussion we were having about the now disgraced former county Elections Supervisor. Fortunately the voters got smart and sent Johnson packing, and the little guy from Brandon walked away with his tail between his legs. The point is, Burgin is supported by the same bunch of backroom, poker playing, kingmakers who gave us Buddy Johnson.

As for his platform, Burgin’s is thinner than a strand of angel hair pasta. It basically boils down to one issue: he’s opposed to the transportation infrastructure improvement plan Sharpe.  And while he’d like to fancy himself as the ultra-conservative “Minnie-Me” to Brian Blair, he lacks the main thing Blair has going for him – namely, name I.D. and a spandex Bumble Bee suit.

If Burgin and his cronies had their way, we’d all just look the other way the next twenty years as our roads continue to clog – kind of the way our local “leaders” have acted for the last twenty years. If you want more of the same (lack of proper planning, traffic gridlock, and the mess that is County Center), Josh is your guy.

But if you’re someone who frequently rides the roads of Hillsborough County and has to sit in gridlock every day, and you’re tired of it; or if you think the Pat Bean/Renee Lee fiasco at County Center should have been solved months ago, look to Mark Sharpe.

We could sit around and talk about who is to blame for the “Hillsborough havoc” until we’re blue in the face. People like County Commissioner Jim Norman come to mind. Norman has been in office for an eternity, and now, facing term limits, seeks a seat in the State Senate. He’ll fit right in, as that body is full of double-talking do-nothings with questionable motives and sub-par ethics. The fact that the aggregate I.Q. of the entire body is less than the combined scoring of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season bodes well for Norman – he’ll be the brightest bulb in a chamber full of night lights. And while his move to the legislature will be a bad thing for the state of Florida, his absence on the Hillsborough County Commission will be a welcome change, so “so long Norman!”

While the lack of leadership demonstrated by Norman and others can be ignored – since pointing fingers won’t fix the gridlock – the problem itself cannot. And while the transportation improvement plan may not be perfect, it is a start. Being stuck in traffic costs us all money not to mention a lower standard of living and a decreased quality of life. Personally, I’d pay a two-penny tax to not be stuck in traffic most afternoons if I knew it would get me home quicker so I could spend more time with my family.

I’m not convinced the tax will do this, so I will continue to do research on the issue before I decide to support it or not. But one thing is clear: Mark Sharpe is trying, and he’s shown leadership on this issue. Norman, Burgin, and the kingmaking poker player who supports them are good at criticizing Sharpe’s efforts – but don’t look to them for any solutions. They don’t have a plan. Planning means you’ve got to make tough decisions – and that is a lot harder than throwing stones at someone else’s ideas.

This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2010.