The Interviewer Interviewed

Mostly in my journalism career I was the interviewer not the interviewee. That's all changed . As a public person I'm now on the receiving end of interview requests, and as a former worker in the fallow feilds of journalism I seldom turn down a request for a reasonable interview.

This week's call came from Nicola White, the Tampa Tribune's beat reporter for Zephyrhills. She had missed the latest Charter Study Committtee meeting and wanted to know what had happened. I was more than happy to fill her in on my politically-incorrect statements.

In passing I also learned she'd been born in Ireland. Odd, I mused; had we been back in ethnic Northeastern Pennsylvania I'd have young spalpeens lined up at her door. No such luck here in East Pasco County: cowboys, yes, spalpeens, no.

Nicola wanted to know if I were going to run for Council again. "Not today" was the cryptic answer, an answer that leaves all kinds of doors wide open.

She questioned my logic in insisting that the super majority vote required to fire the city manager be changed to a simple majority. But, when I explained that the Manatger as well as the heads of the uniformed departments needed to be more closely tied to the electorate I think a few bells rang. Fact is, I do believe the Police Chief, the Fire Chief and the Manager do need to be more under the collective thumbs of Council than the presently are. That, plus the fact that bureaucrats get fat and lazy if they view their jobs as a sinicure prompted me to advocate some fairly regular hiring and firing in their ranks, just to keep them on their toes.

Take one simple example: The city has passed a heavy truck ordinance that carriea a $500 fine that goes direct to the city coffers. Thus far this weekend I've counted $2500 worth of rolling truck finees thudding past my house. Even reported a few of them, but the police have more pressing priorities.

I'm waiting for the day when the police want a few new cars, a few more men, and they are told there's no money in the city coffers for such stuff. That's when I rise in Council with my tally sheet of un-ticketed trucks and point out there would easily be enough money if the local Truc Ordinancde had been enforced ---even enfored poorly.

Our conversation ranged freely, even to if I'd run for Council again. I let that one pretty much swing in the breeze.

All in all, it was a refreshing half hour chat. Now, we'll see if I'm as impressed when I read her story.

Arjay Morgan

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