Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 7-25-17

Features
Town Hall Meeting Was Opportunity To Ask Questions About Local And State Issues
REP. SEAN SHAW
REP. WENGAY NEWTON
COUNCILMAN FRANK REDDICK
SCH. BD. MEM. TAMARA SHAMBURGER
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Road construction, jobs, and education policies were among the topics discussed at a town hall meeting hosted last week by State Rep. Sean Shaw.
Joining him to answer questions from more than 30 residents was City Council- man Frank Reddick, Hills- borough School Board member, Tamara Sham- burger, and Pinellas State Rep. Wengay Newton.
The gathering took place later the same day that County Commissioners voted to re- verse its previous decision against moving a controversial Confederate monument in front of the county court- house.
Both Rep. Shaw and Councilman Reddick urged attendees to get more involved in the political process after expressing some disappointment that more members of the African Amer- ican community were not present at the meeting.
Citizens should be consis- tently engaged with their elected officials about the is- sues that affect them, Shaw said.
“You’ve got to show up and make it known how you feel,” he said. “We can’t change any- thing by ourselves.”
Councilman Reddick
said he was “outraged” when his council colleagues voting 13 times against his reelection as council chairman did not spark an upset in the Black community.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, but I was not given a second chance,” he said. “This is where our community has to wake up. Because they take us for granted.”
In his brief remarks, State Rep. Newton shifted the topic to a proposed homestead exemption – formally known as Amendment 1 – that would increase the homestead tax
exemption from $50,000 to $75,000.
But the exemption would apply only to homes worth $100,000 or more, a move that would not be advanta- geous for most homeowners, Rep. Newton said.
Additionally, passing the exemption would cut into re- sources which means a bump in government services like fire, police, and EMT, he said.
“Many can’t benefit from this,” he said.
When asked about the low number of minority contrac- tors working on local con- struction projects, Councilman Reddick stated that part of the problem is the low number of “viable bidders” submitting propos- als.
Many contractors are un- able to meet the insurance lia- bility requirement, he said.
One solution that’s been proposed would have smaller contractors partner with larger firms that could help them meet the insurance re- quirement, he said.
The meeting was an eye- opening first for Ciera and Craig Fox, who said in a sep- arate interview they plan to at- tend more town halls.
“I’m just kind of learning who (elected officials) are,” said Craig.
Ciera said she’s con- cerned with officials’ approach to problems in local schools and economic development in the Black community.
“We have two “F” schools in our community,” she said. “What are we doing to im- prove those schools?”
Town hall meeting are op- portunities for constituents to express their concerns – an act that should extend to other public gatherings, Rep. Shaw said.
“We have to have these things like this,” he said. “You have to be at City Hall to make your voice heard and to let people know we are watch- ing.”
Best Books And Rich Treasures In Ybor City To Host ‘Authors Showcase’
An inside view of Best Books and Rich Treasures in Ybor City.
BY SORAYA K. ROUSE
Historic Ybor City is full of great buys and rich treasures and Best Books and Rich Treasures bookstore is one of them.
Nestled in a quiet, quaint corner adjacent to Hillsbor- ough Community College, this treasure specializes in books about the African diaspora.
Best Books and Rich Treasures carries books about and by African-American au- thors. This Ybor City treasure quenches a cultural thirst, left void since Books for Thought, owned by the late Felecia A. Winton closed in 2007.
The store is colorful, eclec- tic and quaint. Customers can enjoy coffee and tea inside surrounded by art while sit- ting on sofas and outside there is a chess board where two local young men are enjoying a game of chess.
“We have new, rare and used books. Our prices range from one dollar to $500 dol-
lars for first edition col- lectibles,” said Harry Richardson, who along with his wife, Gigi Best-Richard- son are the proud owners.
“Plum Bun’ by Jessie Redmon Fauset is probably the rarest book that we have. It’s one of a few books written by a woman during the Harlem Renaissance. We also have Letters from a Birming- ham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” added Best-Richardson.
Prior to relocating to Ybor City, the couple owned a bookstore on Interbay and MacDill in South Tampa. The Richardsons opened their first book store in Virginia Beach, VA in 1997.
“We began as traveling vendors, selling books during special events, like African- American and Women’s’ His- tory celebrations at bases where my husband was sta- tioned, like Fort Benning, then we opened a two-story storefront bookstore, then
moved to the Virginia Farm- ers Market and Antique Mall,” recalled Best-Richardson.
The retired military couple has more than 20 years of mil- itary experience in the armed forces.
The New Jersey natives have traveled extensively throughout the USA, Asia and Europe including stays in Turkey and Korea.
For more information visit bestbooksrichtreasures.com or call 813-944-9802.
*** Saturday, July 29, 2017, from 1-4 p. m., Best Books & Rich Treasures, 1501 E. Ninth Avenue, will host local au- thors, Lucinda Askew, “Joy Comes in the Morning,” Megen C. Williams, “Am- nesia,” Yolanda Streeter, “Roses of Crimson,” Pam McCoy, “Bona5d Bits,” and Veronica Blakely, “De- pression is a T.H.I.E.F.” Catering will be provided by Chef Demetria Bur- gohy.***
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