Page 4 - 7-10-15 Friday's Edition

Features
Charter Review Board Rejects
Nation Of Islam To Celebrate 20th Anniversary Of Million Man March
Expanding County Commission Seats
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
County Commissioner Les Miller had suggested to his colleagues that there was an ur- gent need to change the makeup of the Board, and suggested the addition of two seats.
“On three occasions, this has been proposed, and each time my colleagues rejected the idea.
“The current makeup of the Board is the same as it was in 1983 and at that time the popu- lation in Hillsborough County was 625,000. Today, that num- ber is close to 2 million.
“That means, each Commis- sioner now represents about 325,000 people, and that num- ber is too high.”
The County Charter Review Board had been reviewing the possibility of adopting a plan that would allow additional seats on the Commission.
Review Board member, Gerald White said he along with others felt the time was right to change the makeup of the Board.
“It was evident that the county’s Hispanic population had exploded, and there needed to be a representative on the Board to reflect that population.
“However, after Tuesday night’s decision, the Hispanic community will continue to not have representation on the Board.”
During Tuesday night’s meeting the Charter Review Board was set to vote on
COMMISSIONER LES MILLER
COMMISSIONER VICTOR CRIST
GERALD WHITE Charter Review Board Member
whether or not to send the deci- sion to the people on the 2016 ballot and allow them to decide if they wanted to add more com- missioners.
“That was shot down in an 11-3 vote, with myself, Evelio Otero and Norma Reno the only ones voting in favor of the expansion.
“The reason given for reject- ing the plan was the cost factor. They estimated between $700,0o0 and a billion dollars would be needed to add two commissioners to the Board.”
White said no matter the argument the Hispanic commu- nity made, it all came down to cost, and he thinks they were done a disservice by the Board.
“No other proposal was made, and for right now, it’s off the table.”
Comm. Miller said he knew before the meeting it would be rejected.
“Because of the makeup of the Review Board, I didn’t ex- pect the 5-4 suggestion to be ac- cepted. They actually thought
the cost of expanding govern- ment wasn’t worth adding the two seats. It was a political deci- sion, and this was the last hope I had after it had been turned down three times before.
“Why not let the people de- cide what kind of government they want. I think they wanted to take that element away. It’s a shame the Hispanic community still doesn’t have a representa- tive.”
Commissioner Victor Crist said they created the Charter Review Board to debate issues and put together recom- mendations.
“I honor their decision. I can understand why Commis- sioner Miller wants to do this, but in my district the population is Middle Eastern and Asian, so you have to be careful when you start distinguishing seats by eth- nicity. There’s a better way to do it. The political action groups need to step up and identify po- tential candidates that can rep- resent the Hispanic population. I put my trust in the Board to make the right decision.”
BROTHER RICHARD MUHAMMAD
On October 10, 2015, the Na- tion of Islam will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the his- toric “Million Man March.”
The local Tampa organizing committee wants to invite the public to attend a meeting held at 905 East Skagway every Tues- day and Thursday at 6 p. m. as activities and transportation is- sues are discussed.
Brother Richard Muhammad, a local organizer and student, said they plan to
HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN
take 10 buses from Tampa to Washington, D.C. for the an- niversary celebration and this year’s theme will be “Justice Or Else.”
From 9:30 a. m. until 10 a. m. every Sunday, the Honor- able Minister Louis Far- rakhan will be speaking and his sermons can be heard on WTMP 1150AM radio.
Anyone seeking more infor- mation about this celebration can call (813) 406-1047.
‘Meet And Mingle’
Event Will Announce
New Book Store
It’s been quite some time since there was a book store that favored African American au- thors over others.
On June 4th, Tasha Lawrence founded the Tampa Urban Book Store, and on July 18th from 3 p. m. to 7 p. m. at the Howard Johnson’s Hotel on 50th Street, she will be hosting a “Meet and Mingle” session.
Lawrence says she remem- bers the last African American book store, Books For Thought, and she purchased several books from the store.
“I decided to set up a book store because I’m an avid reader and finding books by African American authors is hard.
“Also the big stores like Barnes and Noble don’t attract African American readers. My goal is to reestablish the interest in reading by putting material out there that will attract even the modest readers.”
Lawrence said she also wants to attract young people to her books and give them a safe environment to read and study.
“My plan is to appeal to the schools in the area, and bring back the love of reading.
“To keep up with history and what’s going on around you
TASHA LAWRENCE
now, you need to read more than just the newspaper. You need to read material that will expand your mind and open new doors of interest.”
Lawrence is a graduate of Leto High School and the single mother of four children. She says when it comes to her own reading tastes, she prefers real- ity type books.
“I haven’t given any thought to writing a book myself, but I always encourage my children to read.
“I haven’t set up a store front yet. I hope to do that by the end of the year. Right now, I’m sell- ing books online.”
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2015