Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 1-29-16 Edition

Local
First Time In History:
African American Males Chair City Council And County Commission
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
For the first time in the history of Tampa and Hills- borough County, African American males are Chairs of the City Council and County Commission.
Former County Commis- sioner Thomas Scott and former City Councilperson Gwen Miller were the first African Americans to both serve as Chairs.
City Council Chair, Frank Reddick, said being Chair is very big and you’re in control of the day-to-day ac- tivities of your colleagues.
“You have to deal with personal issues involving your colleagues, and you become more involved in the creation of the meeting agendas.
“You also are more in- volved with issues concerning the city’s budget, and you in- teract directly with all of the city’s department heads and general counsel.”
Council Chair Reddick
said you want to be fair and open minded, and you want to make sure the Council’s protocol is intact. You also oc- casionally have to play the role of peacemaker.
“What I’d like to accom-
FRANK REDDICK Council Chair, D-5 Representative
LES MILLER Commission Chair, D-3 Representative
County, and the issue of transportation right now is a top priority. I also rely on my experience as a former state legislator to find out what’s going on in Tallahassee.”
Commission Chair Miller said as Chair, you have to make sure everything is in place, and that the meet- ings are run smoothly.
“There are a lot of docu- ments involved, and I have to be a lot more accessible.
“As Chair, I have a lot of issues I’ll have to face, and there are some things going on that I have to make sure we’re on top of. There are 1.3 million people living in Hills- borough County, and we have some big issues coming up, especially when it comes to the budget.”
As far as being Chair and the representative for District 3, Commission Chair Miller said being a D-3 rep- resentative is his top priority.
“But, I’m also a County Commissioner, and that means my interest also has to involve the entire county.
“I’ll continue to strive to improve D-3, but as Chair I have to look at the entire county. Anything I do for D-3 doesn’t interfere with my re- sponsibilities as Chair.”
plish as Chair is to make sure we get a fair share of the budget to meet the needs of my colleagues’ constituents on the Council.
“It takes quite a balancing act to be Chair and District 5 representative. Some of my district responsibilities have caused me to rely more on my aide in balancing everything.
“My primary responsibil- ity is to my constituents. After that comes the city, and my job as Chair.”
County Commission Chair, Les Miller, said it is an exhausting job, but he’s proud to do it.
“Being Chair of the County Commission is an awesome responsibility. You have o meet with the County Admin- istrator to brief him on what’s going on, and you also have to meet with staff.
“I attend a lot of speaking engagements on behalf of the
Senator Named Women In Government Foundation, Inc. State Director
State Senator Arthenia L. Joyner was recently sworn in as a State Director for the Women In Government Foun- dation, Inc. (WIG). Senator Joyner joins 199 other women state legislators to serve in this coveted role in 2016.
As such, Senator Joyner serves as an Ambassador for the State of Florida, helping drive commerce and educa- tional opportunities while as- sisting WIG with its state-based policy events across the region. WIG nomi- nates four directors from each state every year to ensure all sides of the electorate are fairly represented.
“We at WIG sincerely ap- preciate Senator Joyner’s willingness to serve in such an important capacity on behalf of our organization,” said Dyan Alexander, Executive Director, WIG.
“As we work with organiza- tions and corporations inter- ested in sharing the most cutting-edge research and in- formation on pressing policy issues with legislators, having Senator Joyner’s assistance is critical. They help ensure those who represent the elec- torate make sound decisions based on the latest information available. We sincerely thank Senator Joyner for all they do on behalf of those they
serve.” WIG is a national 501c3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organ- ization that serves the 1,804 (or 24.4%) women state legis- lators across the nation. It is based in Washington, DC and supports women state legisla- tors across the United States.
WIG provides leadership opportunities, networking, ex- pert forums, and educational resources to address and re- solve complex public policy is- sues. Its goal is to empower state legislators to make the most informed policy decision based on the most up-to-date information available. WIG has been serving in this capac- ity for 27 years to date. For more information about WIG, please contact Cherisse Eat- mon, Manager of Legislator Outreach, at 202-333-0825, ext. 200. www.wom- eningovernment.org.
SENATOR ARTHENIA JOYNER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A