Letters to the Editor St. Petersburg Times April 9, 2002 http://www.sptimes.com/2002/04/09/NorthPinellas/Decision_on_new_Largo.shtml

Clearwater plans clouded by misinformation

Re: Lies doomed redevelopment plan, letter, March 26.

I'm sorry, but letter writer Earl M. Hoaglin is badly misinformed on every issue he discusses.

The downtown referendum project would not have provided funds for police salaries and such. By law, any increase in real estate property taxes in downtown Clearwater must be poured back into downtown improvements. It's called "tax increment financing," and it is not available for salaries.

Mr. Hoaglin seems to think approval of the project would have somehow diminished Scientology influence in downtown. If so, why were so many Scientologists attending the referendum meetings and speaking vigorously in favor of the project? Mr. Hoaglin clearly does not know that the city attorney acknowledged at a City Commission meeting that the city would have little or no influence over who the developers chose to sublease or transfer the lease of property to.

He is ignoring the fact that the current city authorities have for two years been spending money on the Phillies stadium and expensive tweaking of the roundabout instead of moving forward with any progress in downtown.

Still sulking because 72 percent of the voters disagreed with their grandiose plans for the bluff and bayfront, they seem to be taking satisfaction in the fact that successive concerts and now the building of the bridge have contributed to the deterioration of our bayfront park, which the people of Clearwater have voted, time and again, to preserve.

The one positive project in downtown Clearwater is the town lake, and they limited the scope of that feature so that it is not as much a positive as it could be.

As for all those lies supposedly told by the Save the Bayfront group for which I was spokeswoman, those people who have followed my efforts at City Hall for more than 30 years know that I am not a liar and will not participate in any lying.

I noted that Mr. Hoaglin gave no specific examples of the so-called untruths. What Clearwater needs is problem solvers, not finger pointers.

-- Anne McKay Garris, Clearwater

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