(return to media page)The Tampa Tribune, July 5, 2008
Amendment Muzzles Citizens' VoiceBy BOB HENRIQUEZ
John Hedrick's recent guest column, "Hometown Democracy Returns Power To
Citizens" (Other Views, June 26), peddles the popular myth that the "Hometown Democracy" amendment will give power to the people.
Oddly enough, Hedrick's column comes on the heels of a lawsuit that proves just how hypocritical this claim is.
Only a few days ago, Hometown Democracy asked a federal judge to strike down the Feb. 1 filing deadline. This filing deadline was not some arbitrary provision adopted by the Legislature; it was a constitutional amendment passed by the voters. One wonders how Hedrick and the folks behind "Hometown Democracy" can claim to respect the will of the people while they imultaneously ask a federal judge to overturn the results of a democratic election.
We should not be surprised. When it comes to Hometown Democracy, the reality always falls short of the rhetoric. Ultimately, the few wealthy individuals funding this initiative have one goal: Stop all growth at any cost.
Hedrick promotes another Hometown Democracy half-truth when he claims the amendment will give people the "power to make major growth decisions directly." Nowhere in the text of the Hometown Democracy amendment does it say we will vote only on "major" comprehensive land- use plan changes. Indeed, under this amendment, the voters will be forced to decide hundreds of plan changes, even minor and technical details.
Not surprisingly, ballots will balloon from 1 or 2 pages to 40 or 50 pages. Don't take my word for it. Drop by your city clerk's office or visit the Department of Community Affairs Web site to view your town's comprehensive land use plan. You'll get the idea. Condensing these telephone book-sized plans into meaningful 75-word ballot summaries borders on the impossible.
Worse still, it shortchanges the voters and threatens to disillusion an already-fatigued electorate. Under Hometown Democracy, it would not be uncommon for the voters to face 200 or 300 comprehensive plan changes on a single ballot. Tired and disenfranchised, many voters will simply decide to avoid the process altogether, abandoning the ballot box to a tiny minority.
There is another important point that is absent from Hedrick's column: Under Hometown Democracy, those who must live with land-use changes will often find themselves outnumbered at the polls by those who do not. This amendment will guarantee that residents living on the other side of the county will have as much say as you do when it comes to hospitals, schools, parks and other planning projects in your neighborhood. It may not be fair, but it's just another unintended consequence of the so-called Hometown Democracy amendment.
Ultimately, Hometown Democracy taps into mainstream concerns about growth management in Florida, but the proposal itself it too radical and leaves too many unanswered questions. Amendment leaders, like Hedrick, are not attempting to "reform" or "improve" growth management in Florida - they are attempting to get rid of it altogether.
That is why mainstream environmental groups like the Florida Audubon Society are on the sideline.
It is also why our state's top growth management watchdog, 1000 Friends of Florida, came out against the proposal, saying "A series of legal challenges will likely be necessary because of the vague wording of the proposed amendment. Questions include: Will plan amendments be voted on individually or in a bundled package of many amendments? Will the amendments be considered at regular elections or will special elections be required? Who will pay for the new and increased costs associated with these elections? What happens if changes required during the mandated seven-year update of the comprehensive plan are not approved by the voters?"
These are just some of the many unanswered questions that surround Hometown Democracy. Unfortunately, if this amendment is adopted, these questions will likely be resolved (or remain unresolved) through costly and seemingly endless legal wrangling. Meanwhile, nothing will get done.
Bob "Coach" Henriquez is a former state representative and the Hillsborough chairman of Floridians for Smarter Growth.