TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Candidates Talk To Keystone Group

ADVERTISEMENT

By STEPHEN HAMMILL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

KEYSTONE - At the Keystone Civic Association's general membership meeting last week, residents heard from two school board hopefuls.

The KCA welcomed Stephen Gorham and Jason Mims to a meet-the-candidate session at the Keystone Community Center, 17928 Gunn Highway.

Gorham and Mims are running for the District 7 seat, which is countywide.

"I'm here to let you folks know why I'm running," Mims told the residents. The candidates spent five minutes introducing themselves. A question-and-answer session followed.

Questions focused on how the candidates would use future funds and how they would deal with budget cuts.

"It was a good opportunity to listen to resident concerns," Mims said. "I was able to cover the items which matter to me, like how we'll spend tax dollars for education."

Mims revealed plans to focus his efforts by curbing public dollars used for the county's nutrition services program and the Florida Virtual School, which offers online courses for middle and high school students.

"The folks in Keystone are concerned with the fiscal irresponsibility of the current board," said Gorham, a current administrator for Hillsborough Community College, who left the meeting early.

Reached the next day on the phone, he said, "Carol Kurdell, incumbent candidate and current school board vice chair has been there for 16 years. If she was going to do something positive, she would've done it. We're still talking about the same issues we were 16 years ago."

Barbara Dowling, recording secretary for the KCA, said they invited all three candidates running for the at-large board position. Kurdell could not attend the meeting. She has agreed to attend the next general membership meeting, scheduled for June 26.

Also scheduled to attend June 26 are Kevin Beckner, Denise Layne and Don Kruse, candidates for the District 6 at-large county commission seat, and Phyllis Busansky, candidate for supervisor of elections.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or shammill@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT