Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on BOCC meeting:
Testy Hillsborough County Commission sets tone for divisive 2017
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 6:13pm
TAMPA — Charges of flip-flopping. Accusations of indifference. One elected official caught on a microphone mumbling about a colleague: “How do you sleep at night?”
If Wednesday was a harbinger for the upcoming year, the Hillsborough County Commission is headed toward a rancorous 2017.
In their first meeting since the November election, commissioners heatedly argued several subjects: How to spend a $7.9 million surplus turned over by the county’s constitutional officers; whether lobbyists should be able to text commissioners during meetings; how to pick a board chairman in the future.
It wasn’t quite a return to the battles of past County Commissions, when showdowns were commonplace. But it was a noticeable departure for a board that just recently toasted its family-like relations, and a signal that divisions over how to pay for transportation could boil over.
Commissioner Sandy Murman, for example, wanted the surplus $7.9 million to go immediately toward fixing roads. But she was rebuked by the rest of the board, which voted to hold off on spending it for now.
At one point, Murman threatened to keep commissioners there all day with motions to allocate the money for transportation and questioned their commitment to solving the problem.
“You guys, is transportation important?” she said. “I mean, really.”
To which Commissioner Ken Hagan replied: “If transportation was such a high priority for Commissioner Murman, with all due respect, she should have supported the referendum (to raise the sales tax).”
Hagan and Murman sparred earlier in the meeting when Murman proposed a ban on texting or emailing lobbyists during commission meetings.
In Tallahassee, incoming House Speaker Richard Corcoran has pushed similar reforms for lawmakers, and Murman’s plan would model that.
Murman’s proposal, however, did not include any punishment for commissioners who violated the rule. Hagan said it was “symbolism over substance.”
Several other commissioners indicated concerns with Murman’s proposal, but in a 5-1 vote, asked staffers to draft an ordinance for future consideration.
Commissioner Les Miller grew agitated when commissioners killed his proposal to rotate the board chairmanship each year.
The title, largely ceremonial, is bestowed every November in a process often rife with backroom dealings and intense lobbying.
Miller was ousted as chairman last month, and Murman, after voting for Commissioner Stacy White over Miller, suggested it was time to rotate it among the seven board members. No one objected when Miller said he would move it forward.
But on Wednesday, Murman changed course, crediting her constituents for persuading her to oppose it.
As she explained her about-face, Miller could be heard laughing and saying, “How do you sleep at night?” He insinuated that the politically connected were pulling strings to block his plan.
