Luppino says government experience matters in this race

MANATEE COUNTY – Norm Luppino's last job included addressing the county commissioners on land use requests. He's hoping his next job will be hearing those requests, and more, as the District 4 representative.

Norm Luppino is running in the Republican primary for the District 4 County Commission seat. He said his experience in county government makes him the right choice.

His experience in county government gives him the advantage, Luppino said. He knows how county government works, how things get done and he's hoping the accumulated knowledge gained in 23 years of service will register with the public.

"I have institutional knowledge of the community, not only knowing what has happened but also why it has occurred. I have the education in planning, which is a strong issue in Florida in general," he said.

"I live in the heart of the district, so I feel I relate to a lot of the issues that are relevant right now. I know firsthand what it's like to have your car burglarized."

He's running as a Republican in District 4, but Luppino said he wonders if party really matters at this level. Still, it's hard to get elected as a Democrat, and most of the competition is between Republicans, he said.

Living near the border with Sarasota County, down a winding road off U.S. 41, Luppino's well-kept house on a waterway is what most people think of when they imagine life in Florida. It's a quiet place, but crime has been a problem at times, he said, particularly burglaries.

"The Sheriff's Office has been very, very good. In the last two years we've had two rashes of burglaries in our area, in the Whitfield area alone," he said. "If you read the newspaper, you will see that what happens here happens in other areas."

The sheriff needs to improve communications with the community, though. "Quite often, I find out about the burglaries three weeks after they've started," Luppino said. With the new technologies, he said he believes notification could be better and faster.

Budgeting for tough times

Like all municipalities in Florida, Manatee County is facing a tough budget again this year. Luppino said the budget took a 12 percent hit last year, and there's more pain ahead, but he's opposed to raising taxes.

"I am not in favor of raising taxes, period. It's the wrong thing to do when you are as economically challenged as we are right now," he said. "People are struggling. A lot of people don't have jobs, and they own houses that are worth less than what they paid for, so you can't hit them with a tax increase. You're going to have to cut services or employees."

The Sheriff's Office can't take another cut, and Luppino said he'd leave Neighborhood Services alone, too, but something has to take a hit.

Getting Manatee back to work

Turning around the economy has to be a priority in an area where agriculture, tourism and the construction industry have entered a dive. But going back to what happened in the middle of the last decade is the wrong approach.

"The answer is not to build more subdivisions, the answer is not more condo-flippers, that's not going to get us out of what we're in. We need to diversify our economy, and we need to work very hard at that in terms of providing incentives for export trade, international trade," he said, pointing at Port Manatee. "Everyone's honing in on the issue of the port, and of course you can't rely solely on that."

The area needs incentives for businesses with permanent and good-paying jobs to stay here and to relocate here.

"We need to enact targeted measures," he said. "We can't go across the board. We need to look at what benefit the businesses are providing."

The county's one-time economic engine, the boat-building industry, is probably gone for good, Luppino said, even if people start buying boats again.

"They're a casualty of the overall economy," he said.

One area to look at would be the small businesses, which can provide many of the future jobs.

"The county's not in the business of creating jobs, but they can provide incentives to make it a little easier sometimes," he said. "All components of government have to address the issue."

Drilling and democracy

Luppino said he's opposed to the idea of offshore oil drilling because, while there are claims that it could create 20,000 jobs, it could cost the tourism industry about the same number of positions.

"I don't think it's a good idea. There are too many risks involved. We have a tourism industry that relies on beaches and there are too many risks versus the benefits," he said. "I know the County Commission and almost every county commission has voted for a resolution to not endorse offshore drilling."

Unlike several local elected officials and hopefuls, Luppino is not too keen on Amendment 4.

"My conclusion would be it's a bad idea," he said. "I understand, especially in this political climate, why people would want it. However, I don't think that is the solution to the problem. The solution to the problem is to vote for local government officials that will represent the people's needs.

"I'm not in favor of it, though I can see why people might be."

There are unintended consequences that could actually end up hurting a community.

"It has the potential to severely backfire," Luppino said. "I don't want people in Parrish or Lakewood Ranch voting on something in my neighborhood. You have the potential of a well-funded developer marketing his project to be appealable, and people from other communities thinking, 'Well, that sounds good,' without fully understanding all the implications."

A developer could proposed something in a neighborhood that was intrusive and could market, say, an industrial testing facility in a residential community as a site for more jobs.

"So the voters all vote for that, even though it's not compatible. If I lived in Lakewood Ranch or Parrish, well, it's not going to affect me personally, so why should I vote against it?" he asked. "The little guy ends up getting hurt. That's a real serious consequence of it.

"The other issue is, planning decisions should be made on sound planning principles, not solely public opposition or public support."

However, Luppino said he was very disappointed about the commissioners' vote on Cascades, where a developer who bought lots out of bankruptcy sought permission to change the setback in the final phase.

"There seems to be a double standard going on out there. The developers are going around saying they want predictability so when they go into a community they know exactly what they're up against," he said. "Well, the people who moved into the Cascades deserve that same predictability.

"It was frustrating to hear the vote on the commission on that."

It's an issue of community character.

"It's not fair to the people who live there," he said. "They deserve the same predictability the developer does."

'Grassroots campaign'

People need to be more engaged at the local level in politics, Luppino said, and that's why he's running for county commissioner in District 4. He sees people very engaged in what's going on at the national level, but said he thinks the things that happen at the local level are more important.

He's never run for public office before, and that the lack of money isn't a disadvantage.

"I'm running a grassroots campaign because I don't have the extensive funding that other candidates enjoy," he said. "I have a lot of people helping me. I was the first candidate countywide to get my ballot petitions done."

That's when he saw that many of those who signed petitions for him were across the political spectrum.

Luppino said he will do his best to work with the commissioners if he's elected.

"I think there will be some philosophical differences between me and the current commissioners; however, I have worked for years with people I had philosophical differences," he said. "Quite often it's the way you present your point of view."

His concern is that people don't have the representation they deserve.

"I am concerned with the quality of life in Manatee County, specifically District 4, and I also feel there's a dire need to provide a balance on the board," he said. "I feel that the citizens don't have as much representation as they once did and as they should."

Running for office has a steep learning curve, but Luppino said he will be bringing his knowledge, experience and passion to the County Commission if he wins.

"My passion has always been local politics. I understand state politics influences and has an impact on local life," he said. "My passion has always been local government."