Norwood says knowledge gives him edge in District 4 race

BRADENTON – The county needs jobs, Tim Norwood says, and he's the one with the knowledge and experience to help the County Commission create a good environment for business.

Tim Norwood believes that the county needs to attract businesses to the area, and that he has the knowledge and experience in manufacturing to help make that happen as a county commissioner.

Norwood, 48, a naval architect, father and grandfather, said he's not a professional politician. As the representative of District 4, his first loyalty will be to the voters and their economic causes.

He's unafraid to say on his Web site and in person that he's a very conservative "Tea Party" Republican candidate with a strong belief in God, country and hard work. His father was an Air Force fighter pilot in the Korean War, and he grew up on military bases. Norwood's Texas accent comes through strongly, especially as he described the growth and development in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Denton area of that state that former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot fostered during his corporate career.

The linchpin there, Norwood said, was an industrial airport that brought in jobs, workers, new communities and lots of opportunity. That can happen here, he said, with the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport so underused.

'I feel led'

Deciding to run for the office wasn't an instant decision, but one he prayed over with his wife, family and prayer group. He's never run for office before.

"I never set out to be a politician," he said. "Based on what's happening right now, I've become more educated in politics and the running of the government. I decided that I'm too old to serve in the military."

He had wanted to run for the U.S. Senate, but decided that he could do more at the county level, so County Commissioner Ron Getman's announcement that he would not seek another term was an opportunity.

Norwood is not ruling out higher offices, he said.

"I figure I can do more good serving the people face-to-face than I can do up there. Right now, I'm learning the ropes," he said. "I feel led to do this."

His plan is to serve one term, and if the people decide they want to keep him in office, he'll serve another term.

"I care about people," he said. "I'm the leadership that we need right now."

It's a grassroots effort right now, and Norwood said he hasn't done much yet because it's early in the process. According to the Supervisor of Elections Web site, Norwood has raised $175 in monetary contributions and $177.64 in "in-kind" donations. That's less than fellow Republican Norm Luppino and Democrat Roger Galle, and far less than Republican Robin DiSabatino, who has raised more than $100,000.

That's some tough competition, Norwood admitted, but he believes people will see him as a candidate of the people who has the skills they need on the County Commission.

He got his degree in architecture while working in construction, and right now things are very slow.

"You do what you have to do to support your family," Norwood said.

Bringing in business

Not just the airport but the seaport too can be the big jobs engine the county and its citizens need, Norwood said.

"You drive through this district, and you stop at a stoplight and look over at the person next to you, and I see despair," Norwood said. "I see people who are unemployed or who are worried about their job, who are worried they're about to lose their job. I don't see but a handful of people doing anything about that."

The commission needs to get to work on the unemployment problem now.

"As a county commissioner, I intend to do everything I can to be sure we create jobs in this county," he said.

Norwood's idea is to provide incentives to companies that want to move to the area and hire Manatee County residents. In addition, he'd work so that local developers who prove they've hired county residents get a break on their impact fees, at least for a time.

"They don't have to hire us, but if they do hire us then they will have special incentives as far as impact fees are concerned," Norwood said.

Manufacturing is the key to the county, and there are many companies that are looking to cut costs. Meanwhile, the area has empty facilities and unemployed people who want to work, Norwood said. "I simply feel like I am the person that's capable of talking that conversation with them and creating the plans that the County Commission can actually follow through with and implement," he said. "It's putting people back to work by putting companies in those buildings."

The port has much to offer the area. "I feel like it's underutilized right now," he said. "That port can be the single largest employer of people in the whole county and I think it's important that we recognized that as an opportunity."

Drilling … with conditions

Norwood said he's in favor of offshore oil drilling but with 10 conditions.

Still, he doesn't want to see burn-off from oil rigs, he said. In any case, the technology exists that would let companies drill sideways, so the rigs could be out of sight and still get to the oil in other parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

On his Web site, Norwood declares "Drill, Baby, Drill," but he said he's concerned about the possible impacts on tourism if there's a spill, so he said he wants assurances that there won't be any messes left behind.

His top three conditions for drilling are:

• Oil pumped from the Gulf must stay in the U.S., and not be exported.

• No offshore rigs can be closer than 50 miles.

• Tankers must be U.S.-built, U.S.-registered and double-hulled.

Hometown Democracy

Norwood admitted that he hasn't followed the debate on Amendment 4, Hometown Democracy, that is causing a ruckus as local government bodies announce their opposition, though some members of those bodies have expressed support.

His main comment was a general declaration that he's for "good growth," though he said he wouldn't support industrial uses in a residential area.

Audit, then solve budget

There's been a lot of talk about a $15 million county budget deficit, but Norwood said he wants to see an audit of the county's revenues and spending to determine the true situation.

"I'd inform the public what's happening as it's happening," he said of the process he'd like to see.

One big issue he's concerned about is the federal spending that's going on, and he said that it's not a good idea to focus on things like high-speed rail since it's all way north of the area.

Those who advocate more spending are seeking "to increase government and spend us into oblivion," he said. The key has to be to build businesses and get them into hiring mode, Norwood said, so people have jobs again.

His experiences in Haiti affected his views, he said. The U.S. could help turn Haiti into a place where manufacturing is done, instead of China or India, and do some good for the impoverished country whose people are suffering so much right now.

Many of Norwood's conversations come back to business, and he said it's because businesses can create the jobs needed to get the U.S. back on its feet and local government budgets balanced again.

"Watching what's happening in Washington just scares the pants off me," he said.