JUDY RYERSON INTERVIEW
Questions for the Ryerson March 2010 election
WD: Do you have an opening statement?
I don’t think everybody realizes the amount of time that it takes to actually do this. And to be involved in all the sideline things that have to go on. You’ve got to have an interest in the civics of the community. In what’s going on, not just at the government level, but at all levels of the community, and all people. You can’t just come in on a Tuesday night and vote and leave. You got to be more involved then that.
WD: How long have you lived in Gulfport?
Of and on since 1953.
WD: Where did you live before that?
Ohio.
WD: What is your profession?
Retired.
WD: Do you have any affiliations with any businesses, either in Gulfport or outside the city limits?
No I do not.
WD: What city boards and committees have you sat on?
Planning and Zoning commission for two or three terms and on the Fourth of July Committee, the Charter Review Committee, the Ordinance Review Committee and various other committees. I just can’t remember them all, there’s been a list of them.
WD: What non city organizations do you belong to?
Gulfport Community Players and the Gulfport Historical Society.
WD: Why are you running?
I have the time, the energy and hopefully some of the knowledge needed to be of service. And it’s basically about being in service. Its kind of a family trait my mother started me out “Be involved.”
WD: Do you have any further political aspirations?
No. Nope none whatsoever
WD: Will you be seeking election help from outside of Gulfport organizations?
No I will not.
WD: What is you opinion of re-passing the city charter to make it only changeable by public referendum?
That’s a mistake. I feel that’s a mistake because basically the charter you don’t just willy nilly go change it. It takes a lot of discussion and a lot of thinking and a lot of preparation to change it as it is. Not everybody understands the language necessary and they can vote against something that they should vote for, if you know what I am talking about. Things can get turned very easily. It’s not that people don’t know or understand. It’s one of those legal things and its Better left to a small group to handle. I think.
WD: What is your position regarding examination and re-codification of our codes and ordinances to bring them into the 21st century?
We kinda did that with the ordinance review, but I am sure some that of those could be re-done.
WD: Should ALL city meetings be recorded and available on DVD’s?
Yes. I have no problem with that.
WD: Do you feel that the videos of city meetings should be available on the city’s web page on demand?
Really not on demand, at a scheduled time.
WD: What are your impressions of the public sessions at the city council meetings?
Sometimes it’s a lot of the same old same old. Once in a while something new comes up. After a while, you get to the point when you see a specific person come up you know what they’re going to say. It’s the redundancy that kinda defeats the purpose. Because it gets to a point where, its human nature. After you have been lectured by somebody in the audience on the same topic for so long you start tuning them out. It’s just human nature. It’s not just me or the other council members. It’s just human nature. Everything has its cycle and its time limits. Right now I think one of the problems we have is the fact that we don’t have problems; we don’t have major problems like some of the other cities, including small cities. We don’t have the budget crunch. Yeah, we got property values going down, but we can’t do anything about that. There are just some things that we just can’t handle. They’re beyond us, beyond our level. But at the same time the stuff that is coming before us is not major. In the individual minds eye that is up there talking about it, they think it’s major.
In the over-all scheme of 12 thousand -13 thousand inhabitants, it only affects maybe five people and I have a real problem with people wanting to legislate for one or two people or a specific business or organization. I have a real problem with that. That was my problems with the chickens.
WD: I was going to leave the chickens out of this.
WD: What can you see the city doing to achieve green city status?
Green city status! We’re not there? This is a green place. I don’t know what the requirements are.
WD: What is your opinion on allowing smoke pollution in Gulfport?
I don’t like that idea. I think it’s gone now, isn’t it?
WD: Do you feel the sound ordinance is consistent with today’s needs?
That is a battle between those that try to make a living and those trying to sleep. And unfortunately a lot of times it narrows down To why did you buy that house if you’re buying next to a bar that has live music type of thing. I used to sell real estate years ago, and it always amazed me that people would not look past the front door of the house they were looking at to see what was across the street and next door. It always amazes me, that people don’t. And I think sometimes s the decibel level gets a little too loud. I can sit here with my windows closed and hear music from Beach Blvd. A lot of it is the bass drums. There’s no little switch on the drums when it reaches a certain decibel it just keeps going.
The whole thing probably needs to be revisited but there are so many variables; the weather, the humidity, the atmosphere. One time you won’t hear a sound and the next time it sounds like its coming right at your window. Right there. A lot has to do with the atmosphere, and of course you can’t control that. So and do you not play music when it’s humid because it travels more or whatever? If it’s heard!
WD: Do you have any solutions for the parking problem in the downtown Art District?
Wish I did. I wanted the city to buy that property behind the bars before they started building those houses and put in a two or three story parking garage like the one they have over in Pasadena at the hospital. I mean in four stories which is a not that high, they got like six floors of parking cause they have a first floor, one and half, two, two and a half, three, three and half, four. Because cars don’t take that much space even if you only had one that was like one, one and half, two, two and a half, three. Its not any higher then that. And you can get an awful lot of cars in there.
WD: Does the city have opportunity to acquire those properties?
I have no idea at this time. Its all in litigation.
WD: Do you feel we should allow alcohol in the streets during our Spring- fest, Geckofest and similar events?
No.
WD: Do you think that the Chamber of Commerce, possibly for economic gain, exerts too much influence within the city over the interests & concerns of the citizens of Gulfport?
No, cause they’re not really that active.
WD: Where do you stand on the mooring field?
The more I think about it and standing there looking out at those boats today was a good example. If we put in a mooring field we can regulate how and when they dump, because they send a boat out there to pick it up. Right now there is no control. They say oh well, the police patrol.
Well my goodness, you’re going see the police boat coming and you’re not going to dump while they are in your vicinity, in your area.
Lets face it, People aren’t stupid. They are going to wait until one o’clock when no body’s around and dump then. And the fact that we got that sunken boat out there that apparently has been there for three or four weeks now you got Just a Mast sticking out of the water. If you have a mooring field you have some control. Maybe not as much as you’d like or need but more then there is now. I have tried my best to come around with why we don’t and all the reasons why we shouldn’t and concerns still wins out. I know boaters don’t want to be told what to do. I know that. Homeowners don’t either, but we have to abide by rules living on land So why shouldn’t they live by the rules on the water.
WD: What are your feelings about Clam Bayou?
That poor area! It has never been open chaste water since forever. It’s always been an estuary. A shallow estuary. Unfortunately the drainage out of St. Pete has just filled it up and it desperately needs cleaning and I think maybe one of the ways to do it is to open up the neck. Thereby cutting off the bay. If that neck was opened up, where you can actually get tidal flush in there, it might actually help clean some of that out. It’s like a bottle neck in there.
WD: How do you feel about police activity regarding victimless crime. Victimless crime like sleeping on the beach, drinking a beer in your back yard?
A lot of that is out of boredom, cops get bored so they pick on somebody, and it’s not a good thing I don’t think.
Then again if we don’t have enough crime to keep them all busy enough to keep their minds active.
WD: What is your position on the Gulfport to St. Pete Beach trolley?
Well, the Tiff fund pays for it, and it doesn’t interfere with the general fund I got no problem. But if it starts interfering with the general fund, kill it.
WD: Have you ridden the trolley?
NO, I have not.
WD: Do you know any one who has?
NO.
WD: Are you concerned that code enforcement is not dealt with evenly within all parts of the city?
YES.
WD: What do you think should be done about the Winn Dixie Property?
Personally, I think the building needs to be condemned and the owner given a specific amount of time to demolish it and clear the lot and start over.
I don’t think the building is salvageable.
WD: What is your vision for Gulfport?
If 50 years from now we can look back and say we did something right. We kept it small, we kept it unique, we kept it as a little home town.
You Progress slowly, you don’t make big leaps and jumps.
I’ve seen a lot of changes in the last 50, 60, 70 years, well not quite 70.
We’re built out and I like it just as it is, I really don’t want to see any more high rises and we should just try to stay this unique little community where everybody can relax and have a good life. Where it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, or what your affiliations are or whatever, that you can have a good life.
WD: What would you like to accomplish during your term in office?
Maintaining, maintaining the city and keeping it from going belly up financially.
WD: Any final comments?
I worked directly with O’Reilly and Carpenter on the Budgets, not this past year but the year before. We were trying so hard to cut and I actually sat with them several afternoons. Cutting out 5% of expenditures on line items, you would be amazed how much money that added up to: a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000). It was enough to balance the budget that year.
WD: Are you going to be able to continue doing that?
Basically what we did was to tell the departments that OK, we’ve proven what you can do with 5% less in this category, DON’T ask for it back next year. And they didn’t. Don’t try to stick it back in cause we’ll just cut it out again. They were very good about it. I mean Simple things. Like the amount of paper you buy. Office supplies, that kind of things, those kind of line items. Say you drop one subscription to one magazine. So you don’t go to Largo for a seminar, you get it on a DVD or something. Those kinds of things nibble away and really add up to big savings.
During Bob Lee’s time, you know it was “Hey every one go everywhere.” You want to go spend all you want Just Go go go. We were Forever going off to seminars. I went to seminars I didn’t want to go to. I had work to do at the office. I didn’t really want to go, but oh no you had to go. I didn’t learn a dang thing. It was just a wasted day.
WD: They are not doing that now?
NO. Much closer with it now.
Ok, hold the phone. When asked about police activity and victimless crime, Mrs. Ryerson stated that cops do it out of boredom and to pick on people???????????
WOW. Thats all I should probably say.
Oh, drinking in ones back yard is no crime at all. It’s only an ordinance violation to possess an open container of alcohol on city right of way (Streets, alleys, parks ect,).
Watchman, could you please show me in the following ordinance where ones backyard is excluded from a violation.
Sec. 4-25. Consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages in open container prohibited in parks, streets, etc.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to consume or to have, hold, carry, or possess in any open or unsealed container any alcoholic beverage upon any public street, sidewalk, alley, right-of-way, park, beach, or any other exterior or outside area within the city other than an outdoor seating area where the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages has been specifically approved by city council.
I believe that the only exclusion is that the police department does not enforce the law, much the way they did the chicken law, at least until some officer decided to enforce it.
You yourself once said how the officers joked that there wasn’t any one in the city who wasn’t breaking some law or another.
Looking forward to your answer.
Well, hear tell, everything’s sunny and rosy–have another drink and celebrate!!
Ms. Ryerson obviously does not understand new technology. Her remark about videos of city meetings should be at scheduled times rather than VOD. This shows she really is not in touch whats going on. Just put ‘em up on you tube. It’s free!!! Maybe the movies should be run at the Gulfport Historical Society. We really need some young blood in city counsil. Some people who do not want to maintain, maintain, maintain, but stratigally marketing Gulfport as a place to invest. All talk about the 49th corridor and the Winn Dixie – people should look and concentrate more on Gulfport Blvd in general – this street is not inviting to people to look deeper into Gulfport. One outdated building after another. The landscaping is horrable – nothing attracive whatsoever – but lets just waste more money on 49th Street. On GP Blvd. Havannah Cafe along with a very few others is most likely the best looking building – everything else needs to be torn down. This is a major connecting Street to St. Pete Beach – and its a shame how it looks.
ONLY SALMON AND STEINKE RESPOND TO EMAIL:
I recently posed the following question, via email, and as with an earlier question regarding ‘Freedom of Speech” only Jennifer Salmon and David Steinke responded. I did, subsequently, receive an email address for Ms. Barbieri and forwarded the email to her but have not received a response.
One interesting observation….none of the current Council Members nor the Mayor respond to email via email. The Mayor and Member Worthington occassionally respond by phone. Why is that? Why are these people that work for us afraid to communicate–i.e. listen and respond / act?
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Ward 1 Candidates and Unopposed Candidates:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/st-petersburg-faces-12m-shortfall-in-next-years-budget/1067094
Kindly reference the attached article. Property values are expected to fall another 10% in Gulfport too. The purported $700K+ in savings from last year is unsustainable. If elected, you have a huge challenge ahead of you in finding a way to create a realistic balanced budget. Hopefully one of you will strive to have the budget include this year’s ACTUAL expenditures
to-date for comaprison.
IMO, the dropping property values do not just stem from “right sizing” . There are numerous instances, in Gulfport, where properties are derelict, dilapidated and detremental to the value of the overall neighborhoods. What is being done to correct this? We know it is not Code Enforcement as that is, for all intents and purposes, a passive activity. Perhaps there needs to be a volunteer community effort to clean up and spruce up the city? What are your ideas to improve the overall value and appearance of properties in Gulfport?
Regards and good luck to all!
Margarete Tober
P.S. – R. Barbieri is not copied as I cannot find an e-mail address for her.
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Response form Jennifer Salmon:
As soon as election day ends, I will ask for this year’s budget revenues and expenditures to date with comparisons by budget category back to 2000. As you know from our ad hoc committee last year, fees took a huge increase mid decade. I think we should participate in Paint Your Heart Out and extend it to the businesses on 49th as well!
Barbieri’s email:
Jennifer
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Response form David Steinke:
Margarete
We can clean up our act!
1. STOP selective code inforcement. When putting out our campains signs some of the properties are pretty bad.(what is our building and code inforcement doing since construction is down?
2. Park the Trolly.
3. Once a week trash pick-up.
4. Possible out source the Building Dept.
5. Mooring field on hold. (stop spending)
I will spent time in each city department and watch and observe.
Thanks Dave Steinke
P.S. These recomendations were the ones from the 157 surveys returned to city staff last year and nothing was done.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND PUBLIC INPUT AT COUNCIL MEETINGS &WORKSHOPS
I also posed this question some weeks earlier, to the Ward 1 candidates and the unopposed candidates:
CANDIDATES: My question to you is: what is your position on public input at Council Meetings and Workshop Meetings?
Thanks in advance for your response.
Margarete Tober
Only two people–Jennifer Salmon and Dave Steinke responded, via email. At the time I did not have an email address for Roz Barbieri, however, I have since received it and sent it to her as well. No response yet.
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Stanley Solomans approached me at a Council Meeting and indicated something to the effect of: “you are always well prepared and wel spoken and I don’t know that changing anything would change that.” Feel free to correct me if I mis-understood you, Stanley.
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Jennifer Salmon:
Please see my thoughts at:
http://electjennifersalmon.com/Open%20government.php
I support public comment at workshops but at the end of the workshop so the public can comment on all aspects of what they heard. No decisions should be made at workshops.
JS
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Dave Steinke:
Margarete: I think it very important to have public input at both workshops and council meetings. The council men or women have the responsibility to get as much information as possible to make an intelligent decision. And not rely on staff.
Thanks Dave Steinke
Dogfish…
It says so in the title (streets, parks ect.) This is public poperty so the intent of the ordiance is to prohibit the possession and consumption of alcohol on public property.
Now, the ordinace does not specifically state that your back yard is all clear when it comes to alcohol. However, I think if you read it, it does specifically point out that areas of public space, like parks, streets, the beach and such are prohibiited. It also includes outdoor areas of seating, which is identifying businesses, unless such business or outdoor areas has the approval of council. Now I am sure that the language could be amended so that folks don’t get the wrong idea and think that they could be cited for sipping a cold one on their back porch. But in the many years that I have worked hear, this have never been a problem.
I think I get your point though. Some of our ordinances are a bit….old, and in my opinion, not worded well. There is one that says you can’t curse on sunday. What…I can’t curse on Sunday! S@#%!
Mike Schnippering — Here, here!! Thanks!!
With all do respect to Mrs. Ryerson, she is one of the reasons the Smoker Issue is not gone. It is up to her and she doesn’t even know it?
This interview is very telling.
I believe if you look at the Gulfport ordinance 5-12.1 , which if you look at the city’s code and ordinances PDF file on the city’s web page, which fortunately in this case has not be updated since 2007, you can find the above ordinance. Which up until it was amended was known as the chicken ordinance.
And I’ll be short here; the statutes referred to define poultry (read chickens) as the ones you eat, and that were the ones that were prohibited and the ones you didn’t eat (read pets) were not prohibited. Of course that ordinance enacted in 1973 was never enforced in many years. And when a city police officer, decided that his interpretation was different then the way I read the ordinance, he cited the chicken owners and the city attorney and the city manager stood by the officer’s decision. Whereby the city council had to correct the situation and not make pets in this city illegal.
Could the same happen over 4-25? All it would take was an officer reading the ordinance the way I do and a complaint about someone drinking in their yard and voila! You have a crime. Will that ever happen, I certainly hope not. But since the possibility exists, it should be corrected.
And what about section 14-47? I know you guys enforce this one, because I had a friend who had fallen asleep at the beach one afternoon, roused from her nap by an officer and told that it was illegal to sleep on the beach. And of course you don’t regularly enforce that one either, thank goodness.
Council Woman Judy Ryerson said:
After you have been lectured by somebody in the audience on the same topic for so long you start tuning them out.
So we we’re tuned out, that’s why they will not amend the resolution 2008-43, they can’t hear what we’re saying. Funny others running for that seat can hear us clearly. Concerned citizens can say NO unequivocally to a commercial Smoker but as this councilwoman has plainly demonstrated she has no intension of addressing the issue and correcting the nightmare that she created. She is so removed from our plight that she has to ask the WD interviewer if the Smoker issues is gone.
Council Woman Judy Ryerson said:
WD: What is your opinion on allowing smoke pollution in Gulfport?
I don’t like that idea. I think it’s gone now, isn’t it?
Well is it Mrs. Ryerson? If I tell you that there is a smoker behind the fence and permission from the city to operate it will you conveniently Tune Me Out?
According to our ward representative Sam Henderson the City attorney has instructed him, and I suspect you also, not to address the smoker in fear of a lawsuit from the property owner. In your possession is a letter from the property owner absolving you of any threat of action from him if you amend the language in the resolution. So, if you truly do not want a Commercial Smoker in this City then you will vote to amend the resolution that YOU BROKE THE LAW to create on July 15th 2008 which legally allows a smoker on 1431 49th street in Gulfport Florida.
“”””””Gulfport Nuisance Laws Sec. 12-1.a-1,3,5,6,7 Nuisance Law
” As used in this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) Nuisance means allowing or causing any condition or thing to exist which:
(1) Injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or safety of any person;
(3) Is offensive to the senses;
(5) Renders other persons insecure in life or the use of property;
(6) Interferes with the comfortable and quiet enjoyment of life or property;
(7) Tends to or could depreciate the value of property of any person;
Sec. 12-2. f-j Specific nuisances.
The maintaining, using, placing, depositing, leaving, permitting, allowing or causing any of the following items, conditions or things to exist in, on,
over or under any public or private property shall constitute a nuisance; provided however that this enumeration shall not be construed to exclude
the identification of other nuisances not specifically identified herein:
(f) Any foul, offensive or unlawful emissions, odors or stenches and the causes thereof;
(j) Dense smoke, noxious or lethal fumes, lethal gas, soot or cinders;”””””
http://www.gulfportinflorida.com/toxic_waste/image/sm9_6web.jpg
THIS IS THE SMOKE THAT YOU COULD NOT FIND WHILE DRIVING BY IN YOUR VEHICLE.
Bored police.responce to Judy Ryerson.
I can’t belived what I just read the police are bored and have nothing better to do, Please. I would suggest Mrs. Ryerson attend a crime awareness and prevention meeting on Monday night at 7pm and then reply to that quesstion again. I would surely hope she would apoligize to them for that statement. The reason police respond someone sleeping on the beach is we have ordinances against them its not out of begin bored i belive Ms Ryerson is out of touch and this is a council person.
Mrs. Ryerson is a loose cannon. I just heard her last week during Council session praising the Senior Center and speaking as if she was a participant. Telling a story of how she organized a bus ride many years ago and there were police attending the event. She went on to say how she brought the police into the Senior Center and much to their surprise it was there!! They had no idea there was a Senior Center in Gulfport. I had to laugh. She didn’t stop there, then she told the audience how the whole Center operates with one full time employee a part time employee and a group of volunteers. Well she got the volunteer part right, but there are two full time employees and always has been with a brief intermission. Sue & Sarah, and now Sue & Cynthia. Maybe if she actually spent some time there instead of pretending to, she could get her story straight. It must be an election year.