Before I took office, I knew our Hillsborough County government was wasting our tax dollars, but I didn’t realize to what extent. Most residents don’t, because who has the time to comb through an 850-page, nearly $10 billion budget? Seeing firsthand the lack of transparency and the fat included in our budget was outrageous. It proved why taxpayers need a budget hawk like me on the county board.

 

One of the biggest misconceptions is that our county government is broke. It’s not. We’ve been told that year after year, but the reality is our government has been spending millions of our tax dollars on pet projects and giveaways to the commissioners’ wealthy friends and campaign supporters. 

 

I’m fighting to put a stop to it. It doesn’t always make me popular on the county board, but I wasn’t elected to make them happy. I’m fighting to lower our spending to take the burden off our working families already struggling with the rising cost of living.

 

One of the most mind-blowing streams of waste that I recently uncovered was about $235 million of our property tax dollars funding non-government entities that had zero oversight. We found records that show 100 non-government entities making almost $50 million a year, funded by taxpayers. Insiders who made backroom deals were getting rich off us year after year. That’s fraud and we’re not doing that anymore. We’ve put new policies in place that ensure these organizations have to apply every year for funding and prove they are delivering results for taxpayers.

 

In another instance, I noticed the supervisor of elections budget remained the same even after a decrease in registered voters. For the first time in our county’s history, I exercised the County Commissioner’s Constitutional authority to review the real numbers behind the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Election’s budget. We amended about $200,000 and put that money into completing a significant road repair in East Tampa.

 

I’m running again for Hillsborough County Commissioner to continue bringing accountability and transparency to our county government. I will stop this unsustainable wasteful spending.

 

I’m the “boring budget guy,” and I’m proud of that title. I’m not a politician—I’m just a regular guy who focuses on getting the job done, like I did in the Navy during Operation Enduring Freedom, when I came home and rehabilitated the finances of a struggling family-owned manufacturing company, and in my successful small business.

 

With your support, I will continue to use my business experience and lean operations background to give taxpayers a voice on the county board. I will continue creating financial transparency so the public sees exactly where their tax dollars are being spent and can hold their government accountable. I will further audit the county’s spending, put a stop to backroom deals, and cut fat from the budget. And I will streamline operations and make our county operate fiscally responsible.