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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

A Wellness-Oriented Mayoral Candidate's Ideas on Technology

Wednesday December 18, 2002

A mayor can do much to promote varied business sectors, and he should do so to the extent possible. His support for the growth of all industries will increase the prospects for the community to thrive economically, socially and otherwise, while maintaining a strong tax base. In the City of Tampa, the technology sector is one of the most vital lifelines to a successful future; without a strong tech sector, a well city that is fit, fun, free and functional would be hard to imagine.

There are nine elements to my initial plans to support the tech sector if elected mayor in March. The elements are as follows:

1. Create a liaison from the mayor's office to the Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF), "a professional association dedicated to growing Tampa Bay's technology businesses and promoting the region as a major center of entrepreneurship and innovation." The TBTF is made up of around 400 top-level executives (CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, CIO, President, Vice President, Director, Partner, Regional Division Manager, etc) from technology-related companies in the Tampa area. It focuses on "the specific needs and interests of those involved in launching and operating technology related companies" and thus has a specific interest that serves the larger public interest, namely, to attract and serve technology companies, investment firms, professional service firms, academic institutions, civic organizations and government agencies. As mayor, I would be attentive and responsive to counsel from the TBTF and the person who serves as my liaison to that organization.
2. Create and foster an environment for entrepreneurship. The mayor can, in diverse ways, assist entrepreneurs to make contacts, gain opportunities for community leadership and improve chances for success. All this would follow from facilitating access to capital providers, enabling partnership opportunities and promoting alliances, sales leads, acquisitions, recruitment and market exposure. Assistance from the city can also take the form of creating business plans, funding management teams, developing financial projections, securing funding and linking with the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa research and workforce capabilities.
3. Make Tampa government smaller and more efficient via the use of innovative technologies. The city website has already won awards for innovation; more such innovations will be encouraged as part of my program to save taxpayer money, promote efficiencies in government and be more responsive to citizen needs.
4. Make available the latest training and technical support to all personnel in the city departments and encourage similar innovations in the city schools. Part of this goal involves developing and sustaining technology mentoring opportunities, which, in turn, invites a massive infusion of citizen volunteers, primarily in this case from tech-wise retirees and others enlisted to reach out and be of service to the communities.
5. Support the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. The Council was created in 1996 to promote a high tech identity for Tampa Bay. It attempts to unite educational leaders, officials in high tech companies and economic development professionals in the quest for a common goal: the attraction, retention and growth of the high tech industry workforce in the region. This is a goal I support, for it is in the best interests of the city's economy.
6. Expand the list of angel investors (folks who invest their own funds in startups) throughout the region. This will create essential seed money for start up technologies. As mayor, I will encourage work force development initiatives to help staff such new tech companies and recognize the so-called "angels." (We might also find a more appropriate name for them!)
7. Set aside funds in the city budget to support technology boot camps targeted to economically distressed residents of the Tampa neighborhoods that suffer from high unemployment and all the problems that attend such a affliction. Children will be given the highest priority for such training.
8. Create incentives that facilitate the recruitment of additional technical companies to Tampa, in concert with other service sectors that might benefit from such commercial relocations.
9. Support efforts to establish a central database of local tech talent. This might also complement efforts underway to better utilize city recreation centers for job training and other tech applications. These centers and other city resources could be wired and made Internet capable, after which they could be used as sites for regular forums, mentoring programs and networking.

While these elements demonstrate that I do indeed believe technology is important and will support this sector vigorously, it seems to me that other issues are MORE important. That is why I run to promote a well city that is fit, fun, free and functional. A city that is all of these things will be a far more fertile environment for existing AND new high tech companies than one that meets none or only a couple of these measures. Of course, all such quality of life issues are closely interrelated, and do not in any way represent either/or choices. The fitter the people of the city, the better and more attractive that city becomes to the desirable job-bearing companies and other company relocations scouts who know that their people can choose to live and work in the most desirable cities in the land. We must insure that Tampa is one such city -- and that is why my priorities are in these four dimensions of a well city.

If I were successful as mayor in improving the city's level of tolerance for diversity, this advance would benefit the technology sector. More companies with employees characterized by Richard Florida as the "the creative class" (Rise of the Creative Class) Basic Books, 2002) would find Tampa a more desirable city in which to live. That is one of many reasons why I will, if elected, promote a human rights amendment with full domestic partner benefits!

As with all cities in America, Tampa will benefit from having officials like myself who will safeguard a strict separation of church and state. This government neutrality that neither promotes nor discourages any religious interest also will encourage the civic tranquility that will accrue to the advantage of all business sectors, including the high tech variety.

Lastly, let me mention one factor that affects the nature of political understanding in our community. Citizen involvement in voting and other public affairs is minimal -- less than 25 percent of those eligible to vote in the last mayoral election chose to do so. One reason for this, in my view, is the sorry quality of political reporting, especially by local columnists in the two major dailies. These writers are not untalented or unmotivated; rather, they are constrained by newspaper policy that requires writing to the 7th or 8th grade level. Yet, many of us are high school graduates and could comprehend a somewhat more challenging level of political writing! The political columns at present are pitiful. The columnists talk down to the public, they pander to established candidates and they make assumptions that the public has little interest in new directions and innovative ideas. In addition, they dwell on the negative -- and sour the mood for innovative political discourse. I don't want to mention any names but can't the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times do better than Daniel Ruth, Steve Otto and MaryJo Melone?

Not that I personally bear any grudges here. Yet, one columnist, Daniel Ruth, recently wrote this about my candidacy: That my "idea of turning Tampa into Paris involves everyone doing push-ups and eating rabbit food." He said, "If this guy were to get elected, it wouldn't be long before the strongest beverage to be found on the Gasparilla pirate ship would be seaweed juice."

Mr. Ruth and I had a pleasant E-mail exchange shortly after he wrote those words. After all, I chuckled as much as anyone over his "seaweed juice" and other characterizations of my plans for Tampa. However, I was startled and disappointed when Mr. Ruth, a chain smoker, told me he thought health was overrated. A week later, he underwent triple by-pass surgery. I wonder if he still thinks health is overrated? I don't, and I want to be mayor because I believe I can do a lot to convince the citizens of Tampa that health is UNDERRATED -- and deserves a greater priority than most of us give to it. That is why I plan to promote the tech and other sectors by working to encourage the people of this city to make Tampa a healthier place, a fitter place and a place that's a lot more fun -- and democratic.

In my view, these goals will do more to attract and foster a responsive environment for technology than anything else anyone could do focusing on technology alone.

All the best. Be well and look on the bright side of life.

Domain: purpose
Subdomain: applied wellness

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