Temple Terrace Mayor Questions WMNF's Reporting of his taking down Campaign Sign

By Mitch E. Perry

Tuesday, August 02, 2005 6PM

Temple Terrace Vote The Polls are open for ____minutes (whatever’s before 7PM) in Temple Terrace tonight, as citizens vote on on the proposed redevelopment of their city, the most costly proposition in the 80-year history of Hillsborough County's smallest city.

Voters are being asked to authorize bonds and a 1 mill property tax increase to help pay the city's one-fifth portion of the proposed $300 million downtown redevelopment Last night WMNF reported on the last days of this campaign –and specifically on Mayor Joe Affonti, who supports the proposal on the ballot this evening.

WMNF Reporter Jen Germaine, in covering a get out the vote event on Saturday morning, reported that Mayor Affronti had removed 3 VOTE NO signs, and placed them in the back of the Revitalization Project headquarters.

But in a heated response, Mayor Affronti spoke with WMNF’s Rob Lorei early this morning denying the report – but NOT the fact that he took down a sign. Affronti insists it was only 1 sign, vs. the 3 that WMNF reporter Jen Germaine’s said today that she saw him in possession of. (roll tape# 1 o.q. “so I pulled the sign”)

Although Mayor Affonti’s remarks when confronted by WMNF’s Jen Germaine were not recorded, she wrote in her story – the transcript of which is posted on WMNF’s web- that Mayor Affronti said that he was taking the sign or signs down because it was a violation of code enforcement. The story continued with a reaction from NO organizer Ken Tozier. But this morning, Affronti described something else (roll tape#2 o.q.”some other property”)

Again, the Polls close in Temple Terrace for a referendum on the $300 million dollardowntown redevelopment and proposed 1 mill property tax in __- minutes.