Welcome to my blog page. This is where I plan to go into granular detail laying out my positions on key issues facing the County and State.

I believe that the public has a right to understand what an elected official believes and how he or she arrived at their position. I also think that a democracy thrives where all can discuss issues on a level playing field - sharing information bypassing canned messages contrived by others.

My primary focus since becoming a Commissioner in 2004 has been job creation.

In particular, I have worked to transform our local economy from one dependent on home building - to one that centers on the health care industry, which in turn helps our existing local economy. Yes we need to attract all forms of business, but with USF, Moffitt Cancer, the VA Hospital, Pepin Heart, Bryd Alzheimer, TGH, St. Josephs and over a dozen other great hospitals in our region, we have the perfect foundation for building a high wage economy predicated on the life sciences - or better yet - Medical Tourism.

Which brings me to my core message. To achieve our goal of creating better jobs, we need great public schools, a smart local government which is lean and customer oriented, and a top tiered transportation network.

I have spent my two terms in office immersed in the details of building transportation networks that our community safer, saves the commuter time and money, attracts companies dependent on quick access of people and goods to market, and tackles the challenges we face in a County with billions in failed roads.

This blog will address the issues I discussed above and provide insight into my line of thinking so that you can see where I am heading and how I arrived at my conclusions.

I invite you to comment - visit me on Facebook - or follow me on Twitter @ marksharpefl.

Again - I believe we need to completely rethink how we work in Tampa Bay. I also think this extends to how we are governed, and you “the people” are able to interact with elected officials. I am committed to sharing ideas, information and value greatly your opinion.

Respectfully,
Mark Sharpe