Last Monday I began the week meeting with the CEO of a major corporation that manufactures highly specialized aircraft engine parts. The discussion was fascinating - as this well traveled business leader, who was now choosing Tampa to make his home, explained the merits of manufacturing specialized products in America - indeed in Hillsborough County. 
His message was clear - invest in education, transportation, and they will invest in our workforce. 

By nights end I was speaking to a homeowners group in south Tampa on Gandy Blvd. The citizens were engaged, concerned about their precious thoroughfare and eager to hear options about how we might enhance mobility without building more road - in this case on top of the existing Gandy Blvd. Again - smarter choices by investing in transit and intersection improvements can help make the difference. 

One key topic also discussed was property taxes. Can we improve transportation without raising - indeed even lowering property taxes? Yes.

How do you really reduce the size of government and cut taxes at the local level? The cost of government at the local level is predominantly to pay for the services required to support and sustain a growing - sprawling population. By reducing sprawl and directing new growth and redevelopment along transportation corridors you cut the size government. We need to be much smarter in how and where we grow. We can no longer hope to cover even our transportation costs through property taxes - which are going down (if ever so slowly).

Cutting the size of government requires better cooperation among agencies - fewer turf wars - and efficient use of limited resources. By directing new growth along established corridors we can achieve this - and more.