Pasco County Commission | District 5, Republican primary

Winner: Jack Mariano

After one term, Jack Mariano isn’t getting off lightly. Rich Jenkins, a fellow Beacon Woods resident, rips Mariano for supporting reduced spending increases for the sheriff. But Mariano says he did well on spending and is proud of his term.

	Rich Jenkins, 43	Jack Mariano, 48
Experience	Jenkins is making his first run for office. Born in New Jersey, he is vice president of A Family Mortgage and Financial Services. He previously was a branch manager for financial service companies in Port Richey and Gainesville. He is a graduate of the University of West Florida with a bachelor’s degree in history.	First elected in 2004, Mariano is seeking his second term. The former car salesman for Coastal Cadillac is a native of Concord, Mass. He graduated from Framingham State College with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He also is involved in civic groups such as Rotary and Take Stock in Children, among others.
Top 3 issues facing Pasco	1. Improve spending by limiting money for consultants. 2. More funding for Fire Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office. 3. Recruit more employers to Pasco, diversifying the tax base and reducing the commuting to other places.	1. Budgeting thoroughly while making cuts as painless as possible. 2. Recruit more businesses to Pasco, and continue to grow tourism. 3. Using a recent consultant report by Urban Land Institute to guide long-range growth decisions.
Does Pasco spend enough on public safety?	“No, Pasco County has not put enough emphasis on public safety. ... Proper budgeting with public safety at the forefront will ensure our citizens that if an emergency should arise they will get the best-trained, best-equipped personnel in the fastest time.”	“With the amount of resources we have available, I feel we have enough resources in public safety.”
Should the county purchase privately owned utilities in West Pasco, and how?	The commission “should work closely with state and federal officials to acquire funding for the purchase of these utilities. If this fails the customers of these utilities should be given a chance to voice their opinion on how they feel the funding should be acquired.”	“The county has joined the Government Utility Authority. . . . The organization is using the Nabors & Giblin firm to provide expertise throughout the process of evaluating and structuring the purchase. If the county is not able absorb the utility at time of sale it will stay under the GUA until it can. “
Assets	Home, real estate, business	Home, real estate, investments
Liabilities	Mortgages, bank credit line	Mortgages, loans, credit cards
Net worth	$260,000	$304,356
Source of income	Finance business, rental properties	Commission salary, rental property
Personal	He lives in Hudson with his wife, Debby, and their two daughters	He lives in Hudson with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters
Web site	Yes	Yes
E-mail	Yes	Yes

About the job: District 5 covers the northwest corner of the county and most of Pasco’s coastline. Commissioners are elected countywide but must live in the district they represent. They set policy on spending, zoning and infrastructure improvements such as roads. Commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid $80,200.