Former Commissioners Urge Hillsborough Voters to Reject Charter Amendment 2

TAMPA, FL — Former Hillsborough County Commissioners Kevin Beckner and Mariella Smith are urging voters to reject County Charter Amendment 2, arguing that eliminating countywide commission seats would reduce voter influence and increase the potential for partisan gerrymandering.

In social media posts, the former commissioners criticized the proposal to replace the seven-member board, which has four district seats and three countywide seats, with nine single-member districts.

Under the current structure, each voter can help elect four commissioners: their district representative and all three countywide members. Under the proposed structure, each voter would elect one commissioner. Beckner argued that countywide seats provide accountability and balance that additional district seats would not replace.

“Today, four commissioners are electorally accountable to you. Under this proposal, you would directly elect only one,” Beckner wrote.

Smith, who served four years as a countywide commissioner, warned that the change could increase the influence of lobbyists and corporate campaign donors, who could seek to influence all nine commissioners while each voter would elect only one.

She also challenged the idea that smaller districts would improve constituent service, saying responsiveness depends on the officeholder and staff rather than district size. “The service you get depends on the person in that office — not the size of the district,” Smith wrote.

Smith argued that eliminating countywide seats would encourage commissioners to prioritize their own districts over countywide needs. She also cited potential gerrymandering and the additional expense of commissioners, staff and offices.

Beckner agreed that gerrymandering is a threat. “We already have enough gerrymandering and partisan division in Washington and Tallahassee. We do not need to bring more of it into Hillsborough County government,” said Beckner.

Beckner emphasized that the current structure was originally a reform implemented in response to a major corruption scandal. Voters adopted a new Charter in 1983 following a federal bribery investigation involving three of the five sitting commissioners. “The system of four district commissioners and three countywide commissioners was designed in part to create broader accountability,” wrote Beckner. “There is an important reason our current system exists.”