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SEP -21-77

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-Wh No-


ISSUE: Leadership for the Suicot's water.
eupplie. ..-
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When you're sick, you want the best doctor. When
you're at war you want the bt generaL And when you i
are trying to keep the peace you want the bet diplomat
But if you want to preserve the agencyhat can best
manage the Suncost's water supplies, yoneed all three
a physician-general-diplomat plus America's best
water expect.
Today the t Q9 -- f --.
_thity foiW^^W r aIimmm Sudswf to
The authority is the toddlh brairchild of the Legis-
lature whoe mission is to keep the water coming to the
Tampa By area wile pmventng th local govrnmnts
from starting any new range wa over water "rights."
It isless than year old. Itneds the strongest, wiset
leadership poible The member gvernent St Pe-
tersbug Pineuas County, Tamp Pasoo County and
Hfllborough County simply-must be devoted to ob-
taing the best director-administrator available any-
where in America..
Authority Chairman Charles Rainey; St.Pbtersburt-
Mayor Corinne Freeman and the other officials involved
simply must be committed to bringing water expertise
and statman.hip to this pot.
That wif -require money, ajyte as muchas @Florida's
o no ak0s 0 (350.000) and n mme a county an
-ers and aed ty ani ger miake. Thei-Lregislatureo
. which created the authority abould provide adequate op-


rhe BestF
eating enpm for it when lawmakers convene next
pwing.
SBut a commitment to n ecllsain operations can b
madA best rigknorw withthk section of au-itetandiyg
The authority directorsip is no pceforweek-sister
administration. And for too Ung, the Suncoast has been
nthop aitiofhavinto payfcnsultants wily-niUly
o te us what is bet i water policy
The important relationship between the authority -:
md the Southwest Water Management District (which
egulates the fl of water osuppO ~ ority members)
s crietal. -I .12 th- n .- ha




That can be developed now. The authority's member
governments must be willing to put up the dollars to
rove they are, in fact, committed to regional direction of
he water supply.
Anything less is a cop-out, which leaves the authority
n a puny condition, subject to political tumult.L

-i-!-Evenmg Indepenndent i
+- wa Pman swH M er
Robert M. Stiff
S. Editor:
Michael Richardson
Associate Editor -
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