• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Brian Blair Saves Taxpayer Money

Posted: Oct 2nd 2009 By: CMBurnham

Brian Blair?s refusal to take ?no? for an answer is paying off for Hillsborough County residents.

Blair, a candidate for Florida House of Representatives in 2010, has convinced HART (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority) to build more bus shelters for its passengers. Over 125 in the past nine months, in fact.

?I addressed the board while serving on it that we cannot expect people to stand out in the elements or stand at a bus stop sign,? Blair said recently of his efforts. ?We need more shelters, and we need them now.?

But the answer, initially, was no?there wasn?t any money to purchase the shelters.

So Blair simply refused to accept that, and went to work.

?We put out a request for proposal to trade classy advertisement rights in exchange for building bus shelters?at no cost to the taxpayer,? Blair said. The result was over 125 new shelters constructed in the past nine months, according to HART officials?all because of the trade arrangement. And plans are for between 200 and 300 more to be built, thanks to Blair?s efforts.

Blair, a Republican and former Hillsborough County Commissioner, announced in August that he was seeking the State House seat for District 47, which includes portions of Hillsborough County and will be vacated by fellow Republican Kevin Ambler in 2010. Ambler is term limited and is running for State Senate.

Blair launched his State House campaign with the promise that he will be fiscally responsible and a friend to taxpayers, a reputation he built as a County Commissioner.

The deal he brokered with HART for new bus shelters is further proof of that, he says.

?Each shelter costs roughly $25,000 to build, including materials and labor, so the savings to taxpayers, so far, by trading costs for classy advertisement rights is approximately $3.2 million,? Blair said. ?And if the projections are accurate, county taxpayers will have over 300 new shelters at a savings of at least $7.5 million,? he added.

Blair says that the new shelters are ?popping up everywhere? in the county, and regular passengers should already be noticing.

For more information about Brian Blair, visit www.BrianBlair.com.

For interview opportunities please contact Shannon Rose at 813-389-0801 or at info@mediaproductions.tv

Brian Blair lives in Tampa with his wife, Toni. The Blairs have been married for 23 years and have two children?Brett, 17, and Bradley, 14.

Tags: Brian Blair