EAST TAMPA SWEEP A SMART MOVE

The crackdown begun last week on drug dealers and slumlords is essential to
Mayor Pam Iorio's hope for reviving the blighted neighborhoods of East
Tampa. On the first day, authorities made 12 arrests and wrote 122
citations - not enough to make a dent in the living conditions there but
meaningful still.

The city showed its commitment to putting drug dealers on the run; it
destabilized the environment for buyers; it gave law-abiding residents new
places to turn; and it strengthened the government's line of attack against
those who prey on the people there.

Nothing complicates Iorio's plan to bring jobs, housing and businesses to
East Tampa more than the area's rate of serious crime.

Violence, theft and burglaries stemming from drugs and poverty have created
almost a city within a city; the fear and run-down conditions there have
long been accepted as part of the geography.

Iorio is sweeping East Tampa with more than police; she's sending teams of
housing inspectors, animal control officers, neighborhood leaders,
redevelopment aides and substance-abuse counselors to attack the underlying
blight across a wider front.

This comprehensive approach could work where others have failed, by
prompting city departments to work together, by integrating public and
private efforts and by inspiring area residents to take more
responsibility. The city alone cannot change East Tampa and neither can any
private developer.

City Council member Kevin White needs to foster a council of community
leaders who can work with the city. White, a good marketer, should use
every tool at hand - new advisory boards, new substations for police and
other city services, new mentoring initiatives by schools, employers,
recreation departments and law enforcement.

The city also needs to be aggressive about improving the appearance of East
Tampa. Substandard housing and trash-strewn lots have been tolerated there,
but not elsewhere in the city. Iorio's appointment of a former high-ranking
Tampa police official to run the city's code enforcement department should
give this effort the vigilance it needs. The city could expand the scope of
volunteer projects, such as the highly productive Paint Your Heart Out, to
assist low-income residents improve their homes.

Developers might also help, with the right incentive package.

The sweep will last for two weeks, giving the city time to measure what
works and how to deploy resources from here. This was a good move by Iorio
- - focusing attention early on an area of town that affects the livability
of the entire city. She should keep up the heat.