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USF Poly PR chief answers questions on independence bid

Posted Oct 7, 2011 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Oct 8, 2011 at 09:57 AM

USF Poly government relations chief, Maggie Mariucci, emailed the faculty this afternoon about efforts to free Poly from USF to become an independent university.

“While I certainly do not claim to have all of the answers, (in fact, no one does),” she wrote, “I did want to provide you with some information specifically relating to those areas where I have heard concerns.”

The Q&A follows the USF Board of Trustees meeting yesterday, where it took its stand after grilling USF Poly Chancellor Marshall Goodman.

Mariucci starts with the assertion that USF Poly didn’t initiate the independence bid. Clearly, however, its leaders are behind it now.

She doesn’t mention Wayne Watters. He’s the lobbyist who gathered signatures on the July 26 community letter that first proposed the split and independence. In mid July, Poly was on the verge of hiring Watters, at $4,000 a month, to provide public affairs consulting. He has close ties to the main independence promoter, state Sen. JD Alexander.

The plan to hire Watters was scotched, a Poly spokesman said, because Poly decided to handle the services inhouse.

In today’s Q&A, Mariucci does address several other issues, including the extra cost (there will be none in the beginning, she says) and why Poly can’t succeed under USF.

Here’s the full document.

Mariucci, by the way, is the sister of state Rep. Seth McKeel, another ardent supporter of the Poly independence campaign.