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'Beyond The Call Of Duty'

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By JOYCE MCKENZIE of The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - The art of negotiating is nothing new to Ron Govin, chief executive officer of Mark Master, a family-owned and -operated business in Tampa. He considers himself an astute bargainer when it comes to trying to put together deals.

That is why Govin, also a Temple Terrace city councilman, was selected in March as the council's representative at meetings between city staff and the developer of the city's downtown revitalization project.

Ron Govin

"We go through the developer's proposals line item by line item, and it takes time," he said.

Govin estimated that he has devoted, on average, 12 hours a week since spring in contract discussions. Although he is allowed to give his input during the negotiating sessions, his primary role is to inform other council members what has been discussed. Decisions require a vote by the entire council.

"Honestly, his involvement has been beyond the call of duty," said the city's community services director, Ralph Bosek. "Ron views himself as kind of a peacemaker — it's kind of the way he lives his life. It's a beautiful thing to see a man devote his time for what he views as the city's No. 1 priority." Mayor Joe Affronti agreed. "He's done an outstanding job on the redevelopment project. He's a very patient, methodical person," he said. "I know that through Ron's effort we are going to get the job done."

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