WINTER HAVEN -- David Greene assumed control of city government in July after 7 1/2 years at the helm in Lake Wales. The new city manager met recently with the News Chief's editorial board to talk about his impressions, his plans for the future, and some of the issues facing the city.

Question: You've only been on board a few months, but the sense is that improvements have been made. What are some of the key things you have accomplished so far?

Answer: I think more than anything else, a sense of stability, from a political point of view within the city commission, as well as in the community.... Kind of a calming influence and a sense of solidarity, if you will, of being solid individually and professionally. Also, we're moving in a new direction and focusing on the future.

Q: How does your approach to the city manager's job differ from that of your predecessor?

A: I think by nature I'm a very aggressive person with a pretty strong personality, a strong leader who's very outspoken. My philosophical approach is more corporate business style, going forward aggressively and getting things done, and constantly approaching the city commission for approval of our recommendations. I think we should provide the city commission with completed staff work along with our recommendations -- a lot like a newspaper article, answering the questions about who, what, when, where, how and why -- and also answer the question of how much.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing the city now?

A: I think the most significant challenge, and at the same time a significant opportunity, is expanding the tax base of the city. We're hovering around that $950 million range, and if we're not careful we'll find ourselves dropping off from a revenue point of view and the situation gets more difficult each year. So I think quality growth, smart growth are sort of the buzz words ... expanding the tax base through economic development and redevelopment, as well as annexation.

Q: What are the city's plans for annexation? Is there still good potential for growth or has there been too much encroachment?

A: I think the city, in the long term, has good potential to grow. As for strategy, we need to annex some of the large, undeveloped parcels where we're dealing with just one or two property owners and have the opportunity to work with them on the ultimate development from a comprehensive planning and land-use point of view. And then secondly, some of the smaller enclave areas where we're able to work with that community of maybe 50 to 100 or 200 homes, and establish a positive relationship to help them understand where the city's coming from. At the same time we get a feeling of what the concerns and issues are for that particular area. And then the third component would be the much larger areas where there are perhaps a 1,000 or more people, where we have to work on a grander scale to reach the community and establish a positive relationship. Crucial to that is the city's economic development strategy in which we need to bring down our costs, so that when we approach an area where there are homes now, we can somehow make it cost-neutral or close to that for those who are being annexed.... So that when we put the package together we can say, 'Look, for just a few dollars more or even the same or less dollars, we can provide a higher level of service and you have an opportunity to participate and have a voice in your government.' ...We'd like to meet surrounding cities at their doorstep. I think that's important.

Q: What progress have we made on code enforcement since the announced crackdown. What are the next steps, and when will residents begin to see some results?

A: Code enforcement has, and probably will continue to be a long-standing issue. It's a very complicated process to succeed in. I don't want to use the word cumbersome, but there's a lot of opportunity for due process and delays. What we have to do is convince the community that we're serious, that we're going to pursue it, and try to develop a positive, cooperative relationship that puts pride in the community up front.... It's a situation where the city of Winter Haven needs to lead by example. One of the things on the drawing board is a real hard look at a number of areas in the city, particularly along the lakefronts, and the opportunities for revitalization and redirecting those neighborhoods.

Q: Winter Haven has tremendous water resources that many people say are not being fully utilized. Will the city commit to programs that increase lake access?

A: The best answer to that question is, simply, 'Yes.' The more long-term answer is that the lakes provide a lot of opportunity for public involvement, engaging your neighbors and friends with things such as walking trails and other opportunities such as boating, boardwalks and viewing areas. So yes, we want to make the Chain of Lakes accessible to the public. We are very much interested in the Visioning group's recommendations regarding the lakes, including the Lake Howard boardwalk.... That's why annexation and growth are so important, because those things generate the dollars necessary to pursue such development.

Q: Garden Grove residents continue to have uneven water quality and water pressure. Are those problems being addressed?

A: The city is aggressively pursuing the problems and concerns with the Garden Grove utility issue. We have some improvements going online hopefully this month or early 2002 and we should make substantial progress in addressing the quality of water from the odor point of view, the flow, the volume and the pressure as well. There are some longer-term things that will take another 18 months to two years to resolve. The concerns about the system are valid.

Q: The Cleveland Indians almost certainly will be leaving after their contract expires. If that happens, what does the city plan to do with the spring training facility?

A: I think, ultimately, that our expectation is that the Indians will leave the community. I think the timing is the only question. Our planning study would take a look at the opportunities for the stadium. One possibility would be along the lines of amateur sports and whether we can generate the activity successfully and have an impact on the restaurants and lodging facilities. That's the direction we would most likely end up going.

Q: What's going on at the Exposition Dome?

A: After we sort out some other problems and issues, such as repairs to the swimming pool, we will focus some time and energy on the Dome. We think there is a niche for the Dome, whether it be expo hall or other facility, and we'd certainly have to do some modifications to it. We've also had some very general conversations with the Citrus Festival folks about the possibility of locating an office facility there, but nothing serious yet.

Q: You have made some organizational changes in city government. Are more changes forthcoming?

A: Soon we should have a fairly significant initiative moving forward, with a dramatic reorganization. I can't tell you anything else about it now. We are still fine-tuning and putting the pieces together.

Q: How is Assistant City Manager Larry Arnold doing, and what types of things is he handling?

A: The assistant city manager is a top-drawer individual who has 20-plus years of experience with the city of St. Petersburg, and he's very much city manager material. I'm asking Larry to work in a number of areas, such as annexation, economic development and redevelopment, and just generally taking some of the workload off my shoulders to make sure we move some of the organizational issues forward on a daily basis a little more quickly than we were able to do in the past.

Q: Is there a chance that the interim assistant city manager's position will become permanent?

A: Yes, I suspect that it will.

Q: What is the biggest surprise you have had since moving to Winter Haven?

A: I'm very impressed with the quality of the staff. We have some excellent employees that are committed to doing a good job and working very hard, and I don't know that they have received the kind of recognition that they truly deserve. We have problems just like all organizations, but overall the quality of city employees and their commitment to doing a good job is greater than I expected.

Q: Morale among city employees has been a problem in the past. Has that situation improved?

A: I think it has. We still have problem areas, but overall I think morale is up. I think there's a sense that the city is trying hard to be a good employer and do the right things. But we're not there yet.