User:Jax 0677/Eunice Penix

Eunice Penix (born 1941) is a former Mayor Pro-Tem of Dade City, Florida. She is a retired school teacher, who was appointed as City Commissioner for Group 5 in 1993, serving unopposed for four out of her five additional terms, campaigning against Mike Agnello for her most recent term, which will expire in 2012.

Career
Before going into politics, Penix graduated from Bethune-Cookman University and taught elementary school for close to 40 years, the majority of which was in Pasco County. As of 2008, Penix was still a substitute teacher.

Politics
Along with Mayor Camille Hernandez, Penix proposed a 200% pay raise for city commissioners in Dade City, stating that the commission had not received any sort of compensation increase in over two decades, that the pay in the municipality was much lower than that of others and that failing to provide an increase will not allow the government to hire competent council members. Penix also opposed the expansion of a wastewater treatment plant expansion that had the potential to uproot baseball fields in the area and was within walking distance of peoples' homes as well as restrictions on irrigation.

In addition to this, Penix voted to close the city fire department (contracting with Pasco County), advocated for better police training after serving on a criminal court jury and supported preparing a budget with a 1% tax cut to demonstrate the consequences of doing so.