Despite protestations from the establishment in Tampa, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority said screw all that and gave Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano a $50,000 raise and one-year contract extension Thursday morning, less than two weeks after his first anniversary on the job.
The vote was a close one at 3-2, with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist, the two elected officials on the Authority, voting no, as they had said they would.
The result came hours after board members absorbed a Tampa Bay Times editorial that said it was too early for such a raise and contract extension.
This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2012.