Although it's still five months away, Tampa political observers will soon pivot quickly after next month's election towards the municipal elections that will take place next March.
Making news on Monday was mayoral candidate Bob Buckhorn, who is slowly and methodically making himself a serious player in the 2011 race, after announcing that he raised over $65,000 in the past three months, and says he now has raised over $117,000 for his campaign, impressive figures when you consider that there are so many candidates right now running for office asking for donations during this rough economic climate.
"The response has been really amazing," he said today. "I think people are hungry for change, they're ready for a new direction, to get the place where Tampa was and can be again."
Last week former Hillsborough County Commissioner Ed Turanchik joined the growing list of candidates running to replace Pam Iorio next spring. Buckhorn says he's prepared for more people to jump in, though he speaks disparagingly of those who might do so.
"This job is too important to just do it on a whim because you need to sit somewhere else for four years, or to add a period to the end of your career," he said, which might be interpreted as a shot at some high profile men still believed to be considering a candidacy, such as former Congressman Jim Davis and former Mayor Dick Greco.
"People want their mayor to earn the job,"Buckhorn said. "You have to have a passion for this. They (the voters) want someone with a vision and a plan."
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.