It's cookie season! No, I'm not referring to the overpriced ones sold by uniformed little girls — this cookie campaign is a little more political.

I first spotted them at the Tampa mayoral debate we hosted here at CL Space a few weeks ago: large cookies with candidates' names on them, each frosted with the campaign's signature color. They're the creation of Alessi's Bakery in West Tampa, which is keeping a daily tally of the number of candidates' cookies sold.

According to owner Phil Alessi, Jr., this is the first time the bakery has held a "cookie campaign" to coincide with a political race. "We wanted to create some excitement from the normal race goings-on."

So far, Ferlita has the lead and Greco's a strong second; together, their cookies have sold almost twice as many as the edible icons of Buckhorn, Scott and Turanchik combined. Some political junkies have questioned whether the bakery's relationship with Greco helped ensure a good result for his cookie. They point to the fact that in 1996, Greco (mayor at the time) granted Alessi a nine-year lease to build Cafe Beignet in Ybor's Centennial Park. Supposedly, Alessi had mentioned the idea of opening the cafe in that spot to Greco a few years earlier, believing that then-Mayor Sandy Freedman would not allow the proposal.

But Alessi vouches that all's fair in the cookie wars.

"There's no favoritism here," he counters. "It was strictly business. Greco was very instrumental, but it was mainly for the city — not for the [Alessi] family. We ended up losing a million dollars anyway."

Ferlita and Greco's leads notwithstanding, the other candidates' cookie sales may still catch up. Who knows? We could have a cookie coup.

2909 W. Cypress St., Tampa, 813-879-4544, alessibakery.com.

This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2011.