Acrimony and character defamation are often the norm in political races, even the ones that in previous years focused on mundane, hyper-local issues.
Issues are overshadowed frequently by mudslinging. Voters lose.
The runoff in Tampa City Council District 6 between transportation engineer Jackie Toledo and jeweler Guido Maniscalso is no exception.
Never before in the history of the officially non-partisian Tampa City Council has an election for a seat been so heated, so mired in allegations of murky third party political action committees, canceled debates and relentless negative campaign mailers and robocalls. Once again, voters lose.
“Voters are losing faith in the political process,” University of South Florida political science professor and political analyst Dr. Susan MacManus said. “The idea that elections are non-partisan is out-of-date because so much money from third parties and adversarial groups find their way into local elections.”
Such is the case for Toledo. Eleven mailers to date have been sent to District 6 residents from Moving Tampa Forward, a newly-formed political committee with less-than-clear origins. Each one bashes Maniscalco; some even attack members of his family.
Toledo and her campaign consultant Anthony Pendicini vehemently deny any involvement with Moving Tampa Forward.
“Increasingly, parties are interested in local races like these because these winners form a pool of candidates to be plucked for higher office like state legislature and even Congress,” MacManus said. “That intent often facilitates bad politics.”
Toledo, a Republican, took 46 percent of the vote on March 3. Democratic candidate Maniscalco received 29 percent and air conditioning contractor Tommy Castellano, received 25 percent. Castellano endorsed Manascalco shortly after the results were official election night.
In the 20 days since the election, both candidates have canvassed non-stop, knocking on hundreds of doors, allowing voters a chance to connect a face to the campaign signs.
So who are these two people?
Despite opposite party affiliations, Maniscalco, 30, and Toledo, 38, share many of the same concerns for the growth and sustainability of Tampa. Transportation, improved neighborhood infrastructure and simpliflying the process for new businesses govern each of their agendas.
Passion for the process and the outcome fuel their desire to represent Tampa on the City Council.
A few moments with Maniscalco reveals the Tampa native’s encyclodpedic knowledge of the city’s past and present.
“When I hang out with my friends, we usually talk about everything from WWII to Ancient Roman History to 1950’s or 60’s politics and how they shaped politics today,” Maniscalco said. “I identify with JFK as a democrat and Eisenhower as a Republican and how some of their ideals relate to current affairs. ”
Maniscalco frequently recites passages from one of his favorite books JFK’s Profile in Courage. It’s in the back seat of his car.
Originally a registered Republican, Maniscalso changed parties in December 2012. He ran as a Republican in the 2011 City Council District 1 race, but didn’t make it into the runoff.
“I registered as a Republican following 9/11,” Maniscalco said. “I felt gung-ho and equally disturbed by the events that took place. I since recognize that my values are more aligned with the Democratic Party.”
As President of the MacFarlane Park Neighborhood Association, a Tampa Code Enforcement Board member and member of the Hillsborough County Human Rights Council, the first-generation Tampanian connects directly to West Tampa’s concerns and the city in general. He grew up there, as did his working-class family.
District 6 includes West Tampa and parts of South Tampa including Beach Park as well as Culbreath Heights, Drew Park, Lowry Park, Palm Ceia West, Riverside Heights, South Seminole Heights and the Westshore business district.
Giuseppe, Maniscalco’s dad, emigrated from Sicily in 1981, becoming a United States citizen in 2014. Guido’s mom, Marietta, a Cuba native, emigrated at age three in 1961. All have remained in Tampa ever since. All consider it unfathomable to ever leave.
Giusepp Maniscalco campaigns for son Guido daily. One of their favorite stops is the West Tampa Sandwich Shop.
At 7:01 a.m., March 3, Giuseppiecast his first-ever vote as a U.S. citizen at the Sons of Italy Lodge on Lemon Street where his son is Trustee/Chairman. The elder Maniscalco spent the remainder of the day in the parking lot campaigning for his son and communicating via Facebook with 100 or so relatives back in Sicily. Determined to stay until the polls closed, the elder Maniscalco packed his cooler with prosciutto, cheese, water and wine.
“Guido is a hero back there,” Giuseppe said. “He’s the first person in our family to run for office and they feel it’s as important as the race for president.”
At age seven, Guido was asked by a client at his family’s jewelry store what he wanted to be when he grew up. His reply: “President.”
Maniscalco’s first serious connection to politics was meeting Mayor Dick Greco at Ybor City’s Centennial Park in 1995.
“I remember he was standing by the immigrant statue, an older person meeting younger people,” Maniscalco said. “I went up and shook his hand and realized how connected to the people he was.”
A graduate of Tampa Catholic and the University of South Florida where he majored in English, Maniscalco considered a law degree and has not ruled it out.
Friends say Maniscalco has been grooming himself his entire life to be a public servant. Single and with no children, Maniscalco considers West Tampa his extended family.
Maniscalco’s priorities include overall transportation issues, particularly in neighborhoods, streamlining the permitting process for new businesses and improving the effectiveness of the Code Enforcement Board.
For Toledo, a glance at her five children reminds her of why she has chosen to run for office. Ages three to 16, they serve as her compass and inspiration to defend and improve the City of Tampa. And like Maniscalco, she’s a problem solver.
Jackie Toledo and her five children canvassed neighborhoods daily.
As a civil engineer specializing in transportation issues and owner of Tampa Creative Camp, a non-profit performing arts studio for children, Toledo is grounded in recognizing a specific problem, dissecting it and finding a solution.
Born in Lima, Peru, Toledo, along with her younger sister, stayed with her grandparents for two years as her parents, George and Charo, immigrated to the United States. Seeking a better life for their children and longing to escape the encroachment of the Shining Path organization in Peru, the elder Vallejo’s landed in New York City where they simultaneously held several jobs each as waiters.
“Dad and Mom taught me that through hard work and dedication, you can achieve your dreams,” Toledo said.
The Vallejos followed family members to Sacramento where they resided until Toledo’s parents divorced when she was 12.
“Mom moved to Tampa and Dad to Orlando which was good for us as we were only 88 miles apart,” Toledo said. “The I-4 corridor became our life and we were able to maintain our close family relationship, which is super-important to me.”
Toledo spent much of her childhood caring for her younger siblings, Cathy and George.
“I cooked for them, cared for them – I had more responsibilities as a child,” Toledo said. “I learned how to balance things, to get the job done.”
Analytical and inquisitive from an early age, Toledo took apart everything she could get her hands on.
“Even as a child, I was always looking for a way to take something existing and find ways to make it better,” Toledo said.
Toledo recalls re-inventing the family’s one telephone to make it more accommodating.
“When my Mom would ground me, I wouldn’t be allowed to use the phone so I figured how to attach it to a speaker and phone line,” Toledo said. “I would tell my friends to call me at a certain time. I’ve always looked for ways to improve on things.”
With a strong work ethic and knowing her family could not afford to send her to college, Toledo studied pre-engineering at Gaither High School and earned a college scholarship. Toledo said she knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an engineer.
“I never had any other career consideration,” Toledo said. “I knew I would apply myself 100 percent.”
By then, Charo returned to California and Toledo was on her own.
“I was very grateful to go to college so I made the most of it,” Toledo said. “I was very involved at the university level as a USF Ambassador for the Engineering College Council and a leader in several organizations. I never become a member of something without the intent to help lead.”
Although Toledo served as president of many organizations, including her sixth-grade class, she said that she never considered public office.
“Dad was always encouraging me to run, but as an engineer, politics seemed so foreign to me,” Toledo said. “The philosophy he instilled in me is to always give back.”
Sensing she could dissect some of the city’s issues and suggest solutions to improve on them, Toledo announced her candidacy on March 24, 2014.
As a board member of the Beach Park Homeowners Association and member of the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council, Toledo says she is acutely aware of the city’s needs.
Like Maniscalco, Toledo cites transportation as one of the city’s most urgent needs.
“We have many visions when it comes to transportation and we don’t look at it as regionally as we should,” Toledo said. “The common thread in District 6 is to improve potholes, traffic light timing, bike lanes…One of my favorite words is mixed-use – when you can combine retail, work and residential needs to keep people in neighborhoods and help cut down on traffic.”
Like Maniscalco, Toledo advocates better use of the city’s trolley system. Both would like to see an extended route and running times to accomodate residents’ work/play schedules.
Both agree that neighborhood infrastructure and residents’ safety comes first. Better street lighting, sidewalks and bike routes will facilitate safer communities.
Toledo and Maniscalco both agree that once these issues are addressed, then Tampa should look at the possibility of a light rail system.
“Always in life, improve what you have instead of throwing money at a problem,” Toledo said. “Optimize what you have.”
As for her favorite motto, it comes from her mother: “Rejection is a protection from god himself. If things don’t go as planned, it’s for a bigger reason.”
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Voters must vote at the polling place for their precinct. This information is available at VoteHillsborough.org or by calling the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections at (813) 744-5900.
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2015.