Just spoke with Jason Busto and he confirms what La Gaceta first reported on Friday: He is thinking about running for the Tampa City Council against Shawn Harrison and Mary Mulhern.
Busto, dubbed the unofficial Mayor of West Tampa, is CEO of the family-owned Busto Plumbing. He is best known for his strident advocacy for that neighborhood and its redevelopment potential, having been active with the West Tampa Volunteers group trying to find economic and transportation solutions for the neighborhood.
My quick take echoes an earlier one in this blog: The more folks who run against Harrison, a Tampa City Council member who now represents New Tampa, the better it is for Harrison. He is the only Republican so far in this nonpartisan race, and he is a virtual incumbent, even though he has not run citywide in a seat like this one. (All three want to take Rose Ferlita's seat, which is open due to her election to the Hillsborough County Commission.)
Disclaimer: In my former life as a political consultant, I represented Harrison. Mulhern is the former arts critic for my publication, Creative Loafing.
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2006.