Saying he didn't intend on making an issue out of it just now, Ed Turanchik acknowledged Thursday afternoon that he is in fact, the latest Tampa resident to declare his candidacy for mayor in 2011.
Turanchik sent a letter to supporters earlier in the day writing that he has found "sincere, genuine and enthusiastic support" over the course of the past few month, and therefore will in fact be a candidate, where he will join a growing list of men and women that have previously announced their intentions to lead the city in the post Pam Iorio era.
When contacted by CL as he was en route to Tropicana Field for Game Two of the American League Division Series, the longtime transit advocate said he was looking forward to engaging in a battle of ideas with all of those who have their own ambitions to run Tampa over the next four years.
Those candidates include Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose Ferlita, Tampa City Council Chairman Thomas Scott, former City Councilman Bob Buckhorn, former Police Captain Marion Lewis (who ran unsuccessfully against Iorio in 2007) and local businessman Arthur Richardson.
"I really wanted to see what people thought about me running and the ideas that I had talked to them about," Turanchik said today, discussing his very public musings throughout the year about entering into the race.
In recent months Turanchik has been working on the high speed rail initiative. In 2009 he led a group that pushed to get the White House to provide funding for the program, which reached fruition back in late January when President Barack Obama announced the $1.25 billion in federal stimulus funding to begin construction of a Tampa to Orlando route.
Before that he ran InTown Homes, where he had a spotty record as a developer of affordable homes in West Tampa.
Turanchik has electoral experience, serving for two four year terms on the Hillsborough County Commission during the 1990's in what is looked by some progressives as the the BOCC's "Golden Age," when Pam Iorio, Jan Platt and the late Phyllis Busansky all served at the same time.
"I think it will be a robust field," Turanchik said about the other candidates in the race, with rumors that there could be more still to come. " I think it's fabulous," he continued, adding, "It means that we're going to have a substantive campaign..people have to be straight shooters and have visions for moving forward."
This reporter first dealt with Turanchik a decade ago, when he was actively engaged in trying to bring what some say was a quixotic attempt in having Tampa host the 2012 Summer Olympics (London will be the host). He says that he already has a detailed plan to present to the voters, but will hold off on any formal announcement until after next month's midterm elections.
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.