This year's Tampa City Council elections are dominated by old faces. Charlie Miranda served eight years in the 1990s, took a break and now is back for a shot at four more. Shawn Harrison has served eight years in his New Tampa seat, but is now running for four more in a citywide district. Council Chairwoman Gwen Miller has already served 12 years by seat-jumping and now seeks four more.
The hell with term limits, huh?
But among the crowd, there are new candidates who represent an emerging generation of leaders in a city long run by the same powerful factions — downtown business interests, South Tampa society and West Tampa's Latinos. The newcomers include small-business owners and neighborhood association leaders — among them two travel consultants and two hair-salon owners (who, strangely, don't have the best haircuts of the bunch).
Here's a look at all of the races on the ballot on March 6. Early voting has already started, and you can get a list of polling locations at votehillsborough.org:
Citywide Seats (on all ballots)
District 1
Gwen Miller has attracted both criticism and opponents in her effort for another term. The criticism is that she has little to show for her time on the council and is nearly mute during important discussions. But Miller, the first black woman elected citywide in Tampa history, has taken to telling voters "I speak softly and work quietly."
Her most prominent rivals are Joe Redner, who is making his seventh run for office (see related cover story); South Tampa travel consultant Julie Jenkins; and Seminole Heights neighborhood president Randy Baron, who has earned the endorsement of both daily newspapers. Also in the race are restaurateurs Denise Chavez (the daughter of former City Councilwoman Helen Chavez) and Rick Barcena.
Miller's biggest misstep in the campaign has been claiming support for the minimal tax rate cut the council forced through last year. Miller actually voted against discussion of such a cut, then was out of the country on a city-paid trip when it was first voted on.
Baron has been the most knowledgeable on the campaign trail, his years of dealing with city bureaucracy over Seminole Heights showing. Jenkins is everywhere, at least in South Tampa, while Chavez is the most fiscally conservative of the group, questioning recent large raises given to police and fire employees. Barcena touts his experience on the city's Code Enforcement Board in understanding neighborhood issues.
Mayor
Pam Iorio gets a nearly free pass for a second term. Her opponents, former police captain Marion Serious Lewis and former fire chief Aria Green, get credit for raising the profile of African-American candidates, but they are woefully underfunded and largely unknown throughout the community. Of the two challengers, Lewis' more prepared presentation of Tampa's problems wins him a better response on the campaign trail.
District 2
Shawn Harrison is a fiscal conservative who led the charge to cut property taxes last year. He also opposed the creation of a stormwater fee that is paying to fix flooding throughout the city. He is making his first run outside of New Tampa, where the USF graduate and attorney lives.
Mary Mulhern projects a progressive profile, talking about the need to manage growth and provide mass transit. Her campaign was first out of the box with ads attacking Harrison as "the invisible man" in his eight years in office. The former arts administrator is coming off a 2006 loss in a bid for the Hillsborough County Commission.
District Seats (not on every ballot, depending on where you live)
District 4 — South Tampa
This has been the most heated of the races, as former assistant city attorney Julie Brown takes on incumbent John Dingfelder, who is seeking a second term. Hair salon owner Joseph Citro is knowledgeable on the stump, but his fundraising is vastly outpaced by Dingfelder and Brown, both of whom have raised more than $100,000.
Brown has gained a reputation as being tied to developers and big money for two reasons: She has lots of developer support (her husband is a SoHo area developer), and she received $20,000 in contributions tied to Volkswagen dealer Jason Kuhn. Kuhn's contributions came after Dingfelder voted against zoning to allow him a used car lot on Kennedy Boulevard.
Brown says Dingfelder is inconsistent in his votes, citing approval of a hotel near Bern's that neighborhood residents thought he had vowed to nix. Brown would also give cigar factory owners an opt-out from being designated historic under city preservation laws, something that Dingfelder doesn't favor.
Dingfelder, also a lawyer, has experienced controversies of his own during the campaign, attracting criticism for soliciting campaign support from someone who had e-mailed him a complaint about city services. Dingfelder helped lead the charge to cut taxes and frequently pushes developers for changes to their plans to protect neighborhoods.
District 5 — Downtown, East Tampa
Interim Councilman Frank Reddick is seeking a full-term in office. His longtime civic activities give him some recognition, but his short fill-in stint on the City Council hasn't done much to pump his name with voters. He's being challenged by former Hillsborough County Commissioner Thomas Scott, who says he wants to continue his work on affordable housing issues. Scott is also known for his contentiousness, almost derailing redevelopment plans for Central Park Village with last-minute demands and for voting in favor of a ban on gay pride recognition at the county. The third candidate is social worker Lynnette "Tracee" Judge, who bills herself as "a new voice on the horizon."
District 6 — West Tampa, North Tampa and Central Tampa
Charlie Miranda is trying to make his comeback. The feisty and independent politician became known for opposing public dollars for a new Bucs stadium, wearing a black suit and shirt to symbolize his disapproval. Given his name recognition and reputation in the district, he is almost certain to win against challenger Lisa Tamargo, who is making her first run for public office.
District 7 — New Tampa
Charles "White Chocolate" Perkins has run a stealth race and can be discounted. Hair salon owner Joseph Caetano is a fiscal conservative who wouldn't mind seeing New Tampa become its own city. He has served several terms on the New Tampa community development district board and has long been involved in civic affairs in that part of the city. Frank Margarella has focused on getting New Tampa its "fair share" of government services for all the tax dollars it contributes to the city.
Disclaimer: As a political consultant, the author represented Shawn Harrison. He ran races against Gwen Miller's husband, the former state Sen. Les Miller, and against Thomas Scott. Mary Mulhern was formerly the arts critic for Creative Loafing.
CLARIFICATION: Julie Brown supports the majority City Council position that cigar factory owners must give their consent before their properties can be designated under city historic preservation ordinances. Our story initially said her position extended to all historic properties, which is not the case.
More political coverage:
- The Tampa vote: We may not want Redner, but do we need him?
- Fixing politics: Ways to improve the elections
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2007.