Nicole Payne, who’s running for Hillsborough County Commission District 4 seat. Credit: Photo via vote4nicolepayne/Facebook
Hillsborough County’s Board of County Commissioners has been a depressing body as of late. Last month, just like it did last year, the body voted 4-3 to slash $8 million of an affordable housing fund and use it for reduced property taxes, sidewalk repairs, and other investments. Now, affordable housing efforts will get only $2 million of the county funds.

That vote happened along party lines, with Republican Ken Hagan being the swing vote. While Hagan gets props for standing up for the arts, and for joining Democrats in signing a Tampa Pride proclamation that didn’t officially make it to the chamber, we’re torn on whether or not he should be replaced by Democratic Party volunteer worker Patricia Alonzo.

Instead, we hope that Democratic challenger Nicole Payne can help balance the increasingly red commission with wins over a DeSantis appointee (Christine Miller, District 4) while seasoned local politico Sean Shaw can keep the District 6 seat Pat Kemp is vacating blue.

District 2
Ken Hagan (REP)
Patricia Altagracia Alonzo (DEM)

District 4
Christine Miller (REP)
Nicole Payne (DEM)

District 6
Sean Shaw (DEM)
Chris Boles (REP)

See all of CL’s ballot recommendations on our 2024 general election landing page.

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This article appears in Oct 17-23, 2024.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...