Whether at a political rally of 700 gays and lesbians in Tampa, the St. Pete Pride festival or a Sunday march in downtown Tampa, there was one Tampa Democrat running for U.S. Congress whose presence was noteworthy.
And no, it wasn't Kathy Castor, whose refusal to go along with her fellow commissioners' anti-gay pride vote has gained her national attention.
It was Scott Farrell, one of her opponents, who was everywhere in the past two weeks when it came to gay pride.
His St. Petersburg field director, Kevin King, took the opportunity to chide Farrell's opponent ever so slightly for her repeated no-shows.
"We had a lot of people come up to us Saturday and say, wow, we're so proud of Kathy Castor, is she here today?" said King. "She was kind of missing in action a little bit."
Castor may not have been at the recent rallies and events, but there is no doubt that her vote has given her a boost in name recognition. She's arguably one of the two biggest winners in this politically divisive battle. The other: her counterpart at the opposite end of the spectrum, Ronda Storms, who proposed the ban.
For Storms, whose eastern and southern Hillsborough County district is strongly pro-family and conservative, fighting gay rights is a big winner for any future political ambitions she may have. (Storms has three more years left on her current – and final – commission term.) Many Republican voters in Brandon, Valrico and Plant City have strongly-held, Biblically based beliefs that homosexuality is abhorrent. Political benefit aside, Storms is speaking for her constituents – or at least the lion's share of them who vote in Republican primary elections.
For Castor, the vote has earned her kudos among interest groups where she wasn't a household name. She told the Planet that scheduling conflicts kept her from the various gay rights events. She's kept busy trying to remind voters of her total record – including efforts to keep the school system from building a school across the street from a porno shop – and not just her gay-pride vote.
That's not to say her stance hasn't shown up in her congressional effort. "When I'm making calls for my campaign, especially from those in the business community, I hear their concern about the economic impact of this vote," Castor said.
Pinellas County Democratic Party Chairwoman Carrie Wadlinger said Castor's vote won recognition and points in St. Petersburg. Wadlinger also lauded Farrell's appearances at the various gay pride rallies and protests but doesn't think Castor lost points for not being there. To her, the bigger story was Congressional candidate Les Miller's absence.
"Where Les Miller was, I don't know," Wadlinger said. "To me, that is where the difference is. Kathy and Scott are saying 'I support this community.' I don't know where Les Miller stands."
An interesting question, and a tougher call for Miller, whose base in the African-American community tends to be less accepting of the gay rights position. The state senator could not be reached for comment.
For the rest of the County Commission, the vote – although incendiary in some quarters – has little practical impact for them politically, either due to the conservative nature of their districts or because they don't face re-election soon. The jury is out, however, on whether the vote will hurt or help Commissioner Thomas Scott in 2007, when he runs for Tampa City Council, where liberal chops are more valued than in the county.
The other big winner politically is Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, who quickly and strongly jumped into the fray to denounce the commission's vote. She didn't have to, and her assertiveness on the issue was not lost on many city voters.
Who are the big losers, politically speaking?
"I think the real losers are the people who live here," said Ana Cruz, a Democratic political consultant in Tampa. "We have another big black cloud hanging over Tampa."
She did, however, add her general disgust that protecting gay rights is even part of the political matrix for 2006. "The thought of this issue helping anybody is disgusting," Cruz said. "There aren't any winners in this."
Jockeying for Mayor: Speaking of Scott, he is one of three political figures already mentioned for the 2011 Tampa mayor's race, when Iorio is term-limited. He joins Tampa City Councilman Shawn Harrison and former mayoral candidate Frank Sanchez on that list. The positioning for that faraway race has already begun.All three wouldn't mind winning the citywide council seat now held by Rose Ferlita. (Ferlita, a Republican who is term-limited, is headed for a County Commission race in Castor's seat. She could face state Rep. Bob Henriquez, a Democrat.) The theory is that a citywide seat holds more power and visibility than a district seat.
It now looks like only Harrison and Scott will go citywide. Sanchez, who will only confirm that his "interest has grown" in the past month for a City Council race, has talked with others about seeking the seat now held by Mary Alvarez (who is also term-limited in 2007) instead of running against Scott and Harrison.
Scott could likewise avoid a tough election by running in Councilman Kevin White's open district seat but earlier this month he announced he will run against Harrison. Scott touted his experience in leading the County Commission as a past chairman and his desire to improve transportation and health care.
As for the trio's mayoral ambitions, Harrison is the only one who openly talks of it.
"I'm interested in being mayor of Tampa," Harrison said, "But if you look past your next election you may not get past your next election."
Sanchez said, "Five years is an eternity in politics. I know better than to look beyond what I'm focusing on today."
And Scott?
"2011 is a long way off," Scott said. "Anything can happen."
Political Whore disclosure time: As a political consultant, he ran campaigns for Shawn Harrison and Rose Ferlita and against Tom Scott, Les Miller and Kathy Castor. He can be reached by e-mail at wayne.garcia@weeklyplanet.com or by telephone at 813-739-4805.
This article appears in Jul 6-12, 2005.