Although former Tampa City Councilman Bob Buckhorn announced his candidacy for mayor just a few weeks ago, for years he's been cultivating relationships throughout the city that could pay off for him once he did declare he was running for office.
Such work paid off big time for Buckhorn on Tuesday when he landed the endorsement of the Tampa Firefighters Union. Captain M.G. Costello of Local 754 said this morning, "Bob Buckhorn is the best choice for the future of both the City and the future of the Tampa Fire Department. No one is as prepared to lead as Bob."
Echoing those comments was former Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman, whom Buckhorn worked for during her eight years in City Hall from 1987-1995, as he toiled as her special assistant. Freedman expressed surprise that the Firefighters were endorsing a candidate so early in the race, with other candidates certain to join the race.
"That's pretty fast," she said upon hearing of the endorsement. "Bob will really be a good mayor, he knows the city inside and out," she said.
This article appears in Jun 3-9, 2010.