Tea Party politics is coming back to the ballot box this summer in Hillsborough County.
Sharon Calvert, a prime critic of the light-rail proposal that went down to defeat two years ago, has announced that she is running to oppose Victor Crist in the Hillsborough County District 2 Republican race this August. When asked why she was running against Crist, Calvert said she resides in the same district, and that it's time for the commission to represent some new faces and fresh ideas.
Crist has only been on the board since 2010. Prior to joining the BOCC, he represented the North Hillsborough County area in Tallahassee for 18 years, the first eight (1992-2000) in the House, and the last decade in the state Senate. After being term-limited out, he ran for what was Ken Hagan's seat on the commission.
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2012.