As we wrote about it our essay about Dick Greco yesterday, one of the few specific things we heard from the former mayor about his plans if he were to be elected was that David Straz and John Sykes would be involved in his administration.
Straz, a local philanthropist, became extremely well known throughout the Tampa Bay area in November of 2009 when his financial contribution (rumored to be as high as $25 million) to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center resulted in the facility changing its name to the Straz Center.
He served as chief fundraiser for Greco's failed campaign, and today he endorsed Bob Buckhorn in the Tampa mayoral runoff between Buckhorn and Rose Ferlita.
In announcing his support at Mise En Place, Straz said that he had read through Buckhorn's economic recovery plan, which he liked, saying,"I’m certainly persuaded by his preparation and level of detail. However, most importantly, he has a clear vision and can articulate both broadly and specifically how he will lead our city."
Straz called him the better choice in the race with Ferlita, and in fact, "the only real" choice to lead the community.
For her part, Rose Felita hardly seems fazed by these endorsements, though undoubtedly she would have liked to have received their imprimatur of Ed Turanchik and/or Thomas Scott, who have endorsed Buckhorn in recent days. She told Rick Danielson of the St. Pete Times today that "We've got a great deal of Greco supporters that are already in our camp," which CL definitely believes could be the case.
