With the last of the Tampa City Council elections finally over, we can now move on to the speculation of just where the City is heading.
We have to discuss Joe Redner at the start. The interest that he helped garner in this race was signficant. His efforts to focus on the environmental, transportation, and development issues were with vision and direction. The political baggage he carried as a "strip club owner" was repeated so often by the local media that his issues were usually ignored by the media and by the voters. Just as Al Gore is being recognized now with his global warning issues, Joe Redner might be Tampa's own harbinger of problems of our own making. We hope his issues stay in the front of public awareness. This will probably be his last campaign for public office.
The only real new council member is Joe Caetano from the New/North Tampa area and Mary Mulhern, city wide. Caetano has been an outspoken critic of the city in the past. While he has sometimes been a little too out spoken, bordering on secession from the city, his points about the need for more city attention to the District 7 area are based on needs and the amount of tax revenues the area provides. Mary Mulhern is probably the member to watch the most. She is progressive, open minded, and a newcomer to elected office. Her concerns for environmental related issues have been well articulated. While Charlie Miranda is newly elected, he has served on council before until a failed campaign for mayor and is known to be most concerned about the city's deteriorating infrastructure needs - roads, water, drainage, sewage issues. Additionally, Miranda is a strong voice for the West Tampa area that is on the verge of a significant renaissance. Tom Scott has a clear record of development issues and concerns about roads and transportation. Gwen Miller has not distinguished herself after twelve years on council, but has indicated she has heard the voters and will change that during this term. John Dingfelder is known as being someone that sometimes flips on issues, but it is usually because he has done continuing homework that has lead him to a different conclusion. His low key style has been one of his trademarks. Can he deliver needed goods and services for his district ? Like actually assisting with the SOHO parking issues ? Only time will tell.
The Council has frequently been split between the business/development side versus social concerns members and no one has been more clear in that than Linda Saul-Sena. Saul-Sena has an accute sensitivity to historic preservation and a more long term approach to city planning. She is outspoken when she has felt the need and is probably the most political member of the current council members. While she has sometimes not been consistent on development issues, she has been a tireless officeholder. With the failed election bid of Shawn Harrison, Saul-Sena is the heir apparent for Tampa Mayor.
And speaking of the Mayor, Pam Iorio seems more enthusiastic about her second term than ever. She showed great pride of accomplishment at the recent announcement of Ikea locating in Tampa. Her plans for a mass transit plan, the Riverwalk project - including the Tampa Museum of Art, financial restraint, and improvement of the neighborhoods are ahead to be realized - or not. Whether she accomplish these things are yet to be seen. She is a strong leader but has sometimes shown a callousness on some issues. At an Ybor Chamber of Commerce meeting she almost openly challenged the night businesses of Ybor. The decimation of architecturally significant Kiley Gardens in downtown appears to have come at her instruction well ahead of any reason to do so. She has not seemed to be very involved in the looming disaster of traffic issues on Gandy as the incredible rate of development proceeds in SOG - South of Gandy. However, she is usually a good reader of public sentiment and has been focusing more attention to the Drew Park, New Tampa, and East Tampa areas. Her understanding of the downtown core has helped lead to what will be an incredible downtown revitalization on a broad scale by the end of her new term. We believe you can watch for more direction of attention in the short term to the Old West Tampa area as it starts to become increasingly significant to the downtown core. Tampa is one of the most exciting places in the US to be. Mayor Iorio has her challenges ahead, but we can't think of anyone better to lead and direct our city. We thank everyone that seeks any public office, your sacrifice of time, money, and more helps to shape our quality of life.
Good luck City Council, now the real work begins.
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