Tampa City Council candidate Carrie West

Most in Tampa Bay's LGBT community know Carrie West as the whimsical cowboy hat-wearing co-owner of MC Film Festival, and president of the GaYbor District Coalition. The long-time Tampa resident admits he loves to have funâ┚¬â€but he's serious when it comes to politics.

West is running for the District 5 seat on the Tampa City Council in the March 1 election.

â┚¬Å”Everything you do is involved with politics,â┚¬Â the Wisconsin native said during a Feb. 15 interview with Watermark. â┚¬Å”No matter where you eat or drink or visit with friendsâ┚¬â€it all involves politics.â┚¬Â

The outspoken community leader and activist says that the March 1 election is a historical one for Tampaâ┚¬â€mostly because it is the first time that the entire City Council is up for grabs. He hopes his message of tolerance, job creation and improved transportation opportunities will garner him more than 50-percent of the vote. If it doesn't, a run-off election between the top two candidates will occur on March 22.

â┚¬Å”Right now we have a situation where we're in turmoil,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”The City Council isn't cohesive, and they are not asserting their power under the mayor. Pam [Iorio] has done a great job, but I think we've been misled by a council member or two.â┚¬Â

A range of issues faces Tampa, which has one of the largest unemployment rates in the state. West says his experience on several boardsâ┚¬â€including the Barrio Latino Commission and the Ybor City Development Corp.â┚¬â€makes him a strong candidate for the position.

Job creation
West believes Tampa is doing a fine job educating students, but it fails when it comes to retaining skilled graduates. He said that local government should create job opportunities to get Tampa's economy back on track.

â┚¬Å”I'm not a developer, and I'm not a real estate agent,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”But as president of the GaYbor District Coalition I've brought 23 companies into Ybor City during a recession. That's pretty good. We've only been here three years and we've changed the area a lot.â┚¬Â

According to West, there were 44 empty store fronts in Ybor City before he and life and business partner (and now campaign manager) Mark Bias helped create the GaYbor Coalition. On the west end of Ybor, where their colorful MC Film Festival retail establishment is located, West says there are now â┚¬Å”maybe three empty storesâ┚¬Â¦ that's it.â┚¬Â

West wants to apply the same kind of energy and innovation to the overall job market in Tampa.

â┚¬Å”The University of South Florida and the University of Tampa are doing a fine job educating our young men and women,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”But there aren't enough good jobs to keep them here. They're going to other cities and other states to find work. It doesn't make sense.â┚¬Â

West sees Tampa's port as an excellent opportunity to create jobs and bring money into the area. He believes the port should be prepared to receive ships using the newly widened Panama Canal, which opens in 2013, and hence boost commerce with China and Central and South America.

â┚¬Å”It's a great opportunity,â┚¬Â he said. â┚¬Å”They're preparing for mega vessels and looking for deep harbor ports for trade. Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville are going after that business, and so should we. We should also pursue trade with Cuba. We're the closest port to Havana yet Mobile and Galveston are trading right now.â┚¬Â

West also sees job opportunities associated with Florida's proposed light and high speed rail projects.

â┚¬Å”That would lead to the creation of jobs in six to nine months,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”We still need to figure some things out, like whether we should use existing CSX lines or build lines either on the ground or above the ground. But it's a huge opportunity for us to get people to work.â┚¬Â

Attracting more small business is another priority for West, who noted that mom and popâ┚¬â€or pop and popâ┚¬â€stores are what the U.S. is all about.

Growth and consolidation
But West notes that good jobs and healthy development are dependent on infrastructure. A healthy downtown is also important for the kind of residents Tampa wants to attract.

â┚¬Å”Ybor is fantasticâ┚¬â€it's a great nightlife area. But you need a downtown area that is thriving, not a dead canyon,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”You have to build at the ground level for a building to rise, and you have to start downtown to get the whole city to rise.â┚¬Â

From there, he said, growth can take off in all different directions. As an example, West said he would also like to see an Interstate exit ramp near the 40th Street corridor to encourage commerce.

â┚¬Å”The council from this district should have hollered and squealed to the Department of Transportation for an off-ramp,' West said. â┚¬Å”That area is the only real commerce center in East Tampa, and it needs a ramp.â┚¬Â

Working with other government agencies is also important, West said. But he's reluctant to encourage consolidation with Hillsborough Countyâ┚¬â€mostly because of the county's history concerning LGBT Pride.

â┚¬Å”Some have suggested that consolidating city and county parks would be a good idea,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”I looked into it, and if our parks were operated by the county we would be governed by some of the bad things that happened during the Ronda Storms era.â┚¬Â

As a Hillsborough County Commissioner in 2005, Storms successfully pushed for a ban on LGBT Pride displays and events on county property. West said if the city's parks were operated by the county, LGBT Pride events would be prohibited.

â┚¬Å”Many don't realize the ramifications of these things,â┚¬Â West said.

A city's evolution
West recently celebrated his 33rd anniversary with Bias. He has never hidden his sexuality and is consistently linked to the LGBT community through his many roles as a community leader, activist and business owner.

But he says his campaign for the District 5 seat against three African-American candidates is not about sexuality or race; it's about finding the right person to improve life in Tampa.

â┚¬Å”Only one person has ever brought up my sexuality,â┚¬Â said West, who has made it a point to knock on at least 400 homes per week during his campaign. â┚¬Å”People are far more interested in the issues. Everyone benefits from a good infrastructure, and that's what has my attention. I want to represent everyone in the district, not just one segment.â┚¬Â

Historically, District 5 has been represented by African-American candidates, but West noted that the demographics are evolving and now include several diverse communities. He believes they are united in their concern about things like pot holes, sidewalks and crime rates and sidewalks.

â┚¬Å”I call it â┚¬Ëœfront porch politics,'â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”You go out and do the best you can to talk to everyone. You listen to what they want and what they're concerned about. You have to let the constituents talk about their lives, and I'm happy to listen to them.â┚¬Â

West is a skilled politician who hopes to represent all of District 5. He declined to assess the five candidatesâ┚¬â€Bob Buckhorn, Ed Turanchik, Rose Ferlita, Thomas Scott and Dick Grecoâ┚¬â€currently running for mayor. All have reached out to the LGBT community and expressed support for LGBT equality.

â┚¬Å”I know all of them fairly well,â┚¬Â he said. â┚¬Å”We have some strong candidates across the board.â┚¬Â