For eight years, Tampa’s LGBT community have enjoyed the far reaching open-minded leadership of Mayor Pam Iorio, who made it her mission to present Tampa as an accepting city. Now, on March 1, voters will have to decide who will replace the beloved mayor, who is exiting thanks to term limits.
Fortunately, none of the five mayoral candidates seem to be a direct threat to LGBT equality and all have voiced their support in one way or another of the community. So choosing the next mayor may boil down to areas most voters deem as the most important anyway—namely job creation and transportation improvements.
The candidates—Rose Ferlita, Bob Buckhorn, Thomas Scott, Dick Greco and Ed Turanchik all accepted requests to appear at a recent GaYbor District Coalition meeting and all have praised Iorio’s inclusive nature. During the GaYbor meeting held inside the Metro Wellness Community Center on 7th Avenue Jan. 14, each were given five minutes to speak directly to those in attendance.
Rose Ferlita, who is a former city councilwoman and the only woman running for the position to be vacated by Pam Iorio in March, has been spotted at LGBT Pride events throughout her tenure on the council. She spoke mostly about bringing business to Tampa and that “as Rose Ferlita being your mayor, the City of Tampa will be out of the business of red tape.” Ferlita is attractive to many because of her long history of supporting the LGBT community.
However, it was Ed Turanchik who was the only candidate to directly acknowledge that his audience was mostly LGBT residents. He shared that he was proud of his vote 20 years ago to “make Hillsborough County the first county in this part of the state to say it’s illegal to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation.” He has also consistently backed LGBT rights in other leadership roles in the city—especially as they relate to housing.
Also in attendance was Bob Buckhorn, who that Tampa is losing too many residents to other cities—namely Raleigh-Durham and Austin, Tex. He talked about creating more opportunities for “best and brightest” among Tampa’s residents.
Current City Council chairman Thomas Scott spoke about governing from the heart and that a mayor must help people find solutions to problems, adding that “I will be the best mayor you ever will elect in the state of Florida.” Scott has also said his opinions on LGBT issues has evolved since he backed now-Senator Ronda Storms push to ban LGBT Pride displays on county property.
Former Mayor Dick Greco also spoke briefly, congratulating the GaYbor business district’s success and sharing details about his role in bringing Centro Ybor to fruition. The 77-year-old guaranteed that “whatever time” he has left will be dedicated to the City of Tampa.
Tampa voters have a difficult decision to make and should research the candidates plans for the economy and improvement to the city’s infrastructure when casting their ballots on March 1.
Equality Florida chose not to endorse any one candidate because none seem to be anti-LGBT. Watermark will take a similar stance and recommend three of the five candidates as strong contenders. We recommend Ed Turanchik, Rose Ferlita and Bob Buckhorn as the three best options for Tampa’s LGBT community.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote March 1, the top two contenders will take part in a run-off election March 22.
