Tampa’s election could shake up city council
TAMPA, Fla. - Tuesday is the final day for voters in Tampa to weigh in on municipal elections that could lead to a complete shake-up of its city council.
Four seats on the seven-person council remain up for grabs and the election could result in historic women and minority representation on Tampa’s City Council.
Incumbents Bill Carlson, who won resoundingly in March, and Luis Viera, who ran unopposed, will both return.
Two incumbents have also already been ousted by voters. Both Orlando Gudes and Joseph Citro lost their campaigns in March.
Long-time educator, Gwen Henderson, defeated Gudes by just 80 votes. Citro came in third to two newcomers.
File: Election ballots going through machine.
Four women, two of whom are Black, are on the ballot in today’s runoff election. Candidate Alan Clendenin could become Tampa’s first openly gay city council member.
District 1, Citywide:
Keiser University professor of anatomy, physiology, and microbiology, Sonja Brookins, and retired air traffic controlman Alan Clendenin beat out Citro for the runoff.
Brookins has served as a member of the Hillsborough Soil & Water Conservation District for the past two years. The Tampa native is an educator and business owner.
Clendenin captured nearly 40 percent of the vote in March’s election. The retired air traffic controller serves on the Democratic National Executive Committee.
District 2, Citywide:
Florida Rising organizer and first-time candidate Robin Lockett captured nearly 25 percent of the vote in last month’s four-way race to force a runoff with incumbent Guido Maniscalco. Maniscalco has served on the city council since 2015 and has proven himself a key swing vote on council.
Maniscalco, a history buff who was one of the youngest ever elected to Tampa City Council, says with so many important upcoming decisions for Tampa leadership, this could be the most important city-wide election in decades.
"We have a lot of big items that are coming up on the agenda: PURE or toilet-to-tap or whatever iteration you want to call it. That’s going to affect a lot of people. There’s also the quality of the roads and affordable housing and attainable housing. There are a lot of things that affect us here locally," said Maniscalco.
District 3, Citywide:
Perhaps the most closely watched race is Tampa’s District 3, citywide runoff, which pits council appointee Lynn Hurtak against Janet Cruz.
Hurtak joined the city council a year ago as an appointed replacement for John Dingfelder. Cruz formerly served in Tallahassee in both the House and Senate.
Their race has sparked questions over impartiality because of familial ties to Mayor Jane Castor. Cruz’ daughter Ana is the long-time domestic partner of the Tampa Mayor, who ran unopposed last month.
Cruz says she has a proven track record of separating her personal life from her professional duties.
"I’ve voted against the mayor before, both mayors, Buckhorn, Castor. I’ve voted against them before in Tallahassee for programs that they wanted that I didn’t think worked so it’s a matter of doing what’s right for our city," said Cruz. "I’ve been in contentious situations before for the past 13 years in Tallahassee so it’s nothing new for me."
District 6, West and East Tampa
The District 6 race, which covers West Tampa and parts of East Tampa could result in the biggest changing of the guard.
Long-time city council veteran Charlie Miranda, who’s served under five different mayors dating back to 1974, is facing off against first-time candidate and lawyer, Hoyt Prindle.
Miranda, 82, is 44 years Prindle’s senior. The long-time city council staple narrowly missed the 50-percent threshold needed to stave off a runoff election last month.
The polls will be open until 7 p.m. this evening. Voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precinct on Election Day.
Find your voting precinct here.
Vote by Mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you haven’t mailed yours in, you must drop it off at one of the four main Supervisor of Elections offices before 7 p.m. Voters can also choose to have their Vote By Mail ballots canceled and vote in person at their assigned precinct, but cannot drop off Vote By Mail ballots there.
Click here for answers to frequently asked voter questions.