Brown
endorsements building
Posted Feb 6,
2007 by Josh Poltilove
Updated Feb 6, 2007 at 04:31 PM
Tampa City Council candidate Julie Brown continues to
pull in endorsements from area unions. On Tuesday, she
was endorsed by Tampa Firefighters Union Local 754.
Brown also recently was endorsed by the Tampa Police
Department’s union and the Tampa Bay Builders
Association, which represents about 35,000 people
employed in the building industry in the Tampa Bay area.
“I think the momentum of my campaign is picking up big
time,” Brown said.
She is running against Joseph V. Citro and incumbent
John Dingfelder for a District 4 council seat. The
district includes Harbour Island and most of south
Tampa.
Election Day is March 6.
Brown, a former assistant city attorney, received the
endorsements of police and firefighters despite the fact
that Dingfelder is vice chairman of the council’s public
safety committee.
“We feel [Brown is] the best candidate for the
position,” said Firefighters Union President Larry
Parker, whose union represents about 560 members
throughout Tampa. “She’ll represent the district well
and be the best person to support public safety.”
In December 2003, the city council endorsed a boost in
pension benefits for police officers and firefighters.
The increase included employees in the Deferred
Retirement Option Program who were working as of Oct. 1,
2003, but not those in the program who had retired
before then.
Dingfelder was the lone councilman to object to the
pension boost. He said he wanted the agreement to
benefit everyone.
If the boost had benefited everyone, current
firefighters union members would have paid “an
astronomical amount of money out of their pockets,”
Parker said.
Dingfelder’s vote created resentment from the union back
then, but the relationship has improved, Parker said.
Parker said the union backed Brown because they felt she
was a more impressive candidate.
“In our research, we think she’s got a really good
chance of winning the election,” he said. “We think it’s
going to be really close.”
Josh Poltilove
Police union endorsements
announced
Posted Feb 1, 2007 by Ellen Gedalius
Updated Feb 1, 2007 at 03:28 PM
The Tampa Police Department’s union announced its
endorsements today.
The union is backing:
* Pam Iorio for mayor
* Gwen Miller in District 1
* Shawn Harrison in District 2
* Julie Brown in District 4
* Frank Reddick in District 5 and
* Joseph Caetano in District 7.
The union chose to back neither Charlie Miranda nor Lisa
Tamargo in District 6.
The fire department union also has announced some of its
endorsements: Miller, Harrison and Miranda. Endorsements
in the other races are expected next week.
Voter registration deadline
is Feb. 5
Posted Feb 1, 2007 by Tribune staff
Updated Feb 1, 2007 at 04:59 PM
Tampa residents wanting to vote in the upcoming city
elections but not currently on the voter rolls have
until Monday, Feb. 5, to register.
Registration forms are available at public libraries,
drivers’ license offices, City Hall, and the County
Center. Forms also are available by calling the
Supervisor of Elections Office at 272-5850 or by
visiting www.votehillsborough.org.
Elections for mayor and a half-dozen City Council seats
will be March 6. Voters can cast a ballot at their
precinct March 6 or by mail or at any one of seven early
voting sites.
To request a ballot by mail, call the Supervisor of
Elections at 612-4180 or visit www.votehillsborough.org
. Voters also can pick up a ballot at County Center or
at the Elections Service Center. Competed ballots must
be received at elections offices by 7 p.m. on election
day.
Early voting sites will be open from Feb. 19 through
March 3. Voters can go to any of the following
locations:
- College Hill Library, 2607 E. MLK Blvd.
- County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. 26th Floor
- Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan
Ave.
- New Tampa Regional Library, 1001 Cross Creek Blvd.
- North Tampa Branch Library, 8916 North Blvd.
- Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center, 2514 N.
Falkenburg Rd.
- West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 W. Union St.
The libraries are open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.
- 6 p.m. The elections offices are open Monday through
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fundraising For District 4
Seat Outpaces Mayoral Race
By ELLEN
GEDALIUS The Tampa Tribune
Published: Feb 3, 2007
TAMPA - With two of the three candidates for the south
Tampa city council race raising more than $100,000 each,
the District 4 seat is shaping up to be the most
expensive in town, eclipsing even the mayoral race.
Candidates Julie Brown and John Dingfelder are squaring
off in the March 6 election for the council seat. As of
Friday's campaign finance filing deadline, Dingfelder
raised about $102,000 and Brown about $103,000.
"Now, all of a sudden, people are realizing there's an
important race for a south Tampa seat," Dingfelder said.
"And they're responding."
Brown said she probably will advertise on television.
Dingfelder wouldn't reveal whether he has television
advertising plans.
Brown said she's facing extra pressure to raise money
because she is running against an incumbent.
"People want change, and we're continuing to grow money
every day," she said.
Joseph Citro, who also is running in the district,
raised about $8,000.
Mayoral Race Less Active
Fundraising in the race for mayor is low by comparison.
Incumbent Pam Iorio raised about $92,000 - a healthy
figure for one month of fundraising - but she said she
doesn't expect to raise much more than that in the next
five weeks. No fundraisers are planned.
"I don't want to raise excessive amounts," Iorio said.
"You have your record, and Tampa is the kind of
community where people form an opinion of whether you do
a good job or not."
That's a far different approach from the 2003 mayoral
race, when Iorio and one of her opponents, Bob Buckhorn,
raised nearly $500,000 each. Frank Sanchez, whom Iorio
defeated in the runoff, raised about $900,000.
This time, Iorio's opponents aren't raising significant
sums. Aria Green, the former fire chief, has raised
$250. He loaned his campaign $22,100. The campaign plans
no fundraisers.
"It's not a traditional type of campaign, I guess," said
his campaign manager and wife, Wylene Green.
Marion Lewis, a former police captain, has raised about
$20,000 and loaned his campaign an additional $17,000.
He expects to raise between $75,000 and $100,000 by
Election Day.
"We don't anticipate raising more money than her," Lewis
said. "She has all the connections."
Fundraising In The Other Districts
In the District 1, citywide race, incumbent Gwen Miller
has the most money. She has raised about $33,000. Rick
Barcena raised about $14,000 and lent his campaign
another $20,000. Randy Baron raised about $5,500 and has
about $8,000 in loans. Julie Jenkins raised about
$17,000, and Denise Chavez raised about $12,000.
Joe Redner loaned his campaign $5,000 and raised no
other money. His campaign treasurer, Toni Derby, said
Redner generally doesn't raise much money and prefers to
finance his own campaigns.
In District 2, a citywide seat, Shawn Harrison has
raised about $147,000 - the most of any candidate
running for city office this year. He plans to raise at
least $200,000.
His opponent, Mary Mulhern, raised about $10,000.
In District 5, east Tampa, Frank Reddick raised about
$11,000. He also reported $260 of in-kind contributions,
bringing his in-kind total to about $1,000.
The Teamsters Local Union 79, which has endorsed Reddick,
gave $500, and Sybil Andrews-Wells, publisher of the
Florida Sentinel Bulletin, gave $100.
Lynette "Tracee" Judge reported about $3,300 in cash,
loan and in-kind contributions.
Thomas Scott said he will report about $7,750 in cash
contributions.
In District 6, West Tampa, Charlie Miranda reported
$30,300 in contributions, including $10,300 in cash and
checks, and a $20,000 personal loan. Miranda received a
$500 donation from Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose
Ferlita, and he received a $500 donation from
Hillsborough County Public Defender Julianne Holt.
Lisa Tamargo has raised about $9,700, including personal
loans totaling more than $7,000.
In District 7, north Tampa, Frank Margarella continues
to lead. He has raised nearly $13,000, including a
$2,000 personal loan. Bucs' linebacker Shelton Quarles
is among the contributors.
Joseph Caetano has loaned his campaign $8,000 and raised
$50. His first fundraiser was Friday night. Charles
Perkins has not raised money.
Reporters Laura Kinsler, Jose Patino Girona, Josh
Poltilove and Kathy Steele contributed to this story.
Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be raised at (813) 259-7976
or egedalius@tampatrib.com.
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