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Does the path to Tampa mayor run through East Tampa? Candidates act like it does

 
James Ransom said the full slate of Tampa mayoral candidates has stopped by his weekly breakfast gatherings at East Tampa’s Open Cafe to “chew and chat.” [Times files (2015)]
James Ransom said the full slate of Tampa mayoral candidates has stopped by his weekly breakfast gatherings at East Tampa’s Open Cafe to “chew and chat.” [Times files (2015)]
Published Dec. 27, 2018

TAMPA — The eight candidates for an open Tampa mayor's seat are tripping over one another in search of support from East Tampa, the center of the black community in the largely Democratic city and a voting block of nearly 51,000 people.

David Straz moved his headquarters there earlier this month. Topher Morrison promises to live in East Tampa during his first year in office. Mike Suarez stopped at a Jackson Heights barbecue restaurant during his official launch. Jane Castor held her most recent endorsement event in Robles Park.

And Ed Turanchik took out a full-age ad in the weekly newspaper serving the city's black community, the Florida Sentinel-Bulletin, promising a "New Day Agenda" — including a pledge to hire a "senior executive leadership position to bring diversity and inclusion into all major city decisions."

Do the people seeking to replace term-limited Mayor Bob Buckhorn in the March 5 city election see the black vote as a path to victory?

Despite their actions, no candidate is saying that publicly.

Harry Cohen, a City Council member in the race, said targeting the electorate by demography misses the point.

"Sometimes we get too caught up in dicing up the vote," Cohen said. "This really is a popular vote contest. It's not like an electoral college."

Still, it's hard to miss the attention the candidates are paying to black voters this time around, said James Ransom, leader of efforts to boost black businesses and co-founder of a Saturday breakfast gathering at the Open Cafe in East Tampa's College Hill neighborhood.

Ransom's non-profit group doesn't endorse or support individual candidates but most of the field already has stopped by to "chew and chat," he said.

"There is a heightened sensitivity when it comes to the black and Hispanic vote and other groups that might have been missed in the past," Ransom said. "That's a good thing to have that level of respect displayed."

Turanchik's pledge reflects this, he said, and has resonated in the black community.

"He's the person that seems to have gotten out ahead of that with his printed agenda," Ransom said. "Maybe it will motivate and inspire other candidates."

At the same time, he added, black voters don't cast ballots as one nor do they present special demands.

Too often, candidates ask East Tampa, "'What do you people want?'" Ransom said.

His answer? "We want the same things you want."

Paved streets. Clean, safe parks. Affordable housing. Decent transit options. Jobs. Economic development. Basic city services not always delivered equitably in black neighborhoods, he said.

• • •

Turanchik said the next mayor needs to keep diversity issues on the front burner.

"It doesn't trump everything, but you're always thinking about it," he said. "We constantly hear from the black community that a lot of people have made promises before but haven't followed them, and never made commitments that are this strong."

Other candidates aren't impressed by Turanchik's pledge.

"Good for him," Straz said. "He and other politicians talk a good game, but never deliver."

Jane Castor, the former Tampa police chief who leads in early polling, has apologized for a department policy that disproportionately cited black bicyclists for minor infractions in an effort to reduce crime. Her apology hasn't stopped her rivals from raising the issue, though.

Topher Morrison has hired two Black Lives Matter activists, Jae Passmore and Sadie Dean, who have criticized the "biking while black" policy. And Morrison promises to expunge the records and release from jail anyone arrested for another crime in the course of a police stop for bicycle infractions.

Castor's response? "Well, he can't do that, so there's not much point in discussing it."

Castor sees her long law enforcement career as proof of her attention to the needs of minority communities.

"For me, it's not a campaign issue. It's what I've done for 35 years," she said, ticking off recruitment of black officers, advocacy for youth programs, community meetings and personal relationships.

David Straz has made East Tampa a campaign focus, attracting more black supporters to his early campaign events than other candidates have.

"When things happen in the city it seems like East Tampa — they're never at the table," Straz said. "When I'm mayor, East Tampa will be at the table."

Turanchik questioned the commitment by Straz, a philanthropist who retired from banking and has used his personal wealth to help buildthe largest campaign war chest.

"I know he's got a good payroll and he's been bringing people on board to carry his message," Turanchik said. "I know he has no record to speak of dealing with these issues."

Suarez and Cohen each points to his record as a council member as evidence of a connection to black concerns, from extending hours at city recreation centers to requiring trained apprentices for Community Redevelopment Area projects.

Suarez, like Cohen, said each segment of Tampa's demography is important, but candidates will eventually make individual strategic decisions.

"You fight on all fronts, but you figure out where people are who support you," Suarez said. "Everyone has their own strength."

• • •

Two first-time black candidates round out the field in the race for mayor.

Michael Hazard's candidacy has been in limbo since he admitted voting illegally as a felon. Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections officials are awaiting instructions from the state on how to proceed.

LaVaughn King has yet to raise a dime, but at three mayoral forums he has touted his youth, passion for arts and education, and personal experience growing up in East Tampa.

As for his rivals, "East Tampa is their gateway to the race," he said.

"Who better to represent the interests of East Tampa than a product of East Tampa?"

A looming question in the mayor's race has been whether former state Rep. Ed Narain, a prominent black politician, will jump in. Narain won't say. The deadline to enter is Jan. 18.

Narain did echo Ransom's belief that East Tampa has been neglected, adding that mayoral candidates do so at their peril.

Building up Downtown and Channelside, as Buckhorn and his predecessors have done, was necessary, Narain said. The next step is to lift up East Tampa — a national grocery store outlet, for example, and a civic center to help change its image.

Said Narain, "East Tampa needs something that makes people from other parts of the city visit it."

Contact Charlie Frago at cfrago@tampabay.com or (727)893-8459. Follow@CharlieFrago.