TAMPA — Amid talk of low turnout, Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer sees a reason to be encouraged about today's city elections in Tampa.
This is the last day to vote in the mayor's race and five City Council elections. For some traditionalists, it is the only day to vote.
"In Tampa, we have people who like to vote on election day," Latimer said Monday. At this point in the election, with early voting over, nearly 2,000 more voters have cast ballots than did at the same point four years ago, Latimer said, which suggests that turnout could be robust.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Weather is expected to be fair, with partly cloudy skies, highs in the low 80s, and no rain.
"It may be a bit foggy in the morning, but that should lift by midmorning," National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Oglesby said.
Absentee and early voting totals so far underscore the clout that high turnout gives South Tampa in deciding city races.
For example, this year the city had seven early voting sites, but just one of them — the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library on S Manhattan Avenue — has been the site of more than half the votes cast during early voting. Eight of the 10 precincts with the highest turnout so far are in South Tampa. Precinct 123, which votes at the Tampa Garden Club on Bayshore Boulevard, has had the highest turnout, at nearly 21 percent.
Running are:
• For mayor: Bob Buckhorn is seeking a second four-year term. There is a write-in candidate, Jose Vazquez, whose name is not on the ballot.
• District 1 (citywide): Council member and insurance salesman Mike Suarez; and Seminole Heights civic activist and economist Susan Long.
• District 2 (citywide): Hair stylist and city Code Enforcement Board magistrate Joseph Citro; Catholic school development director and neighborhood activist Julie Jenkins; and City Council Chairman Charlie Miranda.
• District 3 (citywide): Alcohol wholesale salesman, Code Enforcement Board magistrate and youth baseball coach Paul Erni; and retired jewelry store owner and City Council member Yvonne Yolie Capin.
• District 4 (South Tampa): City Council member and lawyer Harry Cohen; and alcohol distributor business development manager Kent King.
• District 6 (West Tampa, parts of South Tampa): West Tampa air-conditioning company owner Tommy Castellano; West Tampa jeweler Guido Maniscalco; and civil engineer and small-business owner Jackie Toledo.
Contact Richard Danielson at rdanielson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3403. Follow @Danielson_Times.