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House District 63 race heating up

 
Published July 3, 2015

Mike Reedy is building momentum with big-name endorsements toward becoming the Democratic nominee for House District 63, considered one of the Democrats' best chances statewide to flip a GOP seat.

But Reedy may not have an unhindered primary. Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione is considering whether to jump in.

In an interview this week, she said, "People have talked to me about it," and she's not ruling it out.

"I do represent mostly the same area. Whenever people ask you something of that serious a nature, you have to have the respect to take it seriously," she said.

Insiders say it's gone further than that — Montelione has discussed the race with top party candidate recruiters.

But, she said, "I have a lot of hurdles, so that's why I'm not rushing out to do it."

Among them: She'd have to resign her council seat effective in November 2016, win or lose, giving up most of the second term to which she just got elected.

She lives just outside the district, but lived about half her 30 years in the Tampa area inside it, in Temple Terrace.

Reedy just announced endorsements from Pinellas Reps. Darryl Rouson and Dwight Dudley and former Rep. Carl Zimmermann; he already had endorsements from several other big Democratic names: Tampa City Council members, Hillsborough constitutional officers and former District 63 Rep. Mark Danish.

And one more possibility . . .

Another person mentioned as a possible candidate, who said this week he's not ruling it out, is HART attorney Michael Stephens.

There he goes again

Two weeks ago, east Hillsborough conservative businessman and political activist Sam Rashid resigned from a committee that advises Florida's two senators on judicial appointments, acknowledging that intemperate Facebook posts on local judges disqualified him for the post.

But Rashid, also an appointee of Gov. Rick Scott on the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, has continued with more strong-language Facebook posts.

He recently posted a tweet showing an aerial photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton's lavish New York home, suggesting her devotion to the middle class is hypocritical, adding a comment that Democrats are "so (expletive deleted) stupid it hurts."

He directed another post at county Commissioner Ken Hagan concerning the proposal for a half-cent sales tax for transportation, saying Hagan and the commissioners should instead cut "this bloated piece of (expletive) 4 Billion Dollar budget of yours."

Rashid said his Facebook account expresses private views distinct from his work on the Aviation Authority. The five-member board oversees Tampa International Airport, a major economic driver with a $200 million annual budget.

"I am who I am," he said. "I will always be vocal with respect to any opinion I have. If that means I don't get appointed to boards, so be it. If the governor feels that my language is inappropriate, I will resign."

Asked for a comment, Scott's office didn't respond directly, saying only that Scott "expects all of his appointees to serve Floridians with honesty and integrity."

William March can be reached at wemarch@gmail.com