TAMPA — Saying "somebody had to," political activist Becky Rubright has filed election papers to challenge Mayor Bob Buckhorn this spring.
"I'm mostly doing it because I don't believe anybody should be running unopposed," Rubright said Monday. "It's a travesty to the democratic process and undermines the whole system."
While acknowledging that Buckhorn has a high approval rating, she said, "He's a little more pro-business, and we need a little more focus on the people who actually live here."
Rubright, 41, grew up in Washington, D.C., which she said lent itself to her becoming disillusioned with politics early.
"I have always focused on a more 'Be the change you want to see in the world' approach," said Rubright, a Seminole Heights resident and acupuncturist who owns Living Harmony Healing Center. In her practice, she said, she works to provide alternatives to patients ill-served by corporate health care.
"The monetized nature of our society means that we have people taking more medicine than they should," she said.
Politically, that has led her to protest concentrations of money and power in society.
During the Occupy movement in 2011 and part of 2012, Rubright worked with Occupy Tampa during its protests at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and after its move to the Joe Redner-owned Voice of Freedom Park in West Tampa. Rubright was one of 10 Occupy Tampa organizers who traveled to Washington for a national protest on the movement's 100th day.
She also was one of several Occupy Tampa activists who dressed up to slip into a $2,500-per-plate Mitt Romney fundraiser at the Tampa Museum of Art. Once inside, they protested Romney's Wall Street support before being shown the door.
A first-time candidate, Rubright said that in the coming month she'll work to identify the ideas she'll advocate during the campaign and organize supporters to gather the 3,500 signatures she needs to qualify for the March 3 ballot by petition.
"Even if you don't agree with any of my positions, you can agree a healthy democracy has choices," she said.
Buckhorn, 56, who filed his papers Sept. 12 to seek a second term, said he'll run the same campaign whether he has no opponents or five.
"I always anticipate that I will get opposition, and I prepare accordingly," he said. "It gives me an opportunity to go tell the story of the last 3 1/2 years. I think that most people would agree that Tampa is on the move, things are happening and the choice would be whether we want to continue that momentum or not."
Quinton Robinson files in council District 5
Businessman Quinton F. Robinson filed last week to run for the City Council District 5 seat, which covers East Tampa, Ybor City, downtown, the port and parts of West Tampa.
Robinson, 38, is the third candidate in the race. Police Sgt. Borthland Murray, 48, who has since retired, filed to run a year ago. First-term council member Frank Reddick, 58, filed in July to seek a second term.
Robinson said he grew up in West Tampa and graduated from Hillsborough High School and Florida A&M University, where he studied psychology.
He owns a business development and structured management firm, Mesheq Enterprises LLC. He also has served as a Democratic precinct committeeman, formerly was president of the Hillsborough County Democratic Black Caucus and has been president of the nonprofit Re-Entry Co-Operative of America, which worked to help felons regain civil rights and find work.
"There has been a great focus on the revitalization of downtown Tampa, which I'm all for," he said. "However, I feel that the same attention should be brought to the neighboring areas. …There has to be an adamant voice to bring attention to the areas that surround downtown."
Contact Richard Danielson at rdanielson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3403. Follow @Danielson_Times