Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn begins a second term Wednesday with a record of achievement, a full agenda and an ambition for higher office that he will need to balance over his four final years as the city's chief executive.
Re-elected this month with token opposition, Buckhorn used the campaign as a rallying point of sorts, calling attention to the new development downtown and to the growing reputation of the Tampa Bay area. "If I didn't have to leave this job," Buckhorn told the Tampa Bay Times editorial board Monday, "I wouldn't.''
By every measure, the eve of his second term is far different from the first. With the economy stabilizing, housing, jobs and new construction on the rise and tax revenues increasing, the mayor has more tangible tools at his disposal than the infectious optimism he conveyed to the private sector at every opportunity after first taking office in 2011.
At the same time, Buckhorn will face growing competition over the next 48 months for the time and money any mayor needs to see through signature projects. He will need to remain focused on what's best for the public interest as city officials work with Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik on remaking 40 acres Vinik controls downtown into a mixed-use community of residences and businesses. The mayor has laid the groundwork to rebuild 120 acres of West Tampa into a new waterfront neighborhood on the western bank of the Hillsborough River. And the city is working to replace the blight on the northern end of downtown with new housing, parks and shops to connect the urban core with Ybor City. The mayor should ensure these initiatives are not lost on the radar as Vinik's flashier plans take root.
Buckhorn needs to continue using his office as a pulpit for pulling the region together and moving it forward. He will have his biggest opportunity this year when Tampa and Hillsborough County officials decide whether to seek a 2016 referendum on building a modern transit system. After high-profile defeats on both sides of the bay in recent years, this could be the last, best chance to begin addressing the region's transportation problems for the next generation. And nobody can speak as authoritatively on such an issue of regional importance as the mayor of the bay area's biggest city. Buckhorn also should continue to demonstrate that he intends to be helpful in encouraging the Tampa Bay Rays to remain in the region.
The Tampa mayor has a full plate, and he is looking to cement a legacy as he decides whether to run for governor in 2018. With the help of his new political action committee, One Florida, he will test the waters by traveling the state, meeting with candidates and perhaps getting involved in public policy issues.
Buckhorn, 56, demonstrated during his first term he can juggle many balls at once while keeping the city's operation humming and his eye on the larger picture. But the projects on his to-do list are far more complex and significant than anything that arose in his first term. The neighborhoods are already demanding a reset from the attention City Hall has given downtown. Downtown itself has a way to go. The region is still struggling to diversify the jobs base. And there is no clear sense that Hillsborough will move meaningfully on transit.
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Explore all your optionsA mayor who delivers on these competing demands will be a candidate with a compelling story to tell Floridians. Buckhorn has, at least, brought remarkable physical change to the look and feel of Tampa. He has raised the city's profile — and, along with it, public expectations for his second term. His last four years at City Hall could mark a new beginning for Tampa and create a launching pad for his own political future.