By Jim Bleyer Anyone that sat through the entire Tampa mayoral debate Wednesday night punched their ticket to heaven. It was that bad. The stench emanating from the Hillsborough County Community College Ybor campus and the Bay News 9 airwaves hung thickly over the Big Guava like those stationary, …
By Jim Bleyer A Tampa media entity suffered amnesia last week, denying three city mayoral candidates the opportunity to participate in a Jan. 9 debate it is sponsoring. Spectrum Bay News 9 forgot its major responsibility of fully informing the public and its viewership, …
By Jim Bleyer I feel like Commissioner Gordon who resorts to sending up the bat signal in times of distress. And I’ve got plenty of company. The six candidates who have declared to run in 2019 for mayor of Tampa just cannot be the best a city of 385,000 has …
By Jim Bleyer East Tampa residents feel shortchanged by the City of Tampa on transit, housing opportunities, infrastructure, and fair treatment by law enforcement. After yesterday, they have more than sufficient reason to feel abandoned by City Hall. Though invited to a “Tea and Conservation” event in Temple Terrace, …
By Jim Bleyer After two full terms and hundreds of votes on the Tampa City Council, you would think mayoral candidate Harry Cohen would have made a few enemies. Tampa Bay Beat hasn’t found any, at least any that bear a grudge. Somehow Cohen has sidestepped those political tripwires …
By Jim Bleyer The Tampa Bay Times’ alleged expert on election laws, Mark Herron, has faced ethical challenges and has political relationships with candidates favored by the St. Petersburg-based paper. And he may have cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000. The Tallahassee lawyer has been at the …
By Jim Bleyer Tampa mayoral candidate Ed Turanchik kicked off his campaign Monday emphasizing housing, innovation, and transit as the underpinning of a year-long quest to lead an underachieving city. He unveiled the “HIT” show before a crowd of 500 high-powered civic movers and shakers, several of whom are …
By Jim Bleyer The March for Our Lives, Tampa edition, drew an estimated 13,000 participants with candidates and would-be hopefuls making a firm statement by their presence—-or absence. From reports gleaned from the field, not one Republican supported the Millennial and Reform Generations, giving credence to widespread accusations that …
By Jim Bleyer Elitist David Straz doesn’t like playing by the rules. For at least the second consecutive month, the putative Tampa mayoral candidate’s PAC filed an incomplete financial report with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. The billionaire, who made his fortune buying and selling banks, said he …
by Jim Bleyer Greed, power, and retribution are propelling a behind-the-scenes struggle between two high-profile heavyweights that could prevent Tampa from fulfilling its potential as a top tier American city. That goal has proven elusive considering the present business and political climate …
