Julie Brown says she'll run for Gwen Miller's Tampa seat in 2011

Attorney Julie Brown says she's going to run for Tampa's citywide District 1 seat in 2011. That's the post Gwen Miller holds now.

In 2007, Brown ran a tough, but losing, race against John Dingfelder for South Tampa's District 4 seat. The contest turned into a fundraising battle that was so exhausting for Dingfelder that he tried to get the City Council to pass restrictive campaign finance laws after his victory. Brown also got some heat  when auto dealership owner Jason Kuhn collected contributions for her campaign from employees and then reimbursed them. Kuhn said he didn't know his actions were illegal, and immediately rectified the situation. Brown said she'll have more financial controls in place this time around. "Some of the people that really wanted me to win were overzealous and did things I wouldn't have done," Brown said.

Brown is a former assistant city attorney who now is serving her second term on Tampa's Architectural Review Commission.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

*

Comments

[NSB]

I am so excited Julie is running again! She has so much energy and is so enthusiastic about the City. GO julie.

[virginia]

We are all so thrilled to have the energetic Julie Brown back in the race. We have all been so very impressed with her involvement in her community, the arts, non profit organizations, charitable works and community activism. Someone who can juggle such a schedule, while being a devoted mother and wife, surely desires all of our support.

[Great News for Tampa]

This is great news for Tampa!! Julie will be the best for City Council!

Run Julie Run!

[julio]

Julie Brown is a fine representative for the Tampa community. Her involvement in all walks of life makes her a fine candidate to represent one and all.

[Anna Tooley]

I'm excited to see that Julie Brown is wanting to run again after such a heated and public race against an incumbent, who, by the way, she almost beat! I think she is exactly what Tampa needs to provide more financial accountability and transparency! She DEFINITELY has my vote!!!!

[melissa]

Julie is very family and community oriented person and I think she will continue doing great things for the community in that position.

[.]

yeah... but is she hot?

[Mary]

Julie Brown...send downtown!

[Meg]

Julie Brown is all about money. She supports developers and their interests - not us.
Julie Brown’s vote is up for sale to the highest corporate bidder. Here is a link to an article when she ran against John Dingfelder and lost. Julie Brown.http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/23/Hillsborough/Kuhn_workers_give_big.shtml
John Dingfelder voted against expanding the Kuhn auto dealership because the people of the surrounding neighborhood feared it would hurt their quality of life.

Coincidently almost every employee of Kuhn donated the legal amount to Brown’s campaign. It appears Kuhn was able to get around campaign finance limits by having his employees donate instead of himself. Many of these people don’t even live in the city.

The last thing we need is one more politician in the pocket of Big Businesses against neighborhoods.

[Mary]

Meg (Dingfelder): Get off the blogs. No one likes you.

[David Brown in West Tampa]

Julie Brown is a highly ethical and respectable lady. I was on an ethics commission with her for the bar for a few years and witnessed her up close. She does not support any special interests and is a total FREE thinker. Just look at her record on the ARC.She is impartial and fair at every hearing I have watched her at.