Prosecutor was campaign host for Blair

TAMPA --  The prosecutor who cleared former Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair of child abuse charges last week served as a campaign party host for him last July.

State Attorney Mark Ober is listed as an "honorary host" of a July 15 fundraising party for Blair, a fellow Republican, held at the home of Marc and Debra Mandt. Blair was in the midst of a re-election campaign that he ultimately lost to Democrat Kevin Beckner.

Ober said he neither attended the event nor contributed money to Blair's campaign. He said he and Blair shared the same political consultant, Michael Corcoran, who asked him to lend his name as an event host, which is not uncommon.

Expected state Senate prez backs Latvala

Mike Haridopolos, expected to be the next Florida Senate president, has endorsed Republican Jack Latvala for the District 16 race in 2010. Latvala, a former state senator and the only GOP candidate to replace Sen. Charlie Justice, is trying to lock down Republican support early in the Pinellas-Hillsborough district.

"He was the driving force to end the water wars in the Tampa Bay area, he was a champion for the environment, and he was a true leader in the area of education," Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, said in a Latvala news release.

"I worked with Jack Latvala and saw firsthand how hard he worked for the people he represented and how effective an advocate he was on the issues he thought we were important to the people of Florida. He earned widespread respect from those in both parties with whom he came into contact. I look forward to serving with Jack Latvala in the Florida Senate.”

David DeCamp, Times Staff Writer

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Former Super Bowl exec says no thanks to Sports Authority job

One of the top contenders to fill the post of executive director of the Tampa Sports Authority is no longer vying for the position. Reid Sigmon, who most recently served as executive director of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday.

"It was a difficult decision, but another opportunity has presented itself," Sigmon said in a letter to the authority’s board members and staff. Sigmon said he has accepted another job that will require him to leave Tampa, but wouldn’t say what the job is. "There will be an announcement next week," he said.

The authority hopes to name a new executive director in August to replace Henry Saavedra, who resigned after some board members raised questions about his management. The position pays $140,000 to $190,000 a year.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

Hayden makes state Senate run official

Pinellas County School Board member Nina Hayden has made her bid to succeed state Sen. Charlie Justice official, launching a fledgling Web site and a press release today.

Hayden, a Democrat who is nearly eight months into her term, is so far the only Democrat running in the 2010 race. Former state Sen. Jack Latvala is the only Republican in the race.

Justice, D-St. Petersburg, is running for U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young's seat.

-- David DeCamp, Times staff writer

St. Pete Pride co-chairman calls County Commissioner Kevin Beckner a hero

When the St. Pete Pride parade heads toward Central Avenue on Saturday, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner will be leading the way.

Parade organizers selected Beckner, the region's first openly gay elected official, as grand marshal for the parade, which culminates with a street festival celebrating gay pride. Organizers expect attendance to hit 70,000.

"It's a really exciting opportunity," Beckner said. "Pride is very important. It allows people to be who they are. I think it's important that we recognize everyone for the value they bring to our community."

Update: St. Pete Pride co-chairman Brian Stipsit said the organizing committee selected Beckner unanimously for the honor. "Kevin has really been a hero to us in the community," Stipsit said. "He's a champion for a lot of our rights. We are proud of him."

Previous grand marshals have been national radio personality Derek Hartley and Susan Stanton, a former Largo city manager who had a sex-change operation.

Janet Zink, Times staff writer

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Is Ken Hagan using Buddy Johnson tactics?

A potential political opponent of Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan is making hay of a flier Hagan is handing out to county residents. Hagan now represents northern Hillsborough on the commission. But he’s running for a countywide seat in 2010. His fliers are showing up in South Tampa.

One landed on the South Tampa door of City Council member Mary Mulhern, who is considering a run against Hagan in 2010. That prompted Mulhern’s husband, marketing consultant Cameron Dilley, to send out an e-mail to reporters questioning who paid for the fliers and suggesting that they’re campaign pieces masquerading as community outreach.

The e-mail subject line reads "Buddy-style Hagen (sic) Fliers - Who paid?” drawing a comparison to former Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson, who featured his own image prominently on voter education pieces paid for with federal grant money. Those pieces are now part of an FBI investigation of Johnson’s spending. Read the e-mail here (PDF).

Hagan’s fliers identify him as chairman of the County Commission, include the county logo and county services phone numbers and a tear-off card soliciting opinions on mass transit and budget cuts. He said his legislative aides, family and friends are handing out the doorhangers, and he cleared them with the county attorney.

Distributing the pieces countywide surely will help Hagan’s campaign. And if the piece was paid for with campaign money, presenting it as county business would be illegal.

But Hagan said he paid about $1,000 out of his own pocket for the fliers. He said he did a similar piece in 2003, and that was paid for with county money. He decided not to do that this time, he said.

“With the budget crisis we’re in, it wouldn’t be appropriate to use taxpayer dollars,” he said.

Hagan said the piece is “completely constituent service oriented.”

“It’s a shame that you can be criticized for doing constituent service,” he said.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

More announce intentions for Tampa City Council

Tampa attorney Seth Nelson says he will file to run for City Council on July 1. Nelson wants to fill the city-wide District 3 seat now held by Linda Saul-Sena, who is term-limited out of the post. Why go for an at-large seat in his first run for office? "At the end of the day, the decisions the council makes affect our entire community," Nelson said. "We all get stuck in the same traffic. We all are affected by the drought." 

Several years ago, Nelson helped Hyde Park residents who were fighting construction of a condominium tower on the edge of the historic district. He is a former member of the city's Variance Review Board and now serves on the Metropolitan Planning Organization's citizens advisory committee. He's also on the City Council's citizens advisory budget committee.

So far, only two people have filed to fun for the March 2011 City Council races: Lynette Judge in District 5 and Joseph Caetano in District 7.

But more names are emerging, with two people who had been pursuing Ed Homan's District 60 state house seats turning their sights instead to the Council. Joseph Wendt says he wants to run for the citywide District 1 post now held by Gwen Miller. Miller is term-limited out of the position. NAACP head Curtis Stokes says he also want to run for that post.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

Wendt switches races, eyes Tampa council seat in 2011

TAMPA — Republican Joseph Wendt says he will take his libertarian politics out of the race for state House District 60 and into a 2011 bid for a seat on the Tampa City Council.

With Wendt’s departure, the race to succeed state Rep. Ed Homan, R-Temple Terrace, still includes Republicans Daniel Blair, Shawn Harrison and Trey Stroud and Democrat Christopher Cano. Homan will leave the seat next year because of term limits.

Wendt, 24, said he will enter the nonpartisan race to succeed Gwen Miller in the at-large District 1 seat on the Tampa City Council.

Miller, who has served in two different seats on the City Council since 1995, cannot seek re-election to her at-large seat in 2011 because of term limits.

So far, according to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Web site, no one, including Wendt, has filed papers to run in District 1.

-- Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer

Les Miller hosts meet and greet

Les Miller, who's challenging Kevin White for his Hillsborough County Commission seat in 2010, is hosting a meet and greet tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Event sponsors include Betty Castor, Yolie and Juan Capin, Cathy Bartolotti, and Joanna and James Tokley. Miller is a former state Senator. The postcard for tonight's event reads "Vote Yes for Les," calling him a "Trusted Name."

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

Dingfelder kicks off County Commission campaign

Tampa City Council member John Dingfelder is launching his campaign for the Hillsborough County Commission this week with a fundraiser Wednesday at the Nuance Galleries, 804 S.Dale Mabry, at 5:30 p.m. Dingfelder, a two-time City Council member representing South Tampa, is running for the District 1 Commission seat now held by Rose Ferlita. Ferlita is likely to leave the post to run for mayor of Tampa.

Dingfelder has a second fundraiser planned for June 24. That one will be at Raidant Oil, 1320 E. Ninth, Avenue in Ybor City. It's hosted by a crew of Ybor business and property owners, including Joseph Capitano, Booky Buchman, Richard Gonzmart, Jill Wax, former Mayor Dick Greco, and Florida Rep. Mike Scionti.

So far, Dingfelder has no opponents in the 2010 race. His last run for City Council in 2007 was a brutal battle against attorney Julie Brown. It became an expensive contest, with the two raising more than $140,000 each to fund their campaigns. After his win, Dingfelder proposed regulations that  would limit campaign contributions to council and mayoral candidates. The idea went nowhere.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer