Iorio decides against mayoral bid

The Hillsborough supervisor of elections becomes the third prospective candidate to bow out.

By BILL VARIAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 8, 2002

TAMPA -- Her cool performance during the chaotic 2000 presidential election helped make her a formidable contender to become Tampa's next mayor.

But Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Pam Iorio said Thursday she will not enter the race. She said she feels obligated to see to fruition the reforms -- including a switch to new voting machines -- that the 2000 election spawned.

"I know that the campaign would have taken a lot of time away from my current job at a time when it needs attention," Iorio said. "I'm not sure if this is in my best political interest, but it just feels like the right decision."

Her announcement changes the entire complexion of the 2003 mayoral contest -- again. She is the third prospective candidate to drop out of the race to succeed Dick Greco, who is leaving due to term limits.

City Council member Rose Ferlita said she couldn't run because she needs to tend to her pharmacy business. Former Chief Circuit Judge Dennis Alvarez quit because of health issues.

But Iorio's candidacy for mayor had widely been considered more of a "when" than an "if." Though she had not officially declared, she has been talking to potential supporters for at least a year.

"I think she's been running longer than anybody else," said Mike Scionti, chairman of the Hillsborough Democratic Executive Committee.

Her departure leaves three declared candidates, all Democrats like Iorio: City Council members Bob Buckhorn and Charlie Miranda, and businessman Frank Sanchez.

Buckhorn is considered the early frontrunner. He declared his candidacy first in 2000, enjoys strong name recognition as a council member and assistant to former Mayor Sandy Freedman, and has already raised $126,000.

Scionti, who is actively supporting Buckhorn's campaign, said it is now his to lose. But Buckhorn said he isn't taking anything for granted.

He even expressed a measure of disappointment Thursday after hearing of Iorio's announcement.

"We were looking forward to it," Buckhorn said. "She would have been a very, very competitive opponent. Clearly she and I were very similar in that we're not tied to any regime."

Miranda, who has served 11 years on the City Council since 1974, said he is used to being an underdog. He is touting his experience and said Iorio's announcement would not change how he runs.

"She certainly would have been a contender," Miranda said. "I've gone from being the underdog to being the favorite underdog."

Sanchez, who runs a consulting business, said he hopes to persuade Iorio supporters to join his cause. He said potential donors have told him they would give to his campaign if they were not already committed to Iorio.

"I can say I'm breathing a little easier today than I was last week," said Sanchez, a former assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation and special assistant to President Bill Clinton.

"I believe that the decision that she made and the reason she made it demonstrates the level of integrity she has exhibited throughout her public life," he said.

Iorio, 42, has served as the supervisor of elections since 1992, a job that pays $113,510 annually. (The mayor's job pays $135,000.) She has two years left in her current term.

It was at the start of that term that Iorio found herself on center stage as the 2000 presidential election devolved into a quagmire of contested recounts.

Iorio, who headed the Florida Association of Supervisor of Elections, helped put a calm face on the debacle.

As South Florida elections officials explained butterfly ballots and North Florida precinct chiefs faced accusations of voter intimidation, Iorio performed well during her many interviews on national television.

She has since urged Hillsborough commissioners to spend $12-million on new touch-screen voting machines, which will replace the subsequently banned punch card ballots.

Iorio got her political start on the Hillsborough County Commission, where she served two terms. She said her interest in the mayor's race was in part an interest in getting back to the policy decisions that help shape a community.

"That's one of the reasons my decision was so tough for me," Iorio said. "My decision had nothing to do with the other candidates that were in the race. I felt that this race was very winnable."

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