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Five step up to fill Iorio's shoes
By RON MATUS, Times Staff Writer
TAMPA -- Even before Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Pam Iorio announced her resignation Friday, prominent local Republicans were scrambling to replace her. At least five local political figures say they plan to ask Gov. Jeb Bush for the job. Among those who will apply: former Hillsborough Commissioner Chris Hart; community activists Denise Layne and Janet Kovach; Joe Robinson, who ran against Iorio in 2000; and Mark Cox, executive assistant to State Attorney Mark Ober. A Bush spokeswoman said the governor has no time line for appointing a replacement. But the new elections supervisor must hit the ground running: Tampa elects a new mayor March 4. Iorio's resignation, which becomes effective Jan. 18, snuffed out what little doubt remained about whether she would run for mayor. She handed out copies of her one-sentence resignation letter to employees Friday morning. Then she left the building and did not return calls for comment. Iorio said earlier this week that she would announce her mayoral plans Monday. Despite a late start, the popular elections supervisor is expected to compete in an already strong field that includes City Council members Bob Buckhorn and Charlie Miranda, and Frank Sanchez, a former aide to President Bill Clinton. The competition to fill her shoes began several days ago. "It's done," Denise "Dee" Layne said Friday, referring to her application. "I just want to put some final touches on it." Layne, a Lutz resident, said her business experience gives her an edge. She has owned a paralegal company since 1989 and managed a Tampa law firm before that. "Bottom line: Why not?" Layne said. "I've got the business skills. I've got the political savvy. And I'm a nice person." Kovach touted her own "passion" for voter education. She sat through Hillsborough County Commission meetings on the new touch screen voting system and attended hands-on workshops when the new machines arrived. She served as a precinct clerk the past three elections. "I think I've done my homework," said Kovach, whom Bush appointed to the governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Robinson hopes to become Hillsborough's first African-American elections supervisor. He ran for the job two years ago, picking up 115,000 votes, or 35 percent. He said he e-mailed Bush earlier this week, telling the governor, "I'm Republican and I'm qualified." "I'm lobbying hard, and I started at the top," he said Friday. Besides Hart, political insiders mentioned former Commissioner Stacey Easterling as a possible appointee. She could not be reached for comment Friday. Other names that have surfaced: Al Higginbotham and Irene Guy. "I feel like I should at least consider it," said Guy, an active Republican who directs public policy and community relations at a local Verizon office. Higginbotham said he is interested, but leaning against it. His friendship with Bush might give the impression that the post was offered up as a political favor, he said. "I never went into a campaign assignment looking for a job," said Higginbotham, who led local efforts to elect Jeb Bush in 1998 and 2002. "The perception would be that this is a political courtesy." Higginbotham declined to handicap the field. He said Bush may have a surprise in store, as he did in 2000 when he appointed Deborah Clark to the Pinellas supervisor's office in 2000. Clark was an elections employee at the time. "I've learned not to second-guess the governor on the appointment process," Higginbotham said. Democrats aren't expecting a surprise. "The likelihood is . . . very, very small," said Henry Gill, chairman of the Hillsborough Democratic Executive Committee. "That's the way the system is set up." If Democrats had a chance, Gill said, he would throw his hat in the ring. He pointed to the supervisor's salary: $117,000 a year. "Out of a sense of duty, I'd be happy to take it," he joked. -- Ron Matus can be reached at 226-3405 or matus@sptimes.com .
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