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Calm victory for Mayor Iorio
By DAVID KARP and BILL VARIAN View related 10 News video: TAMPA -- In her trademark sky-blue business suit, Pam Iorio stood at the podium Tuesday night, measuring her words carefully. Her supporters shouted out, trying to get the next mayor to go wild. But Iorio was steady as ever. "We believe in you!" someone yelled. "And I believe in you," Iorio said slowly. Iorio, who rarely got rattled in her 77-day campaign for mayor, calmly accepted victory Tuesday as she won the most expensive election in Tampa's history. Iorio handily defeated Frank Sanchez, a former Clinton White House aide, with 64 percent of the vote. Sanchez got 36 percent, even though he raised twice as much money. Turnout was slightly below average, with 29 percent of registered voters going to the polls. Iorio will become the second woman in Tampa history to serve as mayor, widely considered the most visible elected office in west-central Florida. She will oversee a budget of $660-million and a city government of 4,800 employees. Sanchez offered his concession speech about 8:15 p.m. before hundreds of supporters at the Cuban Club in Ybor City. He promised to be involved in making things better for the poorest people in his hometown in the coming years. "While I did not succeed tonight, I promise you there will be a tomorrow," Sanchez said. "I've only begun to fight for the city I love." He took the stage five minutes after phoning Iorio to offer congratulations. "I told her I thought she was a class act," Sanchez said Iorio, at home with her family, already knew she had won. Iorio said she could tell as soon as the absentee ballots came in at 7:04 p.m. "That's the supervisor of elections in me," Iorio said. Today she plans a 1 p.m. news conference in her office at City Hall to announce her first appointment. Iorio will take the oath of office Tuesday with an unusual amount of independence. Iorio, 43, ran on her reputation for good government, earned over a decade as elections supervisor and eight years on the County Commission. She didn't have to promise favors to the traditional power centers: the west Tampa coffee shops, the black churches and the downtown business brokers. Iorio's appeal came from within. And supporters rushed to her. She entered the race only three months ago, but won in a runaway. "It really will be quite a dramatic change from the eight years of Dick Greco," said political consultant Wayne Garcia. Most of Greco's top staff will retire this year. The good old boy network will likely be replaced with a younger, more diverse staff that includes women in top positions. Key Iorio supporters included women such as lawyer Catherine Toth, publicist Ann Sahlman, former Education Commissioner Betty Castor and former County Commissioner Fran Davin. Iorio's campaign slogan to build a "livable city" focused on improving parks, roads and neighborhoods. She also pledged to redevelop east Tampa, launch a referendum to improve transportation, and revitalize downtown. Her first priority will be reorganizing City Hall and improving city services. Tuesday night, she spoke about starting a youth corps to inspire children to enter public service. "We are going to work hard to make it a great city," she said. As she campaigned Tuesday, she said she thought about how gorgeous the weather was. She was reflective, not excited. When a campaign worker fell ill, she went to the emergency room to visit her. Iorio said the election results validated her years of quiet service and taught her that positive campaigns work. "Politics need not be about money. It's about ideas, isn't it? It's about public service," Iorio said. Sanchez spent much of Tuesday riding a touring bus called the Sanchez Express once owned by the singer Cher. At stops along Belmont Heights, volunteers disembarked repeatedly to lead volunteers in rallying chants. At one corner, they lined up on both sides of the road to shout "Frank," then "Sanchez," and "Go Frank, go Frank, it's your birthday, go Frank" to passing motorists, a reference to a popular song. A tired Sanchez sat in the back of the bus at one point, with the head of his fiance, Mileydi Guilarte, on his shoulder and CNN providing news of the war on the satellite TV. With an hour to go before the polls closed, he spoke like a person expecting defeat as he discussed his volunteers and contemplated the end of a 14-month campaign. "It's like I have this new, big family and I'm going to miss them," Sanchez said. In November, Sanchez appeared headed to victory just two years after moving back to Tampa. Everything changed Nov. 25. When a reporter told Sanchez that day that Iorio might enter the race, his voice changed. "Well, good for her," he snapped. It was all over. As soon as Iorio joined, the money and endorsement flowed to her. Key Tampa figures such as banker David Straz and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner turned to Iorio. Iorio raised $474,000 in three months. Sanchez, who had never run for office before, also stumbled. He suffered from having lived outside of Tampa for two decades and from not knowing the intricacies of local politics. "I think the quality of his delivery of message was poor," Garcia said. "He is much more dynamic and charming one on one. I don't think the campaign was ever able to capture his charm." When the campaign got heated, Sanchez appeared to change course again and again. He attacked Iorio's record on property taxes, but when she accused him of distorting facts, he backed down. Sanchez had several political consultants, who earned thousands, and pushed him in different directions. Sanchez spent more than $819,000 on the campaign, paying for everything from TV ads to a driver who earned $1,800 a month. "Whatever worked well in my campaign, I'll take credit for," Sanchez said Tuesday. "Whatever screwed up, I'll take responsibility for. I'm not going to blame anyone else."
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