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BILL VARIAN, BILL COATS and MICHAEL VAN SICKLERThe two commissioners and ex-City Council member were leading opponents by comfortable margins.
TAMPA - Two sitting Hillsborough County commissioners appeared headed to easy primary victories late Tuesday, with each holding commanding leads in early counting.
It looked as though the two open contests for at-large seats on the commission would feature a clutch of former political also-rans in November's general election.
Incumbents Ken Hagan and Ronda Storms, representing District 2 and District 4 respectively, both were leading their nearest opponents by at least 3 to 1 ratios with about a third of the vote counted.
"If this holds, I think it says I have a mandate from my district," said Storms, arguably the commission's best-known board member. "No commissioner has been as out there and as authentic and as real. This is a credit to my district."
In the District 6 at-large race to replace Jan Platt, former Tampa City Council member Bob Buckhorn held a comfortable lead among Democrats in his bid to rise from the ashes of his third-place finish in the Tampa mayoral campaign last year. Provided his lead held, he likely would face former wrestler and gym owner Brian Blair, who was trouncing his only GOP rival on the Republican side in early tallies.
"We feel good. We worked hard," Buckhorn said, while acknowledging his tentative lead. "We're ready to move forward (today) to get ready for November."
Meanwhile, in the District 7 at-large race, private school administrator Mark Sharpe was in command of a four-person field hoping to represent Republicans in November's general election. Sharpe, who lost three bids for Congress in the 1990s, was leading his closest rival by greater than 3 to 1.
The 36-year-old Hagan, after two years on the commission, led two fellow Republicans based on counts from 30 percent of the precincts in his north Hillsborough district.
Hagan could not be reached for comment.
Although trailing Hagan 3 to 1, challenger Tom Jones wasn't ready to concede defeat because no precinct results west of Hagan's home neighborhood of New Tampa had been reported.
"They haven't come in yet with Lutz, Carrollwood, Citrus Park, Westchase and Keystone," Jones said. "I know I've got some strength there."
Backed heavily by builders and real estate interests, Hagan had amassed a $100,000 campaign treasury by April, seven months before the election. That enabled him to send Republican voters at least seven mailers over the summer, touting his anti-tax conservatism and endorsements by police and firefighters.
In six years on the Commission representing south and east Hillsborough, Storms, 38, has helped shape its image and agenda. So her two competitors had an uphill challenge.
Her opponents, former sheriff's deputy James Tagliarini and computer consultant Dennis Cadle, both pledged to bring more dignity to the commission. Both also faulted Storms for her frequent tardiness to commission meetings, which Cadle documented and Tagliarini called disrespectful.
"I have no regrets," said Tagliarini, who wasn't conceding yet with only about 40 percent of precincts reporting, but was trailing by a distant second. "I've made a lot of friends."
Cadle, who was in third, had already called to concede to Storms late Tuesday.
So it appears that Storms will face Jean Batronie, a candidate running without party affiliation, in the general election. No Democrats qualified in the race.
Buckhorn, 46, emphasized his eight years on the Tampa City Council on the stump, saying the commission needs the experience he brings with the many challenges the county faces - from traffic congestion to inner city development.
His main opponent, St. Leo University administrator Ed Austin, said what the commission really needed was a "fresh perspective." Austin, a first-time office seeker, decided to stay in the race even after the much better known Buckhorn entered at the last minute.
"It's not over 'til it's over," Austin said. "We never wavered from our decision to give the voters an opportunity for change and a new voice. That said, I wish Bob Buckhorn well as he approaches the next step if this trend continues."
Landscaper Willis "K.C." Bowick was trailing by a distant third in the Democratic primary.
Meanwhile, on the Republican side, contractor J. Steven Cleveland never managed to make it close after a late entry into the race. Blair was leading four to one in early tabulations.
"I'd like to say that I'm very honored and grateful to the voters who have believed in me and supported me," Blair said. "We have a long way to go."
Sharpe appeared headed for an easy win in the District 7 Republican primary, hoarding more votes than the combined total of his three opponents, Jim Davison, Bob Blair and Deb Oxley.
For Sharpe, 44, Tuesday's win may help rectify a losing electoral record. Sharpe lost races for the U.S. Congress in 1992, 1994, and 1996. Rather than handicap him, Sharpe said, the defeats helped GOP voters remember him this time around.
"People respected that I had run before," Sharpe said. "My strong name recognition helped me win."
Perhaps it was that all four GOP candidates generally supported the same anti-tax, small government philosophy, but the contest was free of the acrimony found in other primaries.
"It was one of the cleanest races in the county," said Davison, who came in third in the 2002 GOP primary for the commission seat won by Hagan.
Sharpe faces Democrat Denise Layne and Joe Redner, who has no party affiliation, in the Nov. 2 general election.
"I'm confident," Sharpe said. "I have Democrats telling me they can't wait to vote for me."