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First candidate files papers for 2007 mayoral election

Tampa police Capt. Marion Lewis says he thinks his law enforcement career has prepared him for office.

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published January 20, 2006

	Marion Lewis, a Tampa police captain, is a candidate for mayor of Tampa.

TAMPA - The mayoral election is more than a year away, and even incumbent Pam Iorio hasn't officially kicked off a re-election campaign.

But already, the race has a candidate.

Tampa police Capt. Marion Lewis, who joined the force 25 years ago after a childhood spent in the Central Park Village public housing complex, filed his papers with the Supervisor of Elections this week.

He is the first candidate for the March 2007 election. If elected, he would be the city's first African-American mayor.

"Living and working here, I know the pulse of the city," Lewis said. "And I don't think anything prepares you better for public office than a career in law enforcement."

Lewis is now head of the narcotics division, which has worked since Iorio's 2003 election to cripple the drug trade in east and central Tampa, part of her pledge to revitalize those areas.

While rising through the ranks to his current post, Lewis served as president of the local Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers for 10 years, organizing voter registration drives and candidate forums.

He recently put in for a promotion to major of one of the department's patrol districts, but did not get the job.

Lewis's law enforcement career has been rocky at times. He sued the department for racial discrimination after his 1988 termination was reversed on appeal.

Lewis was fired after a police internal investigation concluded that he kicked his wife, threatened her with a gun and lied to investigators about it. She later withdrew the complaint, conceding her allegations were false.

Lewis recently enrolled in the state's Deferred Retirement Option Program, known as DROP, which allows him to continue working for up to five years while collecting monthly retirement checks in a special account.

"I am retiring, but I want to remain in public service," Lewis said. "For me, it's about enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of Tampa."

Lewis said he wants to build a better relationship between the mayor's office and the City Council. Council members have said they feel their relationship with Iorio's administration is strained at times.

Lewis also said he wants to focus on improving the city's infrastructure.

And while he agrees that his childhood home needs improvements, he said he worries that proposals to redevelop Central Park Village will displace too many of its poor residents.

Iorio said Thursday that she intends to run for a second term, but for now she is focusing on her first.

"Qualifying for candidates isn't until a year from now, and the election is more than a year from now, so I am focused on leading the city and having it progress every day."

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 20, 2006, 01:46:11]