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Sanchez won't run, but he also won't fade

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published January 24, 2006

Frank Sanchez is not going to run for a spot on the City Council in 2007, but that doesn't mean he should be discounted as a mayoral candidate in 2011.

With Mayor Pam Iorio looking like an overwhelming favorite to win re-election next year, the speculation is that would-be successors are looking toward the 2011 mayoral race by running for council in 2007. Included in that group are County Commissioner Thomas Scott and City Council member Shawn Harrison, who will likely battle for the citywide council seat being vacated by Rose Ferlita.

Sanchez also was expected to use that formula by running for the West Tampa District 6 seat Mary Alvarez will vacate next year, but last week Sanchez said he would forgo a campaign to concentrate on his business interests. His consulting firm has him traveling extensively to Europe and South America.

Some political pundits believe Sanchez opted out because he didn't want to engage in a tough race against rival and former council member Charlie Miranda, who has hinted he'll run for the seat. Maybe, but I'm not among those who discounted Sanchez's chances against Miranda.

Yes, Miranda would be formidable if he runs, but it's worth noting that in the 2003 mayoral election, Sanchez fared well against Miranda in a majority of the District 6 precincts.

Now the likely matchup will be Miranda against state Rep. Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa. Henriquez is term-limited this year and although he was rumored to be running against Ferlita for the County Commission District 1 seat, he's now leaning toward the City Council race.

Meanwhile, Sanchez will continue to operate his business while being active in the community. His philanthropic efforts include serving on the board for the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, and last week he was elected president of the board for the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding.

Those roles will help him keep his name in the spotlight, and that's more important than serving on the City Council. In fact, in recent years only Sandy Freedman and Dick Greco were on the council before becoming mayor, and Greco made the transition in 1967 for his first stint. When he ran again in 1995, he came out of the private sector.

Steve Duemig, political kingmaker?

It's pretty improbable that Duemig, the afternoon sports talk host on WDAE-AM 620, could actually impact an election, but you never know. Last week, Ferlita promoted the idea of adding the Yankees to the new welcome signs denoting Tampa as the city of champions because of the Bucs, Lightning and Storm.

Duemig responded with a four-hour on-air tirade, imploring people not to back Ferlita in her bid for the County Commission District 1 seat.

Ferlita said she never meant to annoy the Devil Rays, just to acknowledge the Yankees. But Rays fans long have been annoyed with the support the Yankees receive in Tampa, their spring training home.

What a lot of people haven't noted is that while the Yankees represent New York, owner George Steinbrenner is an integral part of this community as a businessman and a philanthropist. The signs should probably stay the same, but as a community, we could support the Devil Rays and Steinbrenner without glorifying the Yankees.

In her bid for the state Senate District 10 seat, Sandra Murman may actually benefit if former House Speaker and Plant City attorney Johnnie Byrd enters the race.

Byrd, of course, would be in it to win it. Some political observers, however, believe that with Byrd, Ronda Storms and Ray Young splitting the Republican's far-right constituents, Murman would be primed to gather the more moderate side of the heavily Republican district.

It's not a bad theory given that Senate president and moderate Tom Lee holds the seat. Plus, Murman will draw from a hefty war chest.

However, while Storms filed to run last week, Byrd has yet to enter the race or make his intentions clear.

Still, it's interesting how politics plays out. Byrd once referred to Murman as a "sheep" when he was a speaker and Murman was a state representative. Now, he could be an ally for Murman.

Or maybe Byrd could win outright. After all, he did beat Storms for a state House seat in 1996.

That's all I'm saying.

--Ernest Hooper can be reached hooper@sptimes.com or 813 226-3406.

[Last modified January 24, 2006, 00:54:03]