New council face not timid
Mary Mulhern's upset victory is followed by more stick-it-to-'em surprises in office.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published October 21, 2007
TAMPA - Just six months into her stint on the City Council, newcomer Mary Mulhern has come out swinging.
-She is single-handedly pushing for a change in the composition of the county's Environmental Protection Commission.
-She questioned why the City Council didn't have more of a role in choosing a developer for the remaking of Fort Homer Hesterly Armory.
-She brought public attention to plans to build a jet fuel pipeline through Tampa neighborhoods.
-She's working to turn Seminole Heights thoroughfares from one-way to two-way streets.
Her no-holds-barred enthusiasm has earned her praise from some fellow council members, admiration of neighborhood leaders and the attention of Hillsborough County Democrats.
Veteran council members John Dingfelder and Linda Saul-Sena see Mulhern as an ally on environmental and arts issues. And council member Tom Scott, a former county commissioner, sees her as a partner in his efforts to keep the council from being a rubber stamp for the mayor.
"Mary Mulhern is really coming into her own," Scott said. "I love it. She's not afraid to ask the tough questions, And she has a way of speaking her mind."
She spoke her mind in a major way in August when asking City Attorney David Smith about the City Council's role in the sale of Centro Ybor.
When Smith implied that Mulhern might not fully understand the issue, she responded: "I'm not a real estate lawyer, a land-use lawyer, but I have a pretty good b---s--- detector."
Mulhern, 48, is unapologetic about the comment, saying later that Smith "got my Irish up."
"I had a lot of questions about how we had arrived at this point," she said. "Usually if you don't understand things, people are trying to make it complicated and it's not."
That sort of gumption impresses Fran Constantino, an Ybor City community leader.
"She just doesn't back down," Constantino said. "She's not a mushroom. She's not going to be kept in the dark and fed whatever. That's what I love about her."
Others, though, worry that Mulhern is more like a bull in a china shop, with some of her fights leading to unintended consequences.
"In politics, you've got to look before you step. Things aren't always what they seem. That can happen with freshman legislators," said Ed Turanchik, a West Tampa developer and former county commissioner who butted heads with Mulhern on her push to turn Howard and Armenia avenues into two-way streets. "She's progressive and bright and community-spirited. But I think her inexperience is showing."
Case in point: Mulhern's attempts to get Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace seats on the Environmental Protection Commission, now comprised solely of Hillsborough County commissioners.
Mulhern made the move after commissioners alarmed environmentalists with their effort to curb the authority of the EPC's wetlands division. She's hoping Hillsborough County's state legislators will take the matter to Tallahassee this spring.
The County Commission responded last week by saying they like the idea, as long as it means they can have more seats on boards such as the Planning Commission and Tampa Sports Authority.
That's something Mayor Pam Iorio fought last year, and for that reason, she said she's actively resisting Mulhern's EPC push.
"That's not on our legislative agenda," Iorio said. If people don't like what the EPC is doing, she said, they can vote the commissioners out of office.
Mulhern remains optimistic that she'll get the support she needs from Hillsborough state legislators to make the change.
"It looks like a very fair, sensible thing to do," Mulhern said, while acknowledging the uphill battle.
"Leave it to the new kid to wade into this," she said. "I didn't realize how much work it would be."
Randy Baron, president of the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association, applauds Mulhern for taking the lead on the EPC issue.
"All she did was give voice to what a lot of people were feeling," he said. "It's to her credit that she does listen to her constituents, and she does raise these issues."
An e-mail from a Tampa Heights resident prompted Mulhern to ask in a council meeting last month about plans to build a jet fuel pipeline through Tampa neighborhoods. Three other council members had been briefed on the matter, but remained silent.
Her public airing of the matter led to an outcry in the neighborhoods.
"People did a lot of research that probably wouldn't have happened if we hadn't brought it up," Mulhern said. "The biggest tool we have is to get the public involved."
Although city officials are nonpartisan, Hillsborough County Democrats have their eye on Mulhern, and still talk about her City Council win in the March elections over Shawn Harrison, an eight-year council member and Republican who outraised her four times over.
"It's a great underdog story," said Mike Suarez, chairman of the Hillsborough Democratic Party. "She really did beat somebody that, on paper, she should never have beaten."
Now that she's in office, Suarez is impressed with Mulhern's performance to date, which he compares to that of April Griffin, an outspoken, Democratic newcomer on the Hillsborough County School Board.
"That to me is a very good role for any politician to follow. People see you working. That's the most important thing," Suarez said.
As local Democrats look at the roster of candidates for future elections and higher office, Mulhern could develop into a contender, Suarez said.
"She is somebody that we look at as a very good public servant, and hopefully she'll stay in office awhile," he said. "You never know what happens in the four years of serving. It's much harder when you're in office to keep everybody happy."
Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or 813 225-3401.