Tampa, Florida municipal elections, 2015
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The city of Tampa, Florida, held elections for mayor and city council on March 3, 2015. Because no candidate in the general election for District 6 received a majority of the votes, a runoff for that seat was held on March 24, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in the general election was January 16, 2015. All seven city council seats were up for election.[1]
Six of the eight incumbents ran for re-election in their districts. Charlie Miranda ran for re-election in District 2 instead of District 6. Mary Mulhern, of District 2, did not run for re-election. Two incumbents, District 5's Frank Reddick and District 7's Lisa J. Montelione were unopposed.
Two of the major issues that shaped Tampa's 2015 election cycle were infrastructure and alcohol. Concerns over infrastructure included how and where the city should pay for improvements. Some candidates called into concern other candidates' ability to vote on wet zoning issues due to their background with alcohol accounts. You can read more about these issues below.
Mayor
Candidate list
- March 3 General election candidates:
- Bob Buckhorn
- Incumbent Buckhorn was elected in 2011. - Jose Vazquez
- Bob Buckhorn
Election results
| Mayor of Tampa, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Bob Buckhorn Incumbent |
95.9% | 24,607 | |
| Jose Vazquez | 4.1% | 1,049 | |
| Total Votes | 25,656 | ||
| Source: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Official general election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
City council
Candidate list
District 1
- March 3 General election candidates:
- Susan Long
- Mike Suarez - Incumbent Suarez was elected to the council in 2011.
District 2
- Note: Incumbent Mary Mulhern did not run for re-election.
- March 3 General election candidates:
District 3
- March 3 General election candidates:
- Yvonne Yolie Capin - Incumbent Capin was elected to the council in 2011.
- Paul Erni
- Yvonne Yolie Capin
District 4
- March 3 General election candidates:
- Harry Cohen - Incumbent Cohen was elected to the council in 2011.
- Kent S. King
- Harry Cohen
District 5
- March 3 General election candidates:
- Frank Reddick - Incumbent Reddick was elected to the council in 2011.
- Frank Reddick
District 6
- Note: District 6 incumbent Charlie Miranda ran for the District 2 seat.
- March 3 General election candidates:
- March 24 Runoff election candidates:
District 7
- March 3 General election candidates:
- Lisa J. Montelione - Incumbent Montelione was elected to the council in 2011.
- Lisa J. Montelione
Election results
General election
| Tampa City Council, District 1 General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Mike Suarez Incumbent |
62.1% | 15,474 | |
| Susan Long | 37.9% | 9,432 | |
| Total Votes | 24,906 | ||
| Source: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Official general election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
| Tampa City Council, District 2 General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Charlie Miranda |
59% | 15,268 | |
| Julie Ann Jenkins | 31.9% | 8,264 | |
| Joseph V. Citro | 9.1% | 2,345 | |
| Total Votes | 25,877 | ||
| Source: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Official general election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
| Tampa City Council, District 3 General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Yvonne Yolie Capin Incumbent |
73.2% | 18,154 | |
| Paul Erni | 26.8% | 6,636 | |
| Total Votes | 24,790 | ||
| Source: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Official general election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
| Tampa City Council, District 4 General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Harry Cohen Incumbent |
71.2% | 6,999 | |
| Kent S. King | 28.8% | 2,825 | |
| Total Votes | 9,824 | ||
| Source: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Official general election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
| Tampa City Council, District 6 General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Jackie Toledo |
46% | 3,720 | |
| Guido Maniscalco |
29.1% | 2,350 | |
| Thomas Clark Castellano | 24.9% | 2,017 | |
| Total Votes | 8,087 | ||
| Source: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Official general election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
Runoff election
| Tampa City Council, District 6 Runoff Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Guido Maniscalco |
51% | 3,731 | |
| Jackie Toledo | 49% | 3,582 | |
| Total Votes | 7,313 | ||
| Source: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Official runoff election results," accessed May 28, 2015 | |||
Issues
Infrastructure
A major issue discussed by many candidates leading up to the 2015 election was the state of Tampa's infrastructure. Nearly all candidates agreed that the road system and the sewer system, which is nearly a century old, needed funding. The dispute arose, however, over what areas of the city need funding the most. Incumbent Mayor Bob Buckhorn drew criticism from some over his investment of tens of millions of dollars into downtown areas instead of suburban neighborhoods. In an editorial, The Tampa Bay Times suggested that the root cause was an issue of raising the tax base rather than pitting downtown and suburban areas against each other.[2]
Alcohol
An issue in the District 3 and District 4 races was an alleged conflict of interest over discussing and voting on wet zonings on the city council. A wet zone is the ability of a bar or restaurant to serve alcohol, and it is granted on a case-by-case basis by the city council. District 3 incumbent Yvonne Yolie Capin and District 4 challenger Kent S. King each pointed out that their opponents' involvement in dealing with accounts of liquor stores and bars may have caused a conflict of interest in discussing or voting on wet zoning. Mark Herron, a Tallahassee attorney specializing in ethics and elections, however, said the point raised by Capin and King were "remote and speculative."[3]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tampa Florida Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections - Official 2015 Candidate List
- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections - City of Tampa Municipal Officers (2015)
- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections - Official general election results
- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections - Official runoff election results
Footnotes
- ↑ Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, "Election Results," accessed September 16, 2021
- ↑ The Tampa Bay Times, "Editorial: Tampa council candidates correctly raise neighborhood concerns," February 12, 2015
- ↑ The Tampa Bay Times, "Disputes animate South Tampa City Council race," February 12, 2015
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