Tampa's next mayor says he will continue supporting LGBTs

The citizens of Tampa spoke loud and clear on March 22, electing Bob Buckhorn as the next mayor of the city with more than 63% of the vote. His challenger, Rose Ferlita, finished with 36%.

The race was not nearly as close as many had anticipated and Ferlita gave her concession speech just after 8 p.m.â┚¬â€just over an hour after polls closed.

Both candidates voiced support for the LGBT community and during a pre-election interview with Watermark, Buckhorn said that as mayor, he'd continue the LGBT-friendly policies enacted by outgoing mayor Pam Iorio.

â┚¬Å”Everything that she has done will remain in place,â┚¬Â Buckhorn said. â┚¬Å”I have been in the fight for a long time and plan to continue to do everything I can to keep our city moving forward, including all of Iorio's initiatives.â┚¬Â

Shortly after Iorio took office in 2003, she enacted domestic partner benefits for city employeesâ┚¬â€a policy that is still in affect today.

During his acceptance speech March 22, Buckhorn thanked his supporters and pointed out the diversity in the audience, including the â┚¬Å”straight and gayâ┚¬Â supporters by his side.

Buckhorn, who had endorsements from the St. Petersburg Times, Creative Loafing and the outgoing mayor herself, planned to meet with Iorio the day after the election to start the transition process. He will take office April 1 and will begin implementing his plans immediately.

â┚¬Å”I am honored to have gotten those endorsements,â┚¬Â Buckhorn said. â┚¬Å”Everyone who looked at these races have said that not only do they endorse us, they believe our plan is the plan that can get us to the next level. I'm humbled and thankful for that. Now, I want everyone to support Tampa so we can move the city forward.â┚¬Â

Buckhorns plans are thorough, but they do not seem to include replacing Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, whom Iorio appointed last year. Castor is the first woman police chief for the department and has never hidden her sexuality. She and her ex-partner are raising two sons.

â┚¬Å”We've been friends for 20 years,â┚¬Â Buckhorn said about his relationship with Castor. â┚¬Å”I have been an admirer of hers since I met her. I've watched her move through the ranks and deal with the issues of the department and she's done so with grace and strength. She's a superb chief.â┚¬Â

Buckhorn said he recognizes Castor's work in keeping crime rates on the decline in Tampa, but stopped short of actually saying he'd keep her on board.

â┚¬Å”I've avoided specifics on all of the appointed positions in the city,â┚¬Â Buckhorn said. â┚¬Å”But you can suffice it to say, I think Jane Castor's performance has been exemplary.â┚¬Â

The race for mayor split the LGBT community because of the support expressed by both camps. However, Buckhorn received a big push from the GaYbor District Coalition, which may have brought out more LGBT votes in his favor.

His campaign headquarters are in Ybor and he had the support of coalition founders Mark Bias and Carrie West.

â┚¬Å”I've been impressed with how organized they are and what they have brought in as capital,â┚¬Â Buckhorn says. â┚¬Å”They've asked so little from the government and this was a move entirely self-initiated by a group of entrepreneurs.â┚¬Â

Buckhorn said he hopes to continue that working relationship with Tampa's LGBT citizens and invited them to share their perspective on Tampa's future.

â┚¬Å”I want their passion and energy,â┚¬Â he said. â┚¬Å”I want them to feel they have a seat at the table and they are invested in not just me, but the vision, hopes and aspirations of the community. The LGBT community is an integral part of who we are as a city.â┚¬Â

He added that diversity makes a city stronger and that he relies on diversity in tough times.

â┚¬Å”Because of diversity, we'll get out of this economic malaise and because of that we'll compete better than almost any other city in the country,â┚¬Â he said.