Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tom Scott is seriously thinking of running for Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections
Posted by Mitch Perry on Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 4:04 PM
Speaking to CL at the Florida State Fair Governor's Day Luncheon on Thursday, Scott confirmed reports that surfaced this week that he will decide within the next month or so if he will run for office again.
Though there has been some speculation that he was looking at the Clerk of the County's position currently held by Pat Frank, Scott said Frank has informed him that despite some recent health issues, she will run for re-election this year.
That leaves the Supervisor of Elections gig.
Craig Latimer is the only declared Democrat to enter the race in Hillsborough County, and he's already been endorsed by his boss, Dr. Earl Lennard, who was named by Governor Charlie Crist to succeed the late Phyllis Busansky after she passed away in 2009. Latimer already has a head start after raising over $30,000 for the race, a key reason Scott says he will decide by March if he's officially in or out.
Scott was first elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 1996 and served there until 2006. He then ran and won a seat on the Tampa City Council in 2007, and could have ran for re-election last year, but opted to run for mayor, where he finished last in a five-person field.
Latimer has been working hard with the Democratic party grassroots to boost his stature with the grassroots of the party. He worked alongside Busansky in reestablishing the credibility of the Supervisor's office in the wake of the six-year debacle that Buddy Johnson made of the office.
But it might help boost turnout in November if Scott were to defeat Latimer in a primary and become the candidate to take on Plant City Republican Rich Glorioso, a state legislator who is the only declared Republican in the race. Democrats throughout Florida know that Hillsborough County will be crucial for Barack Obama's chances of winning the state, and having a black Democrat running for an open county seat could drive turn out among minority voters in the district.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Scott hasn't announced officially yet, and as noted above, he did have a disappointing end to his city council career last year. But then again, he was running against some very solid candidates in Bob Buckhorn and Ed Turanchik, as well as local Tampa figures in Rose Ferlita and Dick Greco.
But since most observers of Hillsborough politics are ruing the lack of exciting races in the county this fall, Scott's entry into the Supervisor of Elections race would certainly liven things up.
Latest in Daily Loaf
-
Get out your LGBT Memorial Day weekend calendar
There are plenty of LGBT events to choose from in the Tampa Bay area this weekend: Harvey Milk Day Meet and Mingle, LGBT literary events, Memorial Day celebrations, Gaybor Days 2013 and more.
-
If DOMA goes away, then what?
How exactly will DOMA affect the LGBT community in Florida? A financial advisor gives a quick summary of how it can help your pocketbook.
-
Landmark victory: American Journey has arrived
Not only does it best Ikea as the coolest thing on Adamo Drive, the mural is the largest of its kind in Florida.
- More »
More by Mitch Perry
-
JPMorgan Chase to hold annual shareholder meeting in Tampa for the second year in a row
The shareholder meeting will be held at the company's Highland Oaks Campus, located just off of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. near I-75.
-
Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Chair Steve Burton dies
Joe Lopano called Burton "a lion of a man."
- More »
