- Chip Weiner
- Dick Greco, Sandy Freedman, Bob Martinez, Bob Buckhorn & Bill Poe were the centers of attention on Tuesday.
Although slightly less momentous than when all the living current and ex-presidents convene (which last happened this past April for the opening of the George W. Bush Library in Dallas), it isn't that often that all of the ex-mayors of Tampa gather in one setting. It happened back in June for a ceremony launching construction of the last segment of the Tampa Riverwalk, and it almost happened this past Tuesday with an event honoring Tampa's birthday 126 years ago.
Dick Greco, Bill Poe, Sandy Freedman and Bob Martinez joined current Mayor Bob Buckhorn in the late afternoon ceremony, but one of the city's most popular mayors, Pam Iorio, was AWOL. (She tells CL she had a conflict with an event in Pinellas County.)
The first question you might have: Who celebrates the 126th anniversary of anything?
Officials said that yes, last year's 125th anniversary would have been the more appropriate time to look back, but Republican National Convention planning delayed any public ceremony until this year.
The highlight of the presentation, which took place in the courtyard between Old City Hall and the Tampa Municipal Office Building, was the brief history lesson offered by historian Rodney Kite-Powell. Who knew (or remembers) that Tampa had four mayors in 1974?
Kite-Powell weaved humor into his presentation, to mixed results. His line that the city's first mayor, Joseph B. Lancaster, defeated Dick Greco in 1856 elicited strong laughs, but his crack that he was the same height as Sandy Freedman when he was a 13-year-old failed to amuse the city's first female chief executive.
Many city staffers (and a few former ones) attended the ceremony, and Mayor Bob Buckhorn gave them special attention.
Speaking on behalf of himself and his fellow mayors, Buckhorn said, "There is nothing that we did or could possibly do if it were not for all of you. You were the ones who get up every day and make this city work. You were the ones who make this city shine. You were the ones who make us look good. And we are forever grateful for your service, for your sacrifice. Many of you have jobs that are dangerous. Some of you have jobs that are dirty. But you get up every day without complaint, and you go get it done, and you make this city a better place because of it. Thank you for making us look good."
Buckhorn was in his best "aw shucks," self-deprecating mode, giving tribute to the men and women who preceded him. "It's not me, it's them," he said about any successes that the city currently enjoys. "I'm just the beneficiary of their hard work."
Several exhibits were on display inside and outside of Old City Hall. Afterwards, cake was served. All told, the whole thing was over in less than an hour.
