Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has faced some tough lines of questioning in his five years as the cityâs head honcho, so taking a few softballs from the second graders at Lawton Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms on March 8 was something of a welcome respite.
Not that a few fastballs werenât sneaked in there, however.
After talking to the children about how much he loved his job and how important it was, Buckhorn fielded questions asking him about his favorite food, color and his favorite sports.
Oh yeahâŠand a few about the traffic in New Tampa.
âWe do need a train that runs from New Tampa to downtown Tampa,â Buckhorn answered to one traffic question.
Another student wanted to know why the red light by his house stayed red for so long. The exact location of that light was never pinpointed (and letâs be honest, we all have one of those lights we love to hate in New Tampa, donât we?), but Buckhorn gave a quick wink said he would check it out.
He also was asked what he thought of Donald Trump.
âOh, I think Iâll stay away from that one,ââ Buckhorn said. âBut, I do not think he is good for the country.â
The event was organized by Linda Rosen, who was teaching her second graders about local government when she came up with the idea to try and get Buckhorn to visit her class. She had all of the kids write letters inviting him to Chiles, and the mayor ended up accepting.
Leading the second grade classes of teachers Ashley Mitchell, Elizabeth Horton, Tari Baldwin, Elaine Wilkinson, Michael Rehfus, Chelsea Bowen, Ami Egeland, Felicia Sell and Rosen into schoolâs media center was Alejandro Rodriguez, a mayor himself â he was elected by his classmates in Rosen and Bowenâs classes, a mock vote designed to teach the children about democracy.
The 8-year-old, decked out in gray slacks, a light green plaid shirt and a gray tie with white stripes, fidgeted in his seat with his hand thrust as high as he could reach, eagerly awaiting his chance for a question, like 150 of his classmates.
Buckhorn, who was elected to his first term as mayor in 2011 and then re-elected in 2015 while running unopposed, told the classes he caught the government bug as a fourth-grader growing up near Washington, D.C., when in 1968, he was helping out on the late Senator Robert Kennedyâs presidential campaign.
âI used to have my mom drive me down to Bobby Kennedyâs headquarters, and Iâd seal envelopes and put stamps on them,ââ Buckhorn said.
However, the kids seemed more interested in answers to the bigger, more important questions facing Tampa â such as his favorite color (blue), his favorite food (Italian), and his favorite sports (he played lacrosse and soccer in high school).
When he wasnât playing sports, Buckhorn said, he was reading books or having crab apple fights with his friends.
âWe didnât have cell phones,â he said, drawing perhaps the loudest reaction of the morning from the gasping second graders.
âIt was a much better life, I think,ââ he added. The lack of cell phones apparently made at least one child think Buckhorn was far older than his 57 years, because he was later asked if he had town criers when he was growing up.
Mayor Shares Governmental Info, Too
Buckhorn provided some civics lessons for the kids as well, explaining that he and the seven-member Tampa City Council operate mostly independently. âI meet with them once a year to tell them how much money they have to spend,â he said, referring to his annual budget meeting.
Asked if he can change the City Councilâs decisions, Buckhorn told the class âsometimes,â explaining that he can veto items but âthe City Council can override my veto with a 5-2 vote margin.â
âHe added, âBut, so far, I havenât had to veto anything.â
The mayor, in case you were wondering (like at least one of the kids was), does not have a butler and maids. He told them, however, he was ârich in blessings with a great job, a great wife and great kids, but not rich rich, like Donald Trump.â
He jokingly bragged about having so much power, he could turn rivers green (which he did, again, on St. Patrickâs Day).
Buckhorn, who has two young daughters, also told the assembly âand none of you are ever allowed to marry them.â
Buckhorn impressed the crowd by telling the children he has been to President Barack Obamaâs Christmas parties, and has even been to his office.
âWas his chair comfortable?,ââ one boy asked the mayor.
âOh, I donât dare sit in the presidentâs chair,ââ Buckhorn replied, grinning widely.
Buckhorn, whose second term is scheduled to end in 2019, said leaving the mayorâs office wonât be easy. âYouâre going to have to pry my fingers off the desk,â he said.
He did, though, drop a hint about his rumored future plans, asking the kids if theyâd like it if he came back to visit as Floridaâs governor.
As for who Buckhorn, a Democrat (although all municipal elections in Tampa are non-partisan), is supporting for president, no surprises there.
âI am supporting Hillary Clinton,ââ he said of the Democratic frontrunner (see page 8) he introduced at her pep rally in Ybor City the following day. âBecause I want my two little girls to grow up knowing there are no barriers. I want them to know that they can grow up to be president, too.â
The New Tampa Noon Rotary may not be the largest Rotary Club in our area, but the spirit of Rotary Internationalâs motto of âService Above Selfâ is alive and well among the clubâs members, despite the small size (fewer than 20 members) of the noon club, which meets Wednesdays at noon at CafĂ© OlĂ© on Cross Creek Blvd.
Bilal introduced me to several people as I walked around the grounds of the mosque. One of the people I met, a local physician, told me we had actually met once before…shortly after 9-11, when the Islamic Society and leaders of other local churches (as well as the now-defunct Temple Ohev Shalom of Tampa Palms) came together for a joint prayer vigil held at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. The doctor had hand-written and mailed me a note asking me to attend the event. He was so touched that I not only attended, but that I sought him out to thank him for taking the time to write and send me such a beautiful invitation.
