By Matt Wiley
It’s not unusual to see current District 7 (which includes all of New Tampa’s city-based developments) Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione behind a microphone at City Council meetings. However, it was somewhat more unusual to see her on the microphone behind the counter at Mel’s Hot Dogs (on E. Busch Blvd. in Tampa) on October 1. No, she wasn’t announcing that someone’s order was ready, but announcing the kickoff to her re-election campaign.
Montelione — who originally filed her re-election paperwork back in July — won’t be running unopposed, as her predecessor, New Tampa resident Joseph Caetano, filed to run for her District 7 seat back in August. And, while we won’t be able to announce the results of the Nov. 4 General Election until our next issue (those local election returns will be posted on NTNeighborhoodNews.com, however), the nonpartisan City of Tampa elections will be held Tuesday, March 3, 2015.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if others file to run for (my) seat in the coming months,” Montelione says. “Of course, I was hoping to run unopposed, but I’m still running, whether I’m up against one or five opponents.”
The Terrace Park resident says that she is excited to get her campaign under way.
“When I started this journey, it was with the hope that I could get more people in my district involved in local government,” Montelione told the crowd of more than 50 supporters and patrons at Mel’s, located just a few blocks from Busch Gardens. “I think I’ve had a degree of success with the folks in the furthest reaches of my district (New Tampa and Tampa Palms), who now frequently contact me about issues in their communities.”
Some of these issues include reports about repairs that were needed to sidewalks, signs and roads in West Meadows. Montelione says she was able to help address and correct both issues by helping those residents get in contact with the proper city departments.
Montelione says that in order to get more people involved in city government, she has held several “office hours” meetings, during which she makes herself available to residents, at both the New Tampa Regional Library (10001 Cross Creek Blvd.) and at the New Tampa Rec Center (17302 Commerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms).
“I don’t know what it is that you need until you let me know,” Montelione says, adding that those meetings will continue if she is re-elected. She also has a monthly email newsletter that includes not only information about what’s happening in the city, but also what’s going on with transportation at the county level.
Because Montelione also serves as vice-chair of the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), she says that she has the opportunity to make the transportation issues of our area more publicized, especially connections to other counties, like the stalemate between the City and Pasco County where Kinnan St. meets Mansfield Blvd. She also is a known proponent of public transportation.
“When we have people getting off of an airplane to visit Busch Gardens or MOSI, they need to be able to get on some form of public transportation to get them there, whether its an express bus or even light rail,” Montelione said at Mel’s. “We also need to connect USF to downtown. (District 7) is the third largest employment district in the city. We have multi-national corporations out here that need to move their employees around.”
Montelione says that she also wants to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety in the district. “That needs to change,” she says. “It’s a big issue. We need to be proponents of raising awareness not only for the people on bikes, but also for the people in the (motor) vehicles.”
If re-elected, Montelione says that she also will continue to try to help small businesses in the district grow.
“There are so many small businesses along Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Cross Creek Blvd.,” Montelione says. “I want to help them not only survive, but also thrive.”
Montelione says that she has tried to help businesses by streamlining the process for starting a business within the city limits and creating an online portal for prospective and current business owners to find important city information all in one place. She says that she also will continue to work to streamline the permitting process for new small businesses, as she says she has throughout her term while serving on the City Council’s Economic Competitiveness Committee.
Currently, Montelione also serves as the chair of the MPO’s Livable Roadways Committee, the chair of the City Council Building, Zoning & Preservation Committee and vice-chair of the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board. She also is a member of the City Council’s finance committee and Affordable Housing Advisory Board. In her “spare time,” she also works as development manager for Tampa-based Rising Force Construction, Inc.
At our press time, Montelione had raised more than $2,700 for her campaign in less than a month, while Caetano had raised $550.
Mayor Buckhorn Announces Bid For Re-election
In addition to all seven City Council members, the Mayor’s office also is up for grabs in March, but current Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has no plans of relinquishing the seat, after announcing his campaign for re-election in September.
“In the last three and a half years, we have laid out an ambitious agenda,” Mayor Buckhorn said in a statement. “We sought to not just recover from the recession, but to transform our economy. Unemployment is down 40 percent, more of our residents are working than ever and more people are moving here every day to be part of the renaissance we’ve created in Tampa.”
Buckhorn — who already has raised more than $100,000 for his campaign — faces opposition from Rebecca Jo Rubright, a local political activist and acupuncture physician who owns the Living Harmony Healing Center in Seminole Heights. Rubright filed to run for mayor on September 26 but, at our press time, had not yet reported any campaign contributions. Look for more info about the mayoral race in a future issue.
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