Four Candidates Vying For Montelione’s Vacant Dist. 7 City Council Seat

After two months of lining up support and organizing a campaign, Tampa lawyer and Hunter’s Green resident Luis Viera has officially entered the race for the Tampa City Council District 7 seat being vacated by Lisa Montelione.

Montelione turned in her resignation June 10 with intentions of challenging Republican incumbent Shawn Harrison for the Florida House District 63 seat in November. Montelione, who earns $42,078 as a City Council member, will continue to serve on the Council through Nov. 8.

Viera joins three others in the upcoming special election —Dr. Cyril Spiro of Cory Lake Isles, newspaper editor Gene Siudut of Tampa Palms and former police officer Orlando Gudes of the Copeland Park area near Busch Blvd.

City Council elections are usually held in March in odd-numbered years. An official date for the special election had not been announced at our press time, but the winner of it will serve until the District 7 seat is up again in 2019.

Viera, a single father whose son attends Lawton Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms, is an attorney with Ogden & Sullivan, P.A., a civil trial practice firm in Tampa, and a former Temple Terrace resident. This is his first time running for public office.

“I took a long look at the process and took a look at life’s responsibilities, and made that personal assessment that I felt this was something I could do,’’ Viera says of his approach. “I wanted to make sure there was good support for me in this race. I wanted to make sure I’m doing well in that regard.”

Which he is, if endorsements are any indication.

While all municipal elections in Tampa are non-partisan, Viera already has a number of top Democrats lined up behind him. Since entering the race on June 1, he already has big-name endorsements, such as from U.S. Rep. (14th Congressional District of Florida) Kathy Castor.

“As an active member of our Tampa community, including work in the City of Tampa Civil Service Board, with the Tampa Hispanic Bar Association and with his autism foundation, Lawyers Autism Awareness Foundation, he (Viera) has proven to be a strong advocate for our community and a fighter for those who need a clearer voice in the community, something that I strive to do everyday in the halls of Congress,’’ Rep. Castor said in a statement.

Viera also claims the endorsements of current Tampa City Council chair Mike Suarez, former state Rep., U.S. congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis and former state Rep. Mary Figg, who represented the Lutz area in the Florida Legislature in the 1980s.

“We’ll have more endorsements forthcoming and more community leaders supporting our efforts,’’ Viera says.

Will endorsements translate to votes in New Tampa and throughout the diverse District 7? Perhaps. Viera says the support he has already received will help when it comes to building on the work already done in the district, which runs north from Waters Ave. to County Line Rd. and includes Forest Hills, Terrace Park, the University of South Florida and New Tampa. “I plan on fighting for respect for this part of the city,’’ he says.

Viera, who held a fund-raising event in June, has another scheduled for Friday, June 29, hosted by Columbia Restaurant Group president Richard Gonzmart.

Spiro Leads District 7 Candidates in Funds Raised

Speaking of raising funds, Spiro, who works in health care data analytics and has been on the Cory Lake Isles Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors the past five years, had a good first month and led the District 7 pack with $10,989.83 raised in May, including $1,989.83 of his own money, plus six $1,000 donations.

Spiro was pleased with his first month’s total, considering he has yet to hold an official fund raiser.

Meanwhile, Siudut, who recently held a fund raiser at the University Club in downtown Tampa, raised $9,425 in May, according to financial reports.

“We wanted to get to $10,000 our first month, and including in-kind (non-cash, which totaled $1,280.22) donations, we did, so we’re very pleased,’’ said Siudut.

Viera, who wasn’t in the race at the time, and Gudes, who said he has yet to begin fund raising, did not file financial reports for May.

Gudes said he has been spending his time setting up a campaign headquarters, meeting with the local community to identify their needs, and was waiting for Montelione to officially resign, “before we put things in full gear.”