After Election Defeat, Janet Cruz Says She’s Running for Tampa City Council Seat of Lynn Hurtak | Tampa Bay News | Tampa

This morning, less than two weeks after losing her Florida Senate seat, Janet Cruz announced her intention to run for the Tampa City Council seat currently held by Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak.

Cruz planned to share his intention to challenge the popular first-term city councilor in the latest edition of La Gaceta. A spokesperson for Cruz confirmed the news, adding that the outgoing senator intended to file documents this afternoon.

Cruz’s spokesperson told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that after the the senator’s loss to Jay Collinspeople quickly began to urge her to continue public service.

Tampa’s Upcoming Municipal Elections— when voters will decide who is on the city council and whether or not Jane Castor will stay in power — is set for March 7, 2023.

The news comes as Hurtak is in Denmark on city business alongside Tampa Sustainability and Resilience Officer Whit Remer. The duo were sent on a trip by the mayor so they could learn more about biogas food waste from Copenhagen to power plants.

Hurtak intends to return late Thursday night under his legislative aide, and was unavailable for comment.

In a Wednesday morning Posting on Twitter from Denmark, Hurtak thanked the mayor for sending her on the trip and officially announced her intention to stay at the D3 seat, after showing up to show up on Halloween.

Hurtak was appointed to her seat in April, after the unceremonious ousting of Councilman John Dingfelder.

“[Sustainability is] one of the things I’m proud to have worked on during my seven months on the Tampa City Council. Affordable housing, public transit, better communication between the city and neighborhoods, and the protection of women and doctors from persecution for health care decisions are some of them,” Hurtak said. “But from talking to all of you and reading each of your emails, I’ve learned that we can do so much more together to make Tampa a safer, more prosperous, more sustainable, and more inclusive city…I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together.With your help, we can realize Tampa’s full potential.

Hurtak’s campaign told CL it is hosting a kick-off event at American Legion Seminole Post 111 in Seminole Heights on Tuesday, November 22 from 6-8 p.m.

Despite two other open city council seats held by Joseph Citro and Charlie Miranda, Cruz chose District 3, where Hurtak served only seven months.

Cruz’s entry into 2023 Tampa municipal election pits her against the only woman on the Tampa City Council and places her in a contest that already has two other candidates: Gwendolyn Henderson and Sonja P. Brookins.

“Senator Cruz is running for this seat because it is an open seat and believes that voters should be able to choose their elected leaders and looks forward to engaging Tampa voters and, if he is lucky, to serve the people of this great city again,” Cruz’s spokesperson said. added.

In a statement to CL, Senator Cruz added, “Whether it’s working on housing affordability, transportation options, workforce development, or ensuring our great city is sustainable and resilient for future generations, I will never stop fighting for hardworking individuals and families. our community. Once elected, I plan to put community priorities ahead of politics, because divisiveness has no place in city hall.

Cruz’s rep didn’t say whether or not Hurtak contributed to the split, and instead replied, “Haven’t you seen the board in the past two years?”

At City Hall, the past year alone has seen marked conflict and “unprecedented” friction between the mayor and members of the city council, with some council members clashing with the Castor administration over a myriad of things, from the mysterious approval of a contract worth over $100 million for Tampa’s Hanna City Center, to lease control, the power of subpoena for a Citizens’ Police Review Board and even more protections for council members when sued.

While Hurtak has stood with the mayor, such as launching the city’s housing hotline, she has also voted against the mayor on other affordable housing issues, and most recently , left voters to decide subpoena power for a Citizens’ Police Review Board.

Senator Cruz is the mother of Ana Cruz, the partner of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. On her Twitter, Ana Cruz calls herself “the 1st lady of Tampa”.

Some might even see a conflict of interest if Cruz wins the council seat and has to act as a check on the power of a mayor who has previously clashed with the city council.

“Absolutely not,” Cruz’s spokesperson added, “there’s a delineation of power for a reason and frankly it’s an insult to insinuate that someone with such a proven track record of delivering for his constituents would run in that race if there was a dispute at all.”

Despite being embroiled in two Justice Department investigations, Mayor Castor is the clear favorite for re-election against two challengers, Jeff Godsell and Belinda Noah.

Castor and Cruz winning their elections would create a seemingly unprecedented situation in Tampeño politics where a mayor serves while his de facto mother-in-law sits on the Tampa City Council.

What’s more, the Tampa City Charter (10.01, Section 4) says that “if a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor, within fifteen (15) months or less of the remaining term, the president of the city council shall be mayor until the expiration of that mayor’s term.”

If Cruz wins her race, she could hypothetically be named council president in May. (Although Guido Maniscalco, who is running for the council’s District 2 seat, is more likely to be named president.)

It’s safe to assume that Castor would complete her four-year term, but she could also very well be approached for a job in the Biden administration (she’s been in the White House a lot), decide to take up lobbying, buy a team sport or even run for governor.

That’s what happened to Tampa’s first female mayor, Sandy Freedman, who served as council president from 1983 to 1986. When then-mayor Bob Martinez decided to run for governor, Freedman resumed the remainder of his term, then won the vote twice more, serving as Tampa leader from 1987 to 1995.

And if Cruz aspires to one day be mayor of Tampa, winning this citywide race is definitely a good step.

Asked about the possibility of being named chairman of the council and possibly becoming mayor, Cruz’s spokesman told CL: “These are all hypothetical questions and [we’ll] you have to win the race first.

The mayor has yet to respond to a request for comment, but we’ll update this post if she does.

UPDATED 11/16/22 3:35 PM Updated with comments from an exchange with a spokesperson for outgoing Senator Janet Cruz.