Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer
Monday, November 29, 2010
TAMPA — Months of speculation about whether former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco would seek his old seat in March's election ended at 9:15 Monday morning, when he filed paperwork to run.
A formal announcement and news conference is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Monday at the Intercontinental Hotel on Westshore and Kennedy boulevards.
Greco, 77, served as mayor for 15 years, from 1967 to 1974 and again from 1995 to 2003.
He joins six others who have already filed to seek the mayor's post: former City Council member Bob Buckhorn, former Hillsborough county commissioners Rose Ferlita and Ed Turanchik, City Council chairman Tom Scott, former police Capt. Marion Lewis and businessman Arthur Richardson.
Buckhorn lobbed the first attack on Greco's campaign, casting Greco as a retread in a statement released over the weekend when news of Greco's impending announcement broke.
"This race has always been about the future of Tampa and that's why I welcome Dick to the race, to give voters a very clear choice between looking back or looking forward to create jobs," Buckhorn said. "As Mayor, I will always look forward."
Greco was wildly popular as mayor. He presided over the development of entertainment and retail complex Centro Ybor. He lobbied for a community investment tax that helped build Raymond James Stadium, bought riverfront property in the city and unveiled plans for a massive new art museum that was later scaled back by the more practical current Mayor Pam Iorio.
His tenure, though, was also rocked by scandal.
His housing director, Steve LaBrake, ended up in federal prison for trading city contracts for discount work on his own home. Greco remained loyal to LaBrake throughout a grand jury investigation, even as news reports revealed details of LaBrake's dealings.
Greco also left the city with significant debt.
His administration supported Centro Ybor financially with a $9-million federally backed loan and a parking garage. In 2004, after it became unprofitable, the city bailed out developers by taking over payments on the federal loan. Centro Ybor cost $50-million to build and sold in 2006 for $16-million.
And Greco's deal on the Centro Ybor parking garage is contributing to a multi-million shortfall in the parking division next year.
Greco pondered a run for mayor in 2007, but decided not to challenge Iorio's re-election. After eight years in office, she has reached her term limit.
Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3401. Times staff writer Kim Wilmath contributed to this report.