The Florida Squeeze is proud to endorse Tampa City Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak in Tampa’s municipal runoff elections!

In an election cycle marred by Mayor Jane Castor‘s troubling plays to consolidate power, Councilwoman Hurtak has been a stable source of wise, principled and progressive governance in the Big Guava.

After former House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz lost her State Senate bid in November, she and some Tampa heavyweights knuckled down to grant Cruz a seat on the City Council. It’s the worst of insider political maneuvering and something we stand against.

But this key at-large seat in a nationally-important local government should not be treated like a consolation prize for a career politician.

Hurtak’s campaign is truly people-powered — unlike the out-of-town donors funding Cruz — and her record shows it. On issue after issue, Hurtak is the preferable choice.

The shoddy effort has diminished the legacy of Mayor Castor, and that of Cruz who had previously amassed a mostly respectable record in Tallahassee.

Former Mayor Bob Buckhorn also degraded himself in this race. In many ways it’s as reflective of the values of a DLC-oriented, “business Democrat” like Buckhorn as it is the diminished power of the Democratic Party’s brand that he has simply stated he “[doesn’t] really care what they think” after the Hillsborough County Democratic Party censured Buckhorn for his cross-party apostasy.

We wish all the best to Councilwoman Hurtak in four more years on the Tampa City Council!