| Bob Buckhorn | |
|---|---|
| 58th Mayor of Tampa | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 1, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Pam Iorio |
| City Councilman of Tampa, Florida | |
| In office 1995–2003 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | July 29, 1958 Evanston, Illinois United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Catherine Lynch Buckhorn |
| Alma mater | Penn State University |
Bob Buckhorn (born July 29, 1958 in Evanston, Illinois[1]) is the mayor of Tampa, Florida.[2]
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A 1980 graduate of Penn State University, Bob Buckhorn arrived in Tampa in 1982. After taking a marketing position with a national consumer product company, he became active in national and local politics, chairing the John Glenn for President campaign in Hillsborough County, Florida.
In 1985, he took on the position of Director of Governmental Affairs for the Builders Association of Greater Tampa, a trade association representing the construction industry in Hillsborough County, Florida. In this capacity, he led the effort to establish the Hillsborough County Housing Finance Agency, which has resulted in thousands of first time home buyers being given the opportunity to pursue the American dream of home ownership through the use of low interest financing.[3]
In 1987, he coordinated the successful mayoral campaign of Mayor Sandy Freedman and assumed the role of Special Assistant to the Mayor upon her election. He served in this capacity until March 1995. During this time he was the recipient of the "Up and Comers" award by the Tampa Bay Business Journal and the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse. In addition, he was recognized as one of our state's emerging young leaders by his selection for the Leadership Florida program by the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation.[4]
In 1991, he was selected to Chair the MacDill Reuse Advisory Committee and over the ensuing four years helped lead the effort to save MacDill Air Force Base from closure. MacDill Air Force Base is one of only a handful of bases around the country that have successfully fought a decision of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to close or realign them. As a result MacDill's 6,000 jobs and 2-billion-dollar economic impact are secure and in fact, MacDill is now home to a new flying mission.[4]
As a result of his MacDill experience, he was nominated by the Governor and approved by the Legislature to serve as a member of Florida's Defense Transition and Conversion Commission. This Commission was charged with designing a blueprint for Florida's response to the 1995 recommendations of the Base Closure Commission, and was responsible for designing a strategy for the successful conversion of the state's defense-related economy to one that utilizes military technology for civilian applications.[5]
Working with Florida Secretary of Commerce Charles Dusseau, Bob co-chaired the Base Closure Committee that coordinated Florida's fight to save its bases. In the end, Florida suffered no base closures and received a net gain in military related jobs.[5]
In 1995, Bob was elected to a seat on the Tampa City Council, where he served until 2003. In that capacity he became the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, a member of the Municipal Planning Organization, and the Chairman of the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board.[5]
In the fall of 1998, Bob was nominated and selected from over 1,000 nominations from around the country to represent the American Council of Young Political Leaders as a delegate to the Republic of South Africa and in 2000 was named as one of America's "100 to Watch" by the nationally-recognized Democratic Leadership Council.[6]
In 2003 Bob joined the Dewey Square Group, a national public affairs company, where he served as a principal in the Florida office. In March 2007 he opened Buckhorn Partners, a public affairs firm based in Tampa.
In 2005, Bob joined Bay News 9 as a political analyst alongside former Governor Bob Martinez.
Prior to being elected as mayor[7] in a runoff election[8] on March 22, 2011, over opponent Rose Ferlita, he ran, but lost, in 2003.[2]
Buckhorn announced to run for the Mayoral election to succeed Pam Iorio, who is term limited.
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