Two pieces of interesting political news. Sticks of Fire had it first, but there is a interesting piece in the Times.
1. Joe Redner is running for County Commision against one of the Intolerant 6 - Jim Norman.
2. Kelly Benjamin is his campaign manager.
Unless someone else comes along, I will vote for Joe. He would shake up the County Commision. If he, Rose Ferlita and Keving White were on the Commision, it would be a far better county.
What is really interesting to me is that Kelly Benjamin is his campaign manager. Usually you would thing someone who had al ot of political experience would be the campaign manager. However Joe has a lot of political experience on his own. Kelly did run for City Council so he does have some experience there. What ever happens with Joe, it will more interesting ot see what happens with Kelly. Will he take the good experience he will get form this run by Redner and rerun for something himself. Will his future candidacy be different than his City Council run? I considered that run to be more of a joke or a spoiler candicacy (at least based on his performance at the Seminole Heights candicacy meeting we had.). With this experience, depending on what Kelly does, a future run could be more serious and more likely to get him elected. Keep your eyes on his career. Once you get past his tendency to want to rib the establishment, he has some some strong potential.
Here are some points from the article.
"But adult businesses and gay pride won't be a significant part of Redner's campaign, said his campaign manager, Kelly Benjamin. Instead, priorities will include growth management, education, public transportation and the environment.
"Joe is a strong supporter of the environment," Benjamin said. "He has a clear concept of the dangers that the population explosion will cause this area if they're not dealt with in a very immediate fashion. I don't think the people on the current County Commission have that foresight."
Benjamin, a former pirate radio operator and political activist who drives a car powered by vegetable oil, made his own run for public office in 2003, losing to Rose Ferlita in a Tampa City Council race.
Will he run again for the council in 2007?
"I'm keeping all my options open," he said.
Verrrrry Inteeerresting!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't vote for a bus owner who's bus exploits women. You can dress him up make him gay and enviro freindly but the fact is Tampa would be better off without these establishments.
ReplyDeleteI think the dancers there exploit the business as much as the owner and the patrons do the women - they choose to work there or they choose to get a job anywhere else. They don't work for free and no one makes them stay there.
ReplyDeleteI know, I know, they are all single mothers who can't make it working anywhere else on today's wages - don't degrade the single mothers that don't work there and somehow manage to get by on their employers wages - give me a break.
it's because all those other businesses are financed by the "evil" business so they are not ligit!
ReplyDeleteLOL at some of these 'anonymous' comments and GO JOE! Men have been paying to see naked women for most of history and I don't think anything is going to change that. I don't know the specifics of Joe's business practices, but not all adult entertainment is 'exploiting' women. Women freely choose to work there and aren't necessarily ashamed of it, either. It's a legal way to make a living and better paying than a lot of craptacular jobs out there. Sorry Joe offends your puritanical sensibilities, but from what I know of him he's one of the few politicians that's stayed true to his roots.
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