Former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis told Tampa area media that he is looking at throwing his hat into the 2011 Tampa mayor’s race.
Davis told the Tampa Tribune he is “seriously considering” running for mayor. The election for that office is March 1, 2011. Current Mayor Pam Iorio is leaving office due to term limits.
Most recently, Davis had actively pushed for the passing of a penny sales tax referendum that would have been used to pay for light rail, road improvements, and increased bus service in Hillsborough County.
Some speculated that voters’ sound rejection of the referendum would prevent Davis from running due to his support for the measure. In interviews with The Florida Independent, Davis maintained that light rail would be crucial to the Tampa Bay Area’s transportation needs of the future, then after the election defeat, vowed efforts for light rail would be renewed.
Davis served in the U.S. House for a decade and in 2006 ran as the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, losing to Charlie Crist. Currently, Davis is employed by the mega-law firm Holland & Knight, and his biography on the firm’s website can be seen here.
