Mayor, City Council Members Inaugurated

Bob Buckhorn is Tampa's new mayor – no fooling. Buckhorn took the oath of office today at a ceremony in the Tampa Convention Center, and one of his first acts was to crack a joke. “It's April Fool's. We're only kidding. I'm not really the mayor,” said Buckhorn. He added, to his wife, “Sorry honey.”

Buckhorn was sworn in as mayor, along with four new City Council members, before more than 300 audience members.

The new City Council members were Mike Suarez (city-wide District 1), Harry Cohen (District 4, South Tampa), Frank Reddick (District 5, East and Central Tampa) and Lisa Montelione (District 7, North Tampa). Incumbent council members Mary Mulhern (city-wide District 2), Yvonne Capin (city-wide District 3) and Charlie Miranda (District 6, West and Central Tampa) also took the oath of office. Capin formerly held the District 4 seat.

On a serious note, Buckhorn lauded one of Tampa's greatest qualities: its diversity.

“If you ever wondered what makes this city special, look around this room,” he said.

Buckhorn said that whether black or white, straight or gay, Christian, Jewish or Muslim, Tampa is “a city united by something bigger than just itself.”

That diversity was on display throughout the ceremony. More than 40 members of the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, an African-American congregation, sang “Amazing Grace.” The UV Rays, made up of eight members of the Una Voce gay men's chorus, sang “Make Them Hear You.” Religious leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish faiths contributed blessings to the ceremony.

Buckhorn acknowledged that taking the reins of city government would involve challenges, including addressing the continuing economic downturn and its effect on the city budget. But, Buckhorn said, “circumstances are not destiny.”

Buckhorn pledged to lead the way to better times. The mayor's job, he said, is to be “a full-time believer.” The new mayor urged Tampa's citizens to call upon the spirit of the city's first immigrants.

“As they built their lives, they built this city,” he said.