Daniel Figueroa IV
Tampa City Council members Joe Citro and Lynn Hurtak were voted into leadership roles on the Council Thursday.
Citro is now the City Council chair and Hurtak will serve as chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency. Both were elected in split votes, with Hurtak being the deciding vote in both.
Citro was nominated by Councilmember Charlie Miranda while his colleague, Orlando Gudes, nominated Bill Carlson. The vote was split at 3-3 until Hurtak, who cast her vote virtually while on vacation in Rome, announced she’d raised her hand for Citro.
“I look forward to a wonderful year as chair of the City Council and helping the City of Tampa,” Citro said.
Citro takes the gavel from Council Member Guido Maniscalco, who was voted in as vice-chair. He will serve as chair in Citro’s absence. Maniscalco had only served in the role for about a month. He took the gavel from Gudes following a sexual harassment investigation into Gudes. In response, Gudes stepped down as chair of the City Council, but resisted calls from fellow council members to resign his seat.
Hurtak is City Council’s newest member. She’s served on the city’s legislative body for less than a month. She replaced John Dingfelder who resigned as part of a settlement in a public records lawsuit.
Council Member Luis Viera nominated Hurtak to lead the CRA while Gudes again nominated Carlson. Citro, Miranda, Hurtak and Viera cast their votes for Hurtak, giving her the edge over Carlson.
The City Council also serves as the CRA board, which is responsible for disseminating locally generated funds to rehabilitate underserved and blighted communities. Hurtak said she looks forward to learning the role.
Maniscalco was also elected as vice-chair of the CRA after being the only council member to accept a nomination. He joked he’d become the City Council’s “back-up quarterback.” Carlson kicked the nominations off by suggesting Gudes for the role, but Gudes quickly declined. Hurtak nominated Carlson for vice-chair, but he, too, declined.
