Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Special Election for Tampa City Council, District 5 is Tuesday and a crowded field of candidates are vying for the chance to replace the late Gwen Henderson, who passed away unexpectedly this Summer.
There are 13 candidates on the ballot, with a 14th candidate running as a write-in.
Candidates include Audette Bruce, Juawana Colbert, Albert Cooke, Ariel Amirah Danley, Thomas DeGeorge Jr., Darrell Ashley Dudney, Alison Hewitt, Elvis Piggott, Thomas Scott, Fran Tate, Carroll West, Melony Williams and Naya Young. Jose Vazquez Figueroa is the write-in.
Because Henderson passed away more than 15 months before her term would have ended, a Special Election is required to fill the remainder of her term. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff election Oct. 28.
If money raised is any indication — and it’s about the only indication given there have not been any publicly released polls — there are some standouts for frontrunner status.
Danley, who is Henderson’s daughter and has been running on continuing her mom’s legacy, is the top fundraiser, with nearly $61,000 banked as of Sept. 4, the most recent date for which reports are available. That includes nearly $36,000 raised in less than two weeks during the most recent reporting period covering financial activity from Aug. 23 through Sept. 3.
Not far behind is Scott, a former City Council member who also previously served as a Hillsborough County Commissioner. He has raised nearly $52,000 for the race, most of it in July and the first week of August.
Juawana Colbert, a realtor who starred in a Netflix reality show about her real estate firm, has raised nearly $34,000.
Hewitt, a small business owner and a member of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, has raised more than $23,000, while Piggott, a perennial candidate, has banked nearly $23,000. Also hitting five-figure fundraising are Young, with more than $19,000; DeGeorge, with nearly $19,000; and Tate, with more than $18,000.
All other candidates have raised less than $10,000, with two — Figueroa and West — not even reaching $1,000.
While Young trails in the fundraising department compared to some of the better banked candidates, she’s one to watch at the polls. She’s amassed several endorsements, including from former Hillsborough County Les Miller and his wife Gwendolyn Miller, who served as Tampa’s first Black City Council member. She also earned support from the advocacy group Florida Rising, which works to support historically marginalized communities.
Young has been a grassroots activist since she was a teenager, canvassing for the campaign of former Democratic Sen. James Hargrett before later working to help elect former Rep. Betty Reed.
She began nonprofit work with the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, later rising to become the group’s Executive Director. She is now a consultant for the group.
As of 8 a.m. on Election Day voter turnout had reached just over 8% in what is expected to be low turnout. Most votes were cast by mail, with early votes trailing. Fewer than 100 voters had cast a ballot during the first hour of polls being opened, according to unofficial voter turnout with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Polls are open until 7. District 5 covers parts of downtown, East Tampa, Ybor City and parts of West Tampa, with nearly 44,000 registered voters. Only voters who reside in the district may vote in the Special Election.
Voters can find their assigned precinct here.
