The next long-shot contender for U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor’s congressional seat is Tampa resident Evelio “EJ” Otero, 58, a retired Air Force colonel who spent 14 years at MacDill AFB with U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command. In his presentation at last week’s Tiger Bay Club of Tampa luncheon, it was apparent how the Puerto Rican native and son of a Cuban father will wage his District 14 campaign: Run against a “cesspool” Congress, play up his MacDill bona fides, push for more Latin American trade and underscore the GOP no-taxes mantra. And, yes, he said he was already on board with Grover Norquist’s no-tax-hike-never-ever pledge.
“Our neighbors to the south is where it’s at,” emphasized Otero, noting it was short-sighted to focus inordinately on trade with Europe and China. “Our Latin American neighbors want to invest in Tampa.” To that end, Otero advocates a higher priority for the region’s “golden nugget”–the Port of Tampa–which has seen (bulk) tonnage slip 29 percent in the past six years.
As for Cuba, Otero was economically pragmatic and politically vague. He wants the area to be prepared for post-Castro Cuba. He talks of a “five-year plan” going forward.
“Go where the money is right away,” he urged. “But we’ve got to look at Cuba carefully. There has to be a group here–academics, (military) intelligence, business people–that are talking to both sides.”