We know that term-limited Mayor Bob Buckhorn is at least considering a gubernatorial run in a couple of years. A pro-active, fiscally conservative, Democratic mayor of an I-4 Corridor anchor city on the rise is politically viable.
But he also needs to get around more. Around the state and around the levers of influence and power. VIP photo ops matter, as do resume upgrades and expanded networks.
Earlier this year he was at the White House for a small business roundtable with President Barack Obama and other selected mayors to talk about the challenges and opportunities faced by small business exporters.
Earlier this month Mayor Buckhorn was back at the White House in his capacity as chairman of the U.S. Council of Mayors Trans-Pacific Partnership Task Force. He met with the president, CEOs and members of Congress and the Cabinet to discuss TPP and U.S. infrastructure.
And two weeks ago, Buckhorn and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio co-authored an op-ed on Bloomberg.com, which called for Congress to restore bankruptcy protections for the struggling government of the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Forty percent of the island-territory’s residents live in poverty.
“From Tampa to New York, from Philadelphia to Milwaukee, our cities are strengthened by Puerto Rican communities,” they wrote. “This crisis creates unsustainable financial burdens for many of our cities’ families and touches us very closely.” Florida, of course, has a large Puerto Rican population.
No, this has nothing to do with pot holes and ribbon-cuttings, although they’re all about helping people. And if some assistance has a higher-profile, political-career application, so be it.