Prominent public leaders, as we know, have access to all manner of forums, including the ultimate: bully pulpits. Comes with the political territory. And you can bet Tampa’s next mayor will make good use of the leverage lectern–from making the case for budgetary priorities to recruiting job-magnet businesses.
But only one mayoral candidate already has a pulpit. That would be the Rev. Tom Scott, 57, who has been the pastor of the 34th Street Church of God for the last 30 years. For the last 14 of them he has also served on the Hillsborough County Commission and the Tampa City Council.
He knows the value of a pulpit–and about rendering to both Caesar and God. He sees his secular and sectarian roles as complementary.
“You don’t just govern from the intellect,” Scott is prone to point out. “You’ve got to govern from your heart. You try to help people find solutions to their problems.
“You can separate the religious and the political components when debating the issues,” explains the Macon, Ga., native. “But needs are needs.”
And the University of North Florida graduate saw them first hand when he arrived here in 1980 at age 26. He was the rookie pastor of the old 22nd Street Church of God. It had a wooden frame, a tin roof and about 50 members. He was paid $100 a week. His benefit package consisted of good will and other intangibles of service.
He soon got the lay of the land. It was evident to the new pastor that spiritual requirements couldn’t be separated from the material world.
“I noticed different needs,” recalls Scott, a soft-spoken sort when not in front of a congregation or a political rally. “Affordable housing. Health care. Transportation. The needs were severe here (East Tampa)–but not limited to here.”
Scott later founded and helped build the 34th Street COG. It opened in 1984. Its membership now exceeds 800. In 1985 the King’s Kids Christian Academy was added on. Scott became a Tampa pastoral presence–and a local civic player focusing on societal needs.
Public Arena Beckons
Such that by 1996 he felt called, he says, to formally take his leadership to the public arena. He was elected to the County Commission. He was later re-elected twice and chosen chairman three times. In 2007, he was elected to Tampa City Council. He is the current chairman. His board memberships over the years have ranged from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Aviation Authority to the Tampa Sports Authority and the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Scott says the chairmanships are indicative of his “consensus-building” skills, an invaluable asset for a mayor who must think citywide and regionally. It’s also an extension of spending his formative years in the segregated South. When he began eighth grade in what is now Macon’s Lanier Middle School, it was his first experience in an integrated school.
“We worked at getting along,” he recalls.
Now those Macon roots, his reputation for being a good listener and his Tampa political success have encouraged him to run for Tampa’s highest office. However, it’s a tough slog against a formidable, better-funded field steeped in name recognition. And Tampa isn’t exactly a Florida version of Atlanta for an African-American candidate.
Scott is undeterred.
“It all boils down to leadership,” he underscores, emphasizing his multiple chairman elections. “My style is to be a consensus builder. A person who brings people together. Keeps people focused. I do cross the aisle. I’ve done it at the county, and I’ve done it at the city. That’s how you move forward.”
Early Priorities
The first of three forward moves a Mayor Scott would make early on, he says, is to appoint a transition team to evaluate and assess the city’s “status” and determine “weaknesses.” It would entail a regional and national search for the “best and brightest.”
Second, Scott would waste no time, he adds, in scrutinizing this city’s rules and ordinances to ferret out any “codes or regulations that impede doing business.” And sounding not unlike a certain Tallahassee Scott, he says he will scour the budget “line by line” looking for better “efficiencies.”
The third, out-of-the-blocks priority would be partnerships.”We’ll be looking to partner with the county and the private sector,” he stresses. “We want collaborative partners. And everything will be on the table. You can’t have any sacred cows when your job is the economic revitalization of the city.”
Scott also cites “neighborhood improvements” as a mayoral imperative. He pointedly notes his CRA (Community Redevelopment Areas) involvement. He’s more than a true believer, he says. He’s also the only candidate, by virtue of his City Council status, who sits on the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
He’s also a candidate, he’s quick to mention, who didn’t come late to the debate on modern mass transit. He was a transportation advocate more than a decade ago. That’s when the Committee of 99 filed its report to the County Commission. And, yes, he heartily agreed with the Committee’s assessment that in 1999 this area needed a “dramatic shift away from relying solely on building roads.”
“Tampa is the hub for economic development in this region,” states Scott. “Modern transit is critical.
“I’ve gone to Portland (Ore.), San Diego, Denver, Phoenix, Charlotte,” says Scott. “I’ve seen what light rail ultimately brought. I’ve seen the economic development that has taken place. And we’re in competition with them. We’ve got to work with the county to get it (transportation initiative) back on the ballot. I look forward to framing that debate–and then leading it. It’s nothing new for me.”
Scott has been married to his wife Marva for 35 years. They have two sons (Marcus and Marion), one daughter (Marla) and 10 grandchildren.
Scott Outtakes
* On being the only black candidate on the ballot: “I am who I am. I’m not running to be a black mayor. Nor do I want to be the mayor of East Tampa. I am a candidate for mayor who will represent all the people.”
* Campaign strategy: “East Tampa has been very supportive of me. But I can’t concede South, West and New Tampa. I’m pretty well known at the West Tampa Sandwich Shop these days.”
* Tampa’s regional role: “I do believe Tampa is the hub. It’s the key to working as a region.”
* Partial (major arterial roads) ban on panhandling that he proposed at City Council: “It’s a good compromise. There were no votes for a complete ban. But both social service and public safety needs need to be addressed.”
* Cuba as source of trade opportunity: “I’ll look at it. Why not? Mobile, New Orleans, Houston are benefiting. And we’ve got the 13th largest port in the country. I’m not shying away from that one. I think we’re prime for doing more business with Cuba.”
* The 2010 GOP National Convention in Tampa: “Tampa will be in the spotlight. We’ll welcome the RNC. National corporations will obviously be well represented, and we will make it clear that Tampa is open to doing business. It’s an absolutely golden opportunity to position ourselves nationally and make it clear that we welcome convention business and relocations.”
* Possible casino scenarios: “We have to look at everything. Especially if it’s a new source of revenue and creates jobs.”
* Tampa Bay Rays: “I hope St. Petersburg and the Rays work it (stadium agreement) out. If not, this region has to somehow be the benefactor of the Rays. They do contribute a certain amount of economic development to this community. It’s also a quality-of-life issue. But, yes, the private sector has to be involved. Look at the Lightning. Look at the difference that new owner (Jeff Vinik) has made there.”