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“Floriduh.”  Remember that? It’s baaack.               

Sure enough, amid the signage at Monday’s high-speed rail rally–and counter-rally–in front of City Hall was a haunting reminder of that embarrassing appellation from 2000. There it was: “New York and Calif. Win, Floriduh Loses.” Indeed, Florida’s likely loss of $2.4 billion to jumpstart the Tampa-Orlando super region and bring as many as 20,000 recession-addressing jobs is being seen as welcome “found money” in Sacramento and Albany. “Hanging chads” made more sense.

While local and regional officials work around the clock to try and cobble together an “entity”–or sub-grantee–to work with the feds and private-sector bidders, Gov. Rick Scott has given every indication that he’s not budging. He’s the 800-pound gorilla in the roadbed that can’t be ignored. He couches his objections in fears that the state could still be “on the hook” for any number of economic-liability scenarios.

A couple of points.

Nobody of good faith would rail against a governor–even one who bought his office for $73 million–for fiscal prudence. Looking out for taxpayers is hardly a character flaw.  But being motivated more by Tea Party ideology, libertarian naysaying and an anti-Obama agenda than the competitive future of this region and this state is.

Recall that in his gubernatorial campaign Scott ran more against President Obama and the federal deficit than against his ostensible opponent, Alex Sink. “Obamacare” has merely morphed into “Obamarail.” How do you–as a mandate-free governor–placate the only base you have if you take “Obamarail” money? You obviously don’t take the money–whatever its need and merit–if you value that base above all else. Obviously, that’s the case.

That’s why–and when–the decision was made. Due diligence remains overdue.

Less than five weeks into his term, Scott made his high-speed rail-rejection decision after his disingenuous “review.” He cherry-picked flawed studies, the most flagrant of which was that of the libertarian Reason Foundation. A key member became part of his transition team. It wrongly assumed state liability in the event of cost overruns and ridership-projection shortfalls. The state plan actually requires the chosen private-sector operator–who would build and run the system–to absorb such costs.

But it’s unconscionable that Scott did not wait to put it out to competitive bid. It’s almost as if he didn’t want to chance what he’d see in the actual–not speculated–details.

Backers of the train had expected to issue bid proposals in March to the eight consortia of international companies that had expressed serious interest in America’s first high-speed rail line. They were motivated; they knew Orlando to Tampa was the first link in what President Obama envisioned would be a nationwide high-speed rail network. That a marketing bonanza likely awaited the winner was a given.

The onus was on the bid winner to pay the state’s $300 million (of $2.7 billion) share of the project, absorb any construction-cost overruns, operate the rail line for 20 years with no state subsidy and be responsible for any financial obligations for federal-grant repayment should  the project fail at any point.

But that was not, it now seems, assurance enough for Scott. Neither does he seem impressed with legal efforts to secure the concurrence of cities and counties along the (I-4) right of way to create an independent interlocal agency.

Scott’s Faustian deal with anti-Obama ideology also seems ironically premised on the inability of private enterprise to deliver its part of a public-private partnership. It may be that he really doesn’t trust the private sector. Wonder why?

Who knew that “Let’s get to work” really meant “Let’s stay with the politically pandering, ideological play book that got us here”? It was only feared that is what it meant.

In four years, barring recall, Scott can retire to his favorite state: the job-creation Mecca that is Texas. In his wake: a state that would have missed a decades-in-the-planning opportunity to send an unmistakable signal to the national and international business communities that Florida was, indeed, open for business. And for 21st century economic opportunity.

After that live televised forum last week–and two subsequent newspaper endorsements–the mayor’s race is clearly in its homestretch. And it’s time for a conventional wisdom, which is often more conventional than wise, update.

To recap: The early betting had Dick Greco, the likeable, four-time mayor immortalized with his own statue, as the candidate to beat. It was his to lose. But because there were four other qualified candidates with name recognition and track records of service, it was considered unlikely that any candidate, even Greco, could win more than 50 percent on March 1.

So, Greco and who else in the runoff? Early favorites were the deep-rooted, feisty Rose Ferlita and the well-packaged, issue-conversant Bob Buckhorn. In that order. Then came Ed Turanchik, best known for unrealized, visionary projects, and the Rev. Tom Scott, recognized as a consensus builder on both the Hillsborough County Commission and the Tampa City Council, which he currently chairs. To no one’s surprise, that’s the same order in the fund-raising race.

For a while, the focus was on signs. Most notably, on Greco’s raised-palm, “Give me five” eye-catcher, a favorite of the media and a target of partisan jokesters. Only problem: Does a candidate with the gold standard of name recognition really need an attention-drawing gimmick? Sure, the idea was Greco’s–and not the product of consultant-speak–but didn’t “Give me five” (as in a fifth term) sound, well, more presumptuous than cute? 

Then there was the usual array of forums featuring predictable answers to predictable questions and the requisite, sound-bite-per-candidate reported in the next day’s print media. Everybody needed to be a fiscal conservative on budgets as well as the city’s recruiter-in-chief  for the jobs of the future. Nobody extolled the merits of call centers. Everybody loved USF. Everybody was for modern mass transit. Everybody wanted to pitch the world when the GOP convention comes here in 2012.

Which brings us to the last fortnight.

The televised forum at Blake High School made an impression. While partisans will always see what they want to see, the case can be made that for many of those scoring at home there was a winner, Buckhorn, and there was a loser, Greco. The former looked and sounded mayoral. Such political formats are right in his rhetorical wheelhouse. The latter couldn’t mount a charm offensive.  Even aside from that “panty raid” gaffe, he looked at times bored, even dismissive. Unfortunate, because he isn’t. That’s not Dick Greco. But it periodically came across that way.

Greco also violated the cardinal rule of all candidate favorites going into a major debate: Play it safe and don’t screw up. He screwed up. As a result, he got off message and had to take the following days to apologize and explain and re-explain himself–with the focus necessarily not on what he would do as mayor.

As for the rest, probably Turanchik, Ferlita and Scott in that order. Turanchik flashed some details, Ferlita disdained specifics and Rev. Scott seemed surprisingly bureaucratic and charisma-challenged.

Then last Sunday, the two metro dailies made public their candidates of choice. The St. Petersburg Times “recommended” Buckhorn for mayor, and the Tampa Tribune “endorsed” Turanchik for mayor. Several months ago, that Trib endorsement would have seemed the longest of shots.

The Buckhorn and Turanchik campaigns are obviously buoyed. Look for both candidates to be more aggressive. The Greco camp has to be concerned, even if the race is still considered his to lose.

But there’s also this: Newspaper readership has been steadily declining. Fewer voters rely on editorial page recommendations and endorsements. Sure, it matters, but not like it used to. Recall how Rick Scott blew off all those editorial boards and still managed to win–ok, buy–the gubernatorial election.

Now look for more TV ads. They’re relatively expensive, but that’s what campaigns hold back money for. The opportunity to address voters without media filters. A concise message, an energetic, can-do mien, a symbolic back drop. Some are better at it than others.

And then there’s this too: Last time Tampa elected a mayor, the voters stayed away in droves. Well, 84 percent of them. So turnout matters, including everybody’s “base.” Especially when all the candidates still seem to be within the margin of error.

And don’t forget: Runoff dynamics are different. The lead vote-getter from the first go-round is not necessarily a prohibitive favorite. Especially if non-runoff candidates’ supporters turn out to coalesce around an alternative.

Stay tuned. This will only get closer.

If the key qualification for mayor of Tampa was Mensa candidacy–or maybe hotshot Jeopardy! prospect– the next occupant of City Hall would be Ed Turanchik. The suburban Cleveland native, 55, has always exuded smart.

Coming out of North Olmsted High, he had an academic scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. He initially considered a medical career and graduated with a B.S. in biology. Medicine, however, would morph into an interest in evolutionary ecology. To that end, he earned an M.A. in zoology from Michigan State University. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

“I’ve always like intellectual challenges,” he explains matter-of-factly.

But ultimately the evolutionary-ecologist calling went unheeded, he says, because he ran into the reality that such a pursuit was too mathematical and theoretical. Not the purview for someone becoming increasingly real-world oriented. He liked his first exposure to urban ambience in Cincinnati.

He evolved.

Although a Democrat, he would work on moderate Republican John Anderson’s presidential campaign in 1980 and went back to school–this time earning a law degree from Ohio State University, where he was president of the Student Bar Association. A developing social conscience prompted him to create a foundation, still thriving, to help law students work as clerks for non-profit, legal assistance organizations. More evolution.

The retirement of his parents to Naples–and his love of sailing and desire for a city with an upside future–prompted his permanent move to Tampa in 1988. He was a labor-law (notably employment discrimination cases) attorney–initially with the Carlton Fields law firm–for 10 years. “It was civil rights and business practices,” recalls Turanchik. “It was about human stories, each one unique.”

But that was only his day job. He joined the Sierra Club and became a growth-management and land-use-ordinance gadfly to the Hillsborough County Commission. He found his voice as a “diehard ecologist,” he says. And, before long, as an elected official.

Less than three years removed from Ohio, the 30-something, self-described “scientist-lawyer,” had defeated incumbent Haven Poe for her County Commission seat. More evolution.

Thinking “Big”

Through two terms, Turanchik was best known–and often parodied–for being too far out in front on the role of regional commuter rail. Don Quixote tilting at CSX tracks. Elsewhere on the political landscape, he played a prominent role in settling regional “water wars” and pushed for a downtown arena site for hockey and other events, one of which will be held next year when the GOP convention comes to town.

After two terms on the Commission, he left to pursue visions. He became the point man for the uber long-shot, (2012) regional Olympic bid with Tampa as hub and Civitas, a massive, urban-redevelopment reincarnation of the Central Park public housing area. Neither happened.

Turanchik will tell you such projects–including commuter rail back in 1991–were “worth the pursuit” and is not about to apologize for “thinking big.” Where some have seen an analytical, ambitious, strategic thinker, others have see a dreamer with unimplemented visions–the down side of man’s reach exceeding his grasp on practicality.

“No, that whole big dream-perception thing isn’t as frustrating as people think,” says Turanchik, who also IS big at 6’5″. “Where it tends to come from is political opponents. That only reflects their limitations. I have a clear, strong vision of a livable, prosperous city. Everything I do is consistent with that goal.”

He’ll also point out that the failed Olympic bid brought Tampa Bay and Orlando closer, and his subsequent lobbying efforts helped provide the impetus for the regional high-speed rail pitch that resulted in $2.4 billion in proffered federal funding. Moreover, the Tampa business community has made it clear that it is now on board for rail-driven, modern mass transit.

Orlando Connection

The visionary approach became the underpinning of Turanchik’s multi-dimensional “smart growth”  mantra for mayor. It ranges from self-help bootstraps to a game-changing bullet train. Today and tomorrow.

On one hand, it includes the city expediting the rehabbing of homes with interest-free loans (from reserves or general fund); investing in renewable energies; being a budgetary hawk on public-employee salaries and benefits; advocating for consolidation of “non-core” services with other governments; and creating a 5-mile “smart grid” innovation-and-lifestyle corridor (“TBnet”) that would connect TIA, downtown, the high-speed rail station and Ybor City. On the other hand, it also entails positioning Tampa to take advantage of “super-region” synergy and even getting proactive about trade opportunities with Cuba.  

Of the former, he says simply: “Help is not coming from Washington or Tallahassee. Microsoft’s not coming here to solve our problems. It’s US investing in ourselves. The mayor’s job is to facilitate people investing in themselves. This recession started with housing, and it’s not going to turn around until we turn around housing.”

Of the latter, he posits this: “We need to take advantage of our ‘super region.’ Yes, Gov. Scott needs to accept the federal dollars. High-speed rail helps cluster people and assets. Makes it easier to attract talent and industry. It give us speed and reliability between two hubs, the two most dynamic markets in Florida. We can’t be limited to I-4. It averages 10 accidents a day and a death every 10 days.  

“My hope is that by 2015 there is a high-speed train (from Orlando) to Tampa to a regional train to USF to Clearwater … seamless connections to Ybor City, Channelside, the arts district. It (high-speed rail) makes downtown Tampa and the cultural arts/heritage tourism an extension of the central Florida experience. Forty million tourists 32 minutes away. It’s a huge opportunity to attract new business and Disney traffic. The marketplace will embrace it with zeal.”

Turanchik also takes pains to point out that while he is synonymous with rail to many voters and definitely favors putting regional mass transit back on the ballot as soon as possible, he is no champion of the plan that was defeated on last November’s ballot. He wants a less expensive, better targeted version.

He wants a regional rail line as well as light rail. He would use existing CSX tracks for affordable, regional service based on “hybrid rail” technology, he emphasizes. More expensive light rail service should be reserved for urban corridors with significant redevelopment potential. He also would borrow a transit-concept staple from Walt Disney World. He would like to see Tampa’s downtown, high-speed rail station connected to TIA via synchronized, baggage-friendly bus service.  

As for the Cuban connection, Turanchik says Tampa shouldn’t be in the business of turning down business opportunities, especially when they’re so close. “Within 90 days I will lead or participate in a trade mission to Cuba to talk about opening up more opportunities that are currently legal,” he promises. “And, yes, I think we can influence national foreign policy on this. The mayor of Tampa is pretty powerful. … Central Florida and Tampa Bay now dominate the political landscape in Florida.”

More evolution.

******************************************************************************Turanchik has been married to the former Jenny Pierson, a Tampa native, for 19 years. They have two children, Laura Jean and John Winston, 17 and 15, respectively.

Turanchik Outtakes

* Modern mass transit as a non-starter throughout the 1990s: “Largely the fault of other elected officials who didn’t see the vision. Now there are a whole lot of referendum converts.”

* Light rail specific: “I’m not for what has been called ‘yuppie rail.’ You have to pick the right technology at the right price to do the right job.”

* Downtown: “It’s a dramatic re-positioning with high-speed rail.”

* City’s $41-million pension costs: “That’s the canary in the mineshaft. It tells us we’d better get our house in order.”

* Correlation between his private-sector experience as builder-developer with InTown Homes and his run for mayor: “It really hits home during a recession when a worker asks you if you have any work for them. Obviously we need to prioritize high-tech recruiting. That’s are long-term solution. But it’s no salve right now to those workers without work. I get accused of ‘dreaming,’ but I’m totally grounded on this.”

* Role of government: “Be a market facilitator–and spare the heavy regulatory hand. When I was running InTown, I wanted government to get out of the way. Government rules and regulations were a problem.”

* Cuba: “Free trade with Cuba is in our interests–but not just in our interests. It will also help bring more freedom to the Cuban people. The more interaction, the more it opens up that country.”  

* Port of Tampa: “The Panama Canal project will be finished in 2014. We need to be ready for the seamless movement of cargo. I’ll be working with CSX.”

* Ybor City: “Our history helps. The current use of Ybor amounts to a greatly undervalued asset. It needs to be repositioned as part of our national heritage and a major attraction. I would be very active supporting ‘heritage tourism.’ And our long-time relationship–and roots–with Cuba are part of it.”

* The USF area: “It’s an embarrassment. The surrounding environment has all the ambience of decaying suburbia. That needs to be re-tooled and, believe me, there are models out there. It would definitely mean partnering with Busch (Gardens), the VA, Moffitt, University Mall, etc.”

* City vs. County dynamic: “It’s improved. I think we are past that (dysfunctional label). It’s (County Commission) largely pragmatic now. I’d be excited to work with (County Administrator) Mike Merrill.”

* Panhandling: “Extend the (county) ban into the city.”

* The fund-raising side of running for office: “No, I wouldn’t call it a ‘necessary evil.’ It’s an opportunity to sell your ideas and yourself. Voters can invest–or not–in you. It measures voters as well as it measures candidates.”

Bob Buckhorn is not just a familiar name around Tampa politics. He was an aspiring political junkie before ever arriving here 29 years ago.

When the other kids in his Falls Church, Va. neighborhood wanted to be Joe Namath or Pete Rose, Buckhorn wanted to be president. In a mock elementary school election, he ran as Robert Kennedy. At age 10, he was volunteering to run errands for the RFK presidential campaign. His dad was a U.P.I. journalist and politics was a nightly staple around the family dinner table. And, yes, he was on student council at Falls Church High School.

His major at Penn State University? Political science.

After relocating to Tampa in 1982, he would go on to co-chair the (1984) John Glenn for President campaign with Pat Frank. Buckhorn later became the director of governmental affairs for the Builders Association of Greater Tampa before signing on to help Sandy Freedman become Tampa’s first female mayor. He remained a special assistant to Freedman until 1995.

Buckhorn was elected to two terms on City Council before making a failed run at the mayor’s office in 2003. He also lost a County Commission race.

He would join the Dewey Square Group, a national public affairs company with a Tampa office. He later opened Buckhorn Partners, a local public-affairs firm, and became a regular political analyst on Bay News 9. Even out of office, he was publicly in touch.

Buckhorn, The Sequel

Now, at 52, and with nearly three Tampa decades behind him, Buckhorn makes another run at City Hall. Although the youngest of the five candidates on the ballot, he has plenty of name recognition. But is that also a double-edged political sword? Do voters feel they’ve seen this candidacy before? They know he can be wonkish on details, loves a good sound bite, and can seem packaged. Could another incarnation be what they really want?

“Sure, there’s baggage attached,” acknowledges Buckhorn. “I get that. But I’ll let the totality of my record speak for itself.” 

He’s also quick to point out what’s different, in addition to a more challenging economy and priorities that focus much less on quality-of-life issues (read: reining in of lap dancing). With a completely different cast of political characters and a jobs-creation dynamic, this isn’t a reprise of the 2003 race. Moreover, Buckhorn’s not the same candidate he was then, he underscores.

“I think losing made me a better person,” says Buckhorn. “It’s never easy to die a public death. But I didn’t go home and pout after losing. I never stopped believing in Tampa. I’m truly willing to make a difference. I feel very blessed to compete for the highest job in the city. I want to be the person to get Tampa to the next level.”

However humbling and introspective, losing was not the foremost catalyst for another run at city hall, Buckhorn emphasizes. It was his marriage to Dr. Catherine Lynch, currently the Associate Vice President for Women’s Health at USF Health, and the subsequent birth of their two daughters, Grace and Colleen, now 9 and 4, respectively. It’s made a “huge difference,” he says.

“I’m at a different stage of my life,” explains Buckhorn. “I’m not going anywhere after this. It’s very personal now. I’ve got skin in the game. I’m a candidate, but I’m also a parent. I want this to be a city where my own kids want to come home to.”  

With that in mind, he wants to build on “the good job under difficult circumstances” that incumbent Mayor Pam Iorio has done. He says he wants to keep the city “lean”–as well as “user-friendly, business-friendly and recruit-friendly.” And, yes, he would  prioritize recruiting “value-added”–not service-sector jobs.

To those diverse ends, a Mayor Buckhorn would create–via consolidation of other offices–two “deputy mayors.” One for economic opportunity, the other for neighborhood and community empowerment. He would also appoint a Chief Technology Officer, a Director of Protocol for International Trade & Commerce and a task force (of business, neighborhood and community leaders) with the charge to streamline the bureaucracy. A “1-stop licensing program” would also be initiated, says Buckhorn, to accommodate entrepreneurs in pursuit of licenses and permits.

“New Urbanism” Advocate

At the core of Buckhorn’s vision for Tampa is his true-believer trust in the “new urbanism” that has been evolving since the 1980s. With its emphasis on walkable neighborhoods, a range of housing options and job types and transit-oriented development, it’s the antithesis of urban sprawl. “You don’t need suburban land-use codes on urban, in-fill areas,” he points out.

A “vibrant downtown” is a key municipal cornerstone–as well as an invaluable recruiting aid, stresses Buckhorn. He’s an admirer of the way St. Petersburg has “programmed” its downtown, including its diverse “fests” at Vinoy Park.

“Downtown should be considered everybody’s front door,” says Buckhorn. “It’s not just about museums. And it should be jumpin’ every weekend.”

That necessitates a catalytic role for Riverwalk, he says.

“It’s the best (downtown) asset we have,” states Buckhorn. “We must complete it. It’s an absolute priority. That’s a billion-dollar investment, and we have to connect all the dots. Down economy notwithstanding. It’s an investment that will attract developers who want predictability. We’re talking a 10-fold spin-off effect.”

He would also like to further capitalize on USF as a key magnet for “jobs of the future.” Exhibit A is the CAMLS (Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation) project now under construction diagonally across from the Tampa Convention Center.

“We’re not looking to add to our reputation for call centers,” says Buckhorn. “CAMLS is a prime example of what we’re trying to create and grow and recruit. Not only is USF growing its footprint downtown, but it helps in attracting mini-clusters. That’s transformative.

“You know, Tampa has never quite figured out what it wants to be,” posits Buckhorn. “What its reach is. It could be the economic engine that drives the Southeast.”

Buckhorn Outtakes

* What he saw in Tampa upon arriving in 1982: “I saw the rumbling of potential. There was a vibe in the air. It was infused with potential with a great location and natural amenities. I probably wind-surfed twice a week.”

* What’s at stake for Tampa this election: “We have a window right now where we have to get creative to move to the next level or lose out to our competition.”

* Riverwalk: “I want people to be able to park their car at the Straz Center and leave it there. And then walk all the way to the Aquarium.”

* Role of the University of Tampa: “A university in the middle of an urban core. That’s invaluable. Wherever you have college students, you have a kind of hip, edgy energy.”

* Mass transit and light rail: “Mobility options are a huge part of the calculations of business today. We can’t afford to share with Detroit the distinction of having no modern mass transit. Multi-modal is very important. I was disappointed, but not surprised by the (referendum) vote. But it was a good start in the education process. We just have to make the case. Voters want more specificity.”

* Advice to Gov. Scott on accepting $2.4 billion in federal funds for high-speed rail between Orlando and Tampa: “Don’t pull the plug.”

* Overseas commerce: “We have the potential to be a big player on the international scene. We need to better utilize TIA and the port, with more focus on Latin America–especially from Mexico to Venezuela. We should be a gateway, driving business to our port.”

* Cuba: “We need to be prepared for when it’s open for trade. But right now I’m more for building on to the relationships of countries we already do business with. Those who have the ability to pay and have access to credit.”

* The 2012 GOP Convention: “It’s not a political issue. It’s an economic issue. We’ll have the captains and titans of industry here. We will showcase and pitch Tampa. It’s a big economic-development opportunity.”

* Handicapping the race: “It’s likely three candidates, Dick Greco, Rose Ferlita and myself, for two (run-off) slots. But everybody is still within the margin of error–around 19 to 25 per cent.”

* The Greco candidacy: “I enjoy being around him. And appreciate what he did for this city. I honor his service. But that doesn’t mean I have to live it. We need to turn the page.”

This time next year the Tampa countdown will be on in earnest for the 2012 GOP National Convention in late summer. Timing, we will be reminded, is everything.

And nothing says “Welcome to Tampa (and the Mega Swing State of Florida)” like one of the premier airports in the world, one with a convenient location and passenger comfort as foremost priority. Plus, next year’s TIA will feature $11.5 million in major upgrades at ticketing and baggage claim curbside areas. Lighting and aesthetics will also be improved.

In addition, we can expect local officials to be publicly re-thanking Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik for fronting the $35 million to spiff up the county-owned Times Forum. That’s where convention delegates will do more than gather. Look for that 11,000-square-foot outdoor party deck overlooking downtown to play well on television.

And let’s not forget about CAMLS. That’s USF Health’s 90,000-square-foot, $30 million Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation, which will be diagonally across the street from the Tampa Convention Center. And the Convention Center is where the national–and international–media will be based.

Expect all of the aforementioned to be noted by a media that can only write so much about a rubber-stamped nomination, Ybor City and Joe Redner. But expect TIA, the Forum and the state-of-the-art CAMLS to be well noted by delegates and–especially–corporate decision-makers.

So, what’s missing from this picture?

At a certain point, we’ll see cutaway TV network shots of delegates on streetcars. Then somebody will note that the entire line only runs 2.7 miles. Then somebody else will mention  the failed transportation referendum of 2010 and whatever it is that Gov. Rick Scott has–or has not–done with the federal money allocated to build America’s first high-speed line between Orlando and Tampa.

But wait.

A couple of weeks later there’s another national political convention. The Democrats will meet in Charlotte.

Media can only write so much about an incumbent’s re-nomination, banks, a contemporary skyline, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and “sprawl-burbia.”

Rest assured we will be seeing more than cutaway shots of a few streetcars. We will be seeing Charlotte’s new economic engine: the Lynx Light Rail Line that debuted in December of 2007. You’ll also hear about cost overruns, federal and state funding, outperforming ridership projections, transit-oriented zoning, nine-figure, high-density development along rail routes–and a national model for success.

Charlotte’s banking industry was blind-sided by the financial crisis, and its textile industry won’t be exhumed. But it was prescient–and fortunate–enough to redefine itself as an emerging “green” metropolis.

For those of us viewing from Tampa, we will see an impressive convention city, although one that is the hub of a smaller metro market and without many of the amenities we take for granted, including being on water. We will also see our Sunbelt competition–fast-tracking after more than convention business.

It’s that time of the year again. The Hillsborough Education Foundation has announced this year’s Teacher of the Year. Congratulations Cynthia Folsom, a math resource teacher at Palm River Elementary.

Increasingly these days it seems like teachers are referenced more as standardized-test scapegoats that need mentoring than as professionals counteracting societal challenges to teach our kids. So seeing teaching excellence rewarded is refreshing and welcome.

Having said that, however, it once again bears mentioning that the HEF needs to rethink its Teacher Of The Year procedure. It’s still one that lumps all teachers together. The template for good teaching is not the same for all teachers, K-12, although they all obviously put a premium on motivation, creativity and results. Anyone who has ever taught–or been taught–knows that.

Secondary teachers are subject specific–and impacted by FCAT subplots and adolescent rites of passage. But what they do is obviously built on a foundation–academic and social–that must be laid at the elementary levels. The teacher roles are complementary, not identical. 

Consequently, the evaluative criteria can’t be the same when the focus, content and group dynamics are so different. Exceptional teachers at all levels–elementary, middle, high-school–should all be honored. One from each. Compare comparables. It’s only fair.