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Mayor Pam Iorio | Community Champion

To the public, she’s Mayor of the City of Tampa. To those she meets, she’ll insist that they call her Pam. “I’ll go to the store to buy groceries, and people will say ‘I can’t believe the mayor is doing her own grocery shopping,’ she laughs. “I’d be concerned about a mayor that didn’t do her own grocery shopping!” For over 20 years, Pam has made public service an integral part of her life – as the youngest person ever elected to the county commission, as Supervisor of Elections and now in her sixth year, as mayor. But she views that public role as just one facet of her life. “I don’t care what job you have. If you are a mom, part of your mind is always thinking about your children and what needs to be done for them,” she says. “When I go home, I can’t just turn off the city, but my husband and children and I are able to unwind. We’re just a regular family.”

Read on for the full interview with Mayor Pam Iorio, as she sat down to chat with editor Chris Kuhn in early August 2008.

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Chris Kuhn (CK):You’re in your sixth year as mayor of Tampa. What’s been the most challenging part of the job so far?

Mayor Pam Iorio (PI):I’m asked that a lot, so you’d think I would have a good pat answer just like that. I love the job. And while there are some challenging aspects to it, nothing really stands out as the most challenging. Right now over the past two years with reduced revenue because of Amendment 1 and also the prior year when the legislature rolled back our millage, it’s been challenging to figure out how you can continue to make progress while reducing your staff and your revenues. That I think is challenging for all cities and towns, but we’ve met the challenge and in fact, the budget that I’m delivering this Thursday reflects reduced revenues but it also reflects a lot of progress. So I’d say in recent times, that’s been the greatest challenge.

CK:If you weren’t in public service, have you thought about what other line of work you might be doing today?

PI: I like history and I think perhaps being a college professor, which is something I still might do one day. The great thing about today’s modern society is that you have the opportunity to do a lot of different things, and people’s careers aren’t typically one thing at one company for 30 years. I love teaching and the impact that it can have on people. And the reason I love public service is because of the impact it can have on the community, so probably if I had not gone into politics, I suspect I would have gone the college professor route. I could see that. My father was a college professor and I saw the impact he had on so many lives.

CK:You’ve been an elected official for over 20 years and a mother of two. How old are your children?

PI: 18 and 20.

CK: What has that been like raising a family while working in public office?

PI: I’ve had a lot of help and I always like to stress that because I think there’s a lot of women out there who have been just as active as I have been and have had a job and raised a family but have not had nearly the help. I gave birth to both of my children when I was on the county commission 1988 and 1990, and took six weeks off and then went back to work but my mother-in-law came over every day and took care of them while I was at work. So that’s why I say I had a lot of help. I don’t want to get too much credit for this great balancing act. A lot of women don’t have that. When I became mayor, my children were in middle school and just starting high school. Part of your mind is always thinking of your children and what needs to be done for them. I don’t care what job you have – I don’t care if you’re President of the United States. If you are a mom and your children are still at an age when they need a great deal of your time and attention, part of your mind is always thinking about your children and what needs to be done for them. So I’m really no different than any other mom in that regard.

CK: Since you’re out in the public so much at local events, what’s the most common thing that you’re asked or you’re told?

PI: Right now since it’s my second term, everyone asks ‘what are you going to do next?’ Or tell me ‘well, I think you ought to run for this or do this fill in the blank.” (laughs)  That’s probably the most common thing I’m asked, what my next position’s going to be. They were saying that back when I was supervisor. All of my career that seems to be what people want to ask. Everyone’s planning the future…except me. (laughs).

CK: You do a lot of public appearances for organizations in the community. What causes are closest to your heart, perhaps organizations that you plan to continue supporting after your tenure as mayor?

PI: I definitely do a lot of activities but one thing that I really enjoy is participating in the various charitable walks, whether it’s breast cancer, heart walk or whatever it may be, because you really meet a lot of people whose lives have been touched by a particular disease and there’s a lot of camaraderie. I like events where there’s just a lot of average people, where people are out and they have a passion for something and I’m just part of that, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. I’ll probably always participate in events involving history because I do love history very much. The Tampa Bay History Center is a favorite nonprofit of mine. If I ever do get involved with an organization after I’m mayor it will have to be an organization that I felt was really making the community a better place and something well-run. There are a lot of non-profits out there and I like the ones that really know how to run theirs in a very business-like way and get right to the core of what they’re supposed to be doing.

CK: It must be hard to leave this job at the end of the day. What kinds of activities do you like to do just to help you unwind?

PI: I do carry with me a lot of the issues and think about them all the time. I think that when you’re in a position with a lot of responsibility, you tend to think about those responsibilities a lot. Not that you’re at home working on them necessarily but you’re just trying to think them through. In fact, one of the things I’ve learned in this position is to give myself time to think. I didn’t realize that the first couple of years but as time went on I realized you’re hit with a lot of information, a lot of meetings and constant dialogue. You’ve got to make a decision on this and that. But what you have to do in these executive positions where these decisions have such ramifications is you’ve got to give yourself time to think. That I’ve done very much in the past couple of years and it’s been very good, very positive. When I go home, I can’t just turn off the city, but my husband and children and I are able to unwind. We’re just a regular family. I can’t stress that enough. I’ll go to the store to buy groceries, and people will say ‘I can’t believe the mayor is doing her own grocery shopping.’ (laughs) I’d be concerned about a mayor that didn’t do her own grocery shopping, because you really do need to be a regular person and live in your community like everybody else and that way I think you’re better able to analyze the issues that are confronting people. I love sports and I really like watching sports on television, particularly football. This year, I’ve gotten into the Rays. I never used to watch baseball. I decided I was going to start watching them and I’ve gotten hooked. NFL football and college football, love it. I can sit and watch football for hours and hours and truly enjoy that. I love to read and I read multiple books at a time. I really like to exercise and walk. I used to like to swim but that’s gone by the wayside since I’ve become mayor. It just takes too long swimming and getting all of the chlorine out of your hair afterwards. My husband and I are golfers. We don’t golf in the summer but when the weather’s nicer we do like to play golf. We both like to ride our bicycles but I’m not big with summertime sports. It’s just too hot. So I wait til the fall and the winter. Yeah, I’m able to unwind at home and relax. I love being at home, really enjoy it.

CK: Let’s talk a little bit about a few topics on local residents’ minds these days. I asked our readers online to send in their questions and most revolve around the economy, commuting and other transportation issues. One of our readers, Staci in Tampa, wants to know what role if any that you see the city of Tampa playing in the return to economic prosperity on a national scale? Where do you see Tampa fitting into the picture?

PI: That’s a good question because Tampa is very much a microcosm of the nation demographically. In Hillsborough County, you have urban, suburban, rural, agriculture all in one county. You have a wide range of income levels and education levels. You have real diversity in terms of race and ethnicity here. So we really reflect the nation. Now do we reflect the nation on an economic basis? I wouldn’t go so far as to say that our economic base is as diverse or mimics that of the nation, no. And I think that we get hit harder with the housing crisis. California, Florida, and states like that tend to get hit harder because our housing boomed so much greater. There’s more building that goes on here, more speculation, more second homes, more vacation homes. But we do have a diverse economy with regard to our port and emphasis on everything from financial services to other industries, and of course we have our large academic institutions and MacDill which is a huge part of our economic base. Having said all that, I do believe people will be able to look to Tampa as a barometer, not that we can lead the nation in terms of a recovery. I don’t think that we have been as hard hit as some other areas. For example, this year we added a billion dollars of new construction in valuation to our property tax roll, a record amount, and I think these signs of construction going on with hotels and hosting the Super Bowl in six months  - these are going to help economically. If you start seeing the condos selling in downtown Tampa, I think that will be indicative of a turnaround across the state.

CK: Another reader, Ray - yes, we really do have men reading skirt! too - wants to know what plans the City has, particularly in this time of seeking transportation options, to make Tampa more bike-friendly – more bike paths?

PI: That’s one of my hobbies and I have many supporters and friends who bicycle on a regular basis. My husband and I have ridden with the South Seminole Heights Bicycle group. I do want to make Tampa more bicycle-friendly but I don’t want to raise unrealistic expectations because it’s difficult for Tampa streets to accommodate bikes. The streets are either too narrow or there’s parking on the side street and it just makes it very difficult. Further, I think that the people who are driving don’t seem to recognize bicyclists, and I’m very concerned about that. Yes, you can put more bicyclists on our roads but we’ve also got to change the attitude behind the wheel of a car because they really don’t respect the bicyclists very much. So my emphasis has been more on off-road trails. We have a greenways and trails plan which one day will have over a hundred miles of trails throughout the city of Tampa. But we have to build it incrementally because it takes money and we’ll have to get grants. I think it’s unrealistic of me to say ‘yes, our roads are going to have bicycle lanes,’ because I know too much about the city’s transportation system. You try to put a bicycle lane on Swann and it’s not going to work. You try to put one on Henderson and it’s not practical. You’re actually putting the bicyclist in danger. I think what we have to focus on the off-road lanes. The County has done an excellent job with the Upper Tampa Bay trails and we’ve got to have more trails so that people who have this hobby will get to ride for 20-30-40-50 miles at a time. That’s what the people who really like to bicycle want to do.

CK: You’ve been firm in your commitment to encourage non-partisan collective efforts. How important do you feel that this non-partisan sentiment will be to tackle these issues of growth and to improve the flow of traffic on our roadways and offer alternative transportation options?

PI: I just feel that this country has gotten way too partisan in analysis of every public policy issue. Even this whole deal with oil and energy right now – tthere’s a Republican position and a Democratic position. This is about oil and resources and energy and alternative fuels. Why can’t we all be in this together? That’s what I like about local government. The issues are about 90% non-partisan in nature. Light rail – that should be a non-partisan issue. The issues that I deal with on a regular basis as mayor like building infrastructure and redevelopment of East Tampa and making downtown residential, they shouldn’t have any partisan flavor to them whatsoever. I think our nation is sorely hurt by this aggressive partisanship where each side is trying to destroy the other. We should all be in this together, trying to find solutions to some very serious problems that our country faces. And we can disagree, but it doesn’t always have to be in a partisan context. You try to find common ground. I’m very concerned about the direction of our country and I think the partisanship has been a real hindrance to common sense solutions. Here in the city and in my entire political life, I have not governed in a partisan way – be it on the county commission, supervisor of elections certainly not and as mayor, because I don’t see problem-solving in that context.

CK: Women are such a powerful voting force and there have been some women voters unhappy with the way things worked out for the Democratic nod, even going so far as to talk about abstaining from voting in our next national election. What are your thoughts?

PI: I think that would be a huge mistake. Our country is truly confronted with some of the most serious issues in my adult life. Politics is always about compromise. Our own personal lives are about compromise. We all can’t just go out and do everything we want to do 100% of the time and if you’re married, that’s about compromise. And if you have children, compromise. You teach your children compromise. So when it comes to the political nominee of your party, maybe that’s not your top choice but can’t you find it in your heart and compromise a little bit and say on the whole this person represents my values. Maybe I don’t agree with him 100% but I have to make a decision between person A and person B and maybe my vote does represent a compromise but everything in life is that. When people say ‘well, my candidate didn’t make it so therefore I’m out of the political process,’ I say no. The political process has to be a flexible one by nature and we all don’t get our first choices in life all the time on anything, particularly in politics. Usually by the time both parties end up with their nominees, few people seem happy and that’s from what I’ve seen over the past many decades. I think when that November day come, you’ve got to look at the two candidates and say ‘who best represents my values and hopes and aspirations for the country – not 100%, because that doesn’t exist in life – but who comes closest?’ And then vote, because our problems are too severe to walk away from the voting booth this year.

CK: To the single moms out there raising a family or even the two-income households struggling due to our current economic situation both nationally and locally, what advice or thoughts can you offer them right now?

PI: It is very tough out there and I personally believe in not having debt other than the mortgage. Some people are lucky enough to pay off their home but that’s not realistic. I think people need to avoid debt as much as possible. All of us in society truly need to shop less and buy less. There’s far too much consumerism. I think a lot of discretionary income is truly going to wane in this country because people need to focus on things just to sustain their families. All families need to be able to focus on what they have and not what they don’t have. If you stop and look at your family and what you have and count your blessings and realize that there will be better times ahead, focus on those things that you can do with your family that don’t cost anything which are probably a lot more fun than the things that do cost a whole bunch and focus on activities that don’t involve shopping. Focus on things that really have more lasting value, more on conversations and board games with families, time spent together exercising and doing the things that are good for the whole family. These are the things that will help us get through bad times. A return to some basic interaction, a focus on things where we say ‘aren’t we thankful that we have each other.’  As long as you have positive relationships in your life and are healthy and can find joy and meaning in your life, then you have a lot. And that helps you get through economic bad times.

CK: What are you most proud of during your tenure so far as Tampa’s mayor?

PI: I am really proud of a lot of things in the City of Tampa for the past five and a half years. I’m proud that the crime rate has gone down 42 1/2% because when a person is a victim of a crime they carry that with them the rest of their life, depending on the severity of that crime. So when I look at the thousands of people who have not been victims of crime over the past 5 1/2 years because our police have been doing such a great job, I think man, that’s great. That’s quality of life. I’m very proud of how we’ve really turned the city strategically to focus on goals that will help set the tone for the city for decades to come. A focus on regional mass transit, a focus on our downtown as a residential community, a focus on east Tampa so that no part of our town is neglected, a focus on the arts because that is very important that we foster Tampa as a community for the arts, these are the things that I think will have a lasting effect. Focus on neighborhoods and invest in basics even if those basics aren’t sexy like underground pipes. These are investments that will stand the test of time. We’ve taken our city government and we’ve moved this huge city government in a strategic direction that I’m really very proud of and believe that it will have a lasting effect beyond my time as mayor.

CK: You’ve been candid in other interviews of no intention to pursue a county mayoral role should it become available. Whatever your future holds,  what would you like to see yourself doing after your eight years as Tampa’s mayor?

PI: I’m not sure. I know people find it hard to believe that I don’t have some grand plan but I didn’t have a grand plan that ended up placing me into this office, so I really don’t. I am going to wait and see what inspires me and then I’ll make a decision.