1974 Tampa mayoral special election

1974 Tampa mayoral special election

←  1971 September 10, 1974 October 1, 1974 1975  →

Candidate Bill Poe Joe Kotvas First round 10,302 21.95% 10,408 22.18% Runoff 24,902 50.37% 24,534 49.63%   Candidate Bob Martinez Alton M. White First round 8,673 18.48% 7,463 15.90% Runoff Eliminated Eliminated

Mayor before election Richard Cheney Nonpartisan Elected mayor Bill Poe Nonpartisan

The 1974 Tampa mayoral special election was held on October 1, 1974, following a primary election on September 10, 1974. ^[1] Mayor Dick A. Greco, who was elected in 1967 and 1971, resigned on March 28, 1974, to accept a position with the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, a shopping mall developer. Following Greco's resignation, City Council Chairman Richard Cheney began serving as acting Mayor. ^[2] Cheney initially planned to run in the special election, ^[3] but he died on June 20, 1974. ^[4] City Councilmember Lloyd Copeland became acting mayor following Cheney's death, and did not seek a full term in the election. ^[5]

Seven candidates ran in the special election. City Councilmember Joe Kotvas narrowly placed first in the special election, winning 22.2 percent of the vote, and was closely followed by insurance executive Bill Poe, who won 21.9 percent. In the general election that followed, Poe barely defeated Kotvas, winning 50.4 percent to Kotvas's 49.6 percent, a margin of 368 votes. Kotvas requested a recount, ^[6] which ultimately upheld Poe's victory.

Primary election

Candidates

• Joe Kotvas, City Councilmember ^[7]
• Bill Poe, insurance executive ^[8]
• Bob Martinez, Executive Director of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association ^[9]
• Alton M. White, former Director of the Metropolitan Development Agency ^[10]
• Logan Browning, former City Comptroller ^[11]
• Vince Meloy, City Councilmember ^[3]
• Frank Scionti, produce dealer ^[12]

Results

1974 Tampa mayoral special primary election ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Joe Kotvas	10,408	22.18%
	Nonpartisan	Bill Poe	10,302	21.95%
	Nonpartisan	Bob Martinez	8,673	18.48%
	Nonpartisan	Alton M. White	7,463	15.90%
	Nonpartisan	Logan Browning	5,265	11.22%
	Nonpartisan	Vince Meloy	4,460	9.50%
	Nonpartisan	Frank Scionti	362	0.77%
Total votes			46,933	100.00%

General election

Results

1974 Tampa mayoral special general election ^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Bill Poe	24,902	50.37%
	Nonpartisan	Joe Kotvas	24,534	49.63%
Total votes			49,436	100.00%

References

1. Stephens III, Wade H. (April 6, 1974). "Sept. 10 Slated For Mayoral Election". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
2. Allen, Richard (March 29, 1974). "Tampa's Mayor Dick Greco Resigns; Accepts High-Salaried Business Job". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. p. 1A. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
3. Lykes, Susan; Allen, Pat (March 29, 1974). "Meloy, Cheney will run for mayor". Tampa Times . Tampa, Florida. p. 1A. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
4. Hartman, Jim (June 21, 1974). "Acting Tampa Mayor Cheney Dies After 80 Days In Office". Tampa Times . Tampa, Florida. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
5. Allen, Pat (June 24, 1974). "Copeland pledges action on audit after taking oath as acting mayor". Tampa Times . Tampa, Florida. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
6. "Poe apparent winner". Tampa Times . Tampa, Florida. October 3, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
7. Allen, Richard (April 17, 1974). "Kotvas Enters Mayoral Race". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
8. "Insurance Executive Enters Mayor's Race". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. April 30, 1974. p. 1B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
9. "CTA Director Seeks Tampa Mayor's Post". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. June 13, 1974. p. 1B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
10. "White To Run For Mayor". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. May 7, 1974. p. 1B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
11. "Logan Browning Seeking Post As Mayor Of Tampa". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. June 10, 1974. p. 1B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
12. "Scionti To Run For Tampa Mayor". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. June 7, 1974. p. 1B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
13. "First Primary - 9/10/1974". Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
14. "Election Results Certified". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. October 5, 1974. p. 4-Metro. Retrieved July 6, 2025.