Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn insults nearby community of Ruskin
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, attempting to discredit the many citizens who disagree with him on the Go Hillsborough sales-tax proposal, pompously belittles them all as “3 tea party bloggers sitting in their underwear in their basements in Ruskin.”
I’ll start with this:
- Ruskin is not an insult — it’s a fine community and it’s my home.
- It’s creepy that he is imagining citizens in their underwear.
- There are no basements in Florida.
This city mayor is mad at a county commissioner, Kevin Beckner, for trying to reshape the sales-tax proposal in light of concerns raised by people throughout the county — including groups from the Sierra Club to the Tea Party, Democrats as well as Republicans, and the local multi-lingual newspaper La Gaceta. Beckner’s proposal includes more transit, funded by a 10-year tax. Buckhorn is pushing the Go Hillsborough 30-year tax that would mostly fund roads, with relatively little transit.
So Buckhorn tries to dismiss Beckner’s alternate proposal with Trump-like smack-talk:
“The vast majority of us were willing to take that risk and not back down in the face of three tea party bloggers sitting in their underwear in their basements in Ruskin,” Buckhorn said. “That’s not leadership.”
I’ll tell you what is not leadership: vilifying people with alternative views, and trying to ram your agenda through despite the concerns of voters. Real leadership is listening to all your constituents, looking for common ground, and building consensus among people with different perspectives — like commissioner Beckner and commissioner Murman are trying to do after the mess you’ve made of Go Hillsborough.
Eventually, this whole county will have to vote on any new transportation tax, because we’ll all have to pay that tax, from Tampa to Ruskin, and every place in between. Disparaging the community of Ruskin is no way to gain our support.
The Tampa Bay Times printed this as a letter to the editor, Feb. 29, 2016.
That is MY community you are referring to Mr. Buckhorn. Thank you for insulting all the good, decent, kind, hardworking folks in the Ruskin community.
Mayor Buckhorn, this was a ridiculous statement. I live in Ruskin and am proud to call it my home. This small town is filled with hard working people with big hearts. How dare you demean us and our town. We are owed an apology.
Mr. Buckhorn, I moved to Ruskin a little over 2 years ago, and I am proud to live here. You, Sir, just insulted an entire community, and I thought bullying was done by children, not adults. This will get you no votes, nor any of our business. My husband and I will be doing all our business in Ruskin, Bradenton & Sarasota. I do plan to spread the word. We, the people, of Ruskin, are due an apology.
Your demeaning comments are not appreciated by the good, hard working people in Ruskin. Although I have been here less than a year, it is my home and have met MANY fine people who I am glad to call my friends. We deserve and demand an apology from you Mr Mayor.
Isn’t there an ethics investigation still going on regarding Buckhorn’s relationship with the consultant for this proposed transportation tax? Maybe taxpayers should be worried about who he sits around with in his basement.
http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/investigations/2015/12/04/florida-ethics-commission-investigating-buckhorn-hagan-murman/76779314/
http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/investigations/2015/10/26/hillsborough-commissioners-produce-public-documents-that-didnt-exist/74654434/
Backing Hillary for president? Hmm..that’s pretty low Mr. Mayor, like you’re the one in a basement in jammys….
A basement in ruskin huh, Mr.Mayer you may want to better educate yourself on your surroundings before making ignorant comments as you have done. Perhaps you have forgotten we the people vote and you can be replaced!
*Mayor
I have lived in Ruskin 55 years and find your comments offense and nonsense
Here I thought you were an upstanding Educated man . Appears your an arrogant Nobody who has lost all my faith as the Mayor of Tampa. We the people of Ruskin are a thriving community on the rise.
And deserve an apology
Mr. Buckhorn, Being a mayor of a large community such as Tampa carries a huge responsibility and that includes having respect for your neighbors.
I lived in and spent my teen years there, graduating from EBHS, and young adulthood living in Ruskin and having some of the best years of my life there and now living up here in Alaska and hearing what you said, I’m saddened to hear of your disparaging remarks of a town I still love and call home. “Sitting around in underwear and in basements?”
I’m not sure what you’re smoking these days pal, but I’d double check it and by the way, there’s no basements in Florida and you’re better than that!
Now go’wan, quit being a spoiled little child and start working on a solution and by the way I think it would do you and your future self to drink a glass of humility and aopogize to the good folks of Ruskin. TODAY.
It takes a bully to say mean little words to piss people off.,. But it takes a MAN to apologize for the words with no excuses.
Now, quit your bellyaching and get to work.
One of the biggest issues is that this county is always screaming water shortage so what do they do they continue to approve major subdivision development and are causing an over growth to the area. If there is such a massive water shortage why are they adding more toilets to the strain. Along with the development they do not look at improving the roads to handle the growth before they just take the attitude we’ll deal with it later. NO COMMON SENSE is what is wrong with the county government. As far as remarks towards the Ruskin community. Buckhorn is just another fine example of showing how ignorant and disrespectful politicians are. I am a life long resident and a business owner in Ruskin and I am very proud to call Ruskin my home . You Sir have no idea of the heritage that this community has behind it and you need not to run your mouth about things your not educated about. Do Ruskin a big favor don’t come visit us here because you are most certainly not welcome in my view. This county needs to be divided into several districts and only a person living in each district may hold a seat on the county commissioners board for equal representation thru out the county. Not one single board member lives below State road 60 and that is even more disregards for the southern half of the county. This community deserves an APOLOGY and you need to keep your mouth shut after that point.
Well said. Greg lived here 60 years my parents were from here. They raised 5 kids dad ran his own bussines and was respected in Ruskin and I am offendended as well by this idiots comments.Rachel Driggers. Mcauliffe
Wow…REALLY?!? Good to know I sit around in my knickers in my basement down here in Ruskin! It’s hard to be civilized around here while playing on one of our 20+ golf courses, boating on the beautiful gulf waters, and night after night watching the most amazing sunsets you will ever see. I take very close notes of our local politics and this doesn’t set well with me at all. I’m assuming you Mr. Buckhorn are one of those “I don’t go North of Kennedy” folks! I’m very disgusted with you and what you think of our community. Maybe you should spend some time down and get to know all of us, what we are made of, the pride we take in making our little town the best it can be. I’m a home owner and a business owner in this amazing town and you are clearly the scum at the bottom of the gulf. I challenge you to spend a day (or even a night here in Ruskin. Perhaps you should check out the 4 start accommodations at the Harborside Suites) and get to know what we are all about. We are a community full of small business owners, entrepreneurs, and we are family people who spend our days making this a better place and our evenings watching sunsets you don’t see in Tampa!
Hmm. Been to Ruskin many times, never seen that. Just sayin
Thanks Mr Buckhorn for disparaging my Community…You might want to think twice about it next time WE ARE VOTERS and its a great Community of People. If you watch the News or Read the Paper Ruskin is a great place to live and work. Can you tell me the last time you heard about one of our Sheriffs getting Murdered, or lets say throwing a Baby out the car window going down the Interstate, or one of our Children being shot on camera in a Strip Club. Oh wait that is the City of Tampa …not Ruskin … Thanks for your Support.
No votes for you from this Ruskin household or the people you support. Is this why the people in Ruskin cannot get our roads fixed?
I’ve lived in Ruskin my whole life(50+yrs).and NO we don’t have basements (dumdass) and yeah when it’s hot we sit around in our shorts and YES we have been Tax Enough Already……….I got one message for Bob buckhorn…..don’t come to Ruskin, your not welcome
I don’t live there anymore, but I was raised in Ruskin and didn’t move until about 20 years ago. Is this mayor maybe from up north and doesn’t understand how southern kindness and hospitality works?
U PLAY 2 MUCH MR. BUCKY. LOVE RUSKIN
I thought you were the Mayor of tampa. We here in Ruskin have no Mayor! So what gives you the right to judge us Judge not, lest you be judged. and many people of Ruskin have already made their decision after your remarks. You owe our community an apology. Your not our mayor your tampa’s. Our community goes without because your cheap antics. we need our roads fixed. we definetly did not need so many sub divisions. especially when our roads need repairing. It takes 6 months of calling every week to get the ditches dug our and the weeds have grown to 5 feet. what have you done for us. besides tax us to death. What have you done to help us. NOTHING> so i think you need to apologize to the people of this town where i live and worked. you sitting behind that desk in your basement in tampa.
The mayor has really stepped in it this time. His special interest/PR advisor, Beth Leytham, is probably going to get involved now to dig him out of this hole. Oh, but wait, I forgot, when she gets involved you’ll probably see even more insults come flying out of his mouth. As others have said, good leadership is demonstrated by listening and considering what others have to say, even if some people do express concerns about what you’re proposing. Marginalizing people that disagree reflects immaturity and desperation. Unfortunately for the mayor, I guess the only way he’s gonna learn leadership and humility is on election day.
I do not live n Ruskin but know many wonderful people that do. I find this extremely offensive. Trust me you really stepped in it and need to apologize. Sure wouldn’t vote for you again.
mayor Buckhorn it is you and the other idiots out there that make our country into a crippled country you dont think before you speak and then you open mouth insert foot , next time you have a sandwich i hope you say hold the tomato that was most likely grown in Ruskin wouldnt want anything from ruskin disrupt you in anyway!!!
No surprise here. This bozo supports Hillary for President. I think the Mayor should be drug tested!
Not only did this moron feel free to diss Ruskinites…he threw in all Tea Partiers for good measure. The main women who are anti-tax are two very smart and accomplished women with good jobs who do not sit around in their underwear blogging. They have earned cred in the county and have held some responsible volunteer positions of power. Whether Buckhorn agrees with their views or not — he owes them a huge apology — and I’m quite sure those ladies are composing red hot responses to his condescending insult.
Really? Buckhorn, what are you on? This is an awesome community.! How can the mayor get away with degrading his own people? How dare you! You should be ashamed. Your underwear must be too tight to say such a thing! I appealed. Thanks , So Called Mayor