Tampa Palms resident Gene Siudut on Monday became the second candidate to file to run in the Tampa City Council District currently held by Lisa Montelione.
Officially, Siudut has filed to run in 2019, when the seat is next up for election.
However, Montelione has announced she will be stepping down later the year to run for state office. State law requires that she resign and vacate her council seat by June 10 of this year.
Siudut is a New Jersy native who moved to the Sunshine State in 1999. He’s worked at La Gaceta as an assistant to the editor and a columnist ever since.
Siudut says that since he moved to Tampa 17 years ago, he’s worked hard to see Ybor City “have at least equal standing with other parts” of Tampa, and says he sees parallels with the District 7 Council seat.
“I think that area has a similar problem,” he says. “People here don’t think of New Tampa when they think of the city of Tampa … certainly I want to be somebody who represents that area, and make sure there’s an equal voice at the table.”
The only other candidate to declare for District 7 for 2019 to date is Dr. Cyril Spiro,
Tampa Palms based attorney Luis Viera has also spoken about his interest in entering the contest, but has yet to officially do so.
District 7 encompasses Tampa Palms, Forest Hills, Terrace Park, New Tampa and the USF area.
