Tampa council members react to police Chief Mary O'Connor's resignation - Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA — Council subordinate Charlie Miranda said helium voted for Mary O’Connor for constabulary main successful April due to the fact that “there was nary different choice. There was lone 1 idiosyncratic lasting successful beforehand of me” erstwhile helium took the ballot to corroborate her.

Miranda privately supported erstwhile adjunct constabulary Chief Butch Delgado, but publically voiced enactment for Mayor Jane Castor’s selection. “I wasn’t going to disagreement the metropolis adjacent more. I wasn’t going to bash that.”

But quality of O’Connor’s resignation Monday greeting near Miranda reasoning astir baseball. His manager utilized to archer his players it’s OK to marque an error, but ne'er a mistake. So, you miss a crushed ball? Error. But you hide however galore outs determination are with a runner connected third? Mistake.

“That would use to Chief O’Connor,” Miranda said.

Miranda, a staunch Castor ally, said helium was atrocious that yet different contention has capped a twelvemonth afloat of City Hall drama. He was joined by different assembly members successful voicing akin regret.

“It’s sad. It truly is sad,” helium said.

Orlando Gudes has a antithetic narration with Castor, who officially filed paperwork for reelection a week ago.

Gudes has accused the politician and her unit of seeking to destruct his vocation due to the fact that helium opposed her connected immoderate issues. Castor called for Gudes to measurement down successful April aft a metropolis probe recovered helium had created a hostile enactment situation for a erstwhile aide. Gudes resigned his chairpersonship, but defied Castor and stayed connected the council. Recently, Gudes has appeared astatine respective metropolis events with the mayor.

Gudes said helium won’t “bash” Castor implicit her mediocre prime for constabulary chief, adjacent though helium was 1 of 2 votes against O’Connor successful an April assembly confirmation vote. And helium said, arsenic a “godly person,” helium wouldn’t instrumentality the accidental to revel successful the mayor’s troubles.

”I’m not going to bash what was done to me,” Gudes said.

Bill Carlson, the different ballot against O’Connor, texted his absorption to the news.

“The incidental has embarrassed our large metropolis successful the nationalist and planetary media. Poor decisions similar this and the existent civilian rights probe by the U.S. Department of Justice undermine our city’s quality to pull concern and the champion and brightest entrepreneurs,” texted Carlson.

He said that the politician needs to larn from “this mistake” and physique statement with “the assembly and assemblage connected important issues.”

Council subordinate Lynn Hurtak, who was appointed to the City Council aft John Dingfelder’s resignation and who wasn’t connected the committee erstwhile O’Connor was picked arsenic constabulary chief, weighed successful by issuing a statement.

“It’s unfortunate that erstwhile Police Chief O’Connor’s decisions brought america to this moment. I look guardant to City Council having the accidental to o.k. a caller constabulary main who volition proceed the department’s renewed absorption connected assemblage engagement and officers’ intelligence and carnal health,” the connection read.

Council subordinate Luis Viera, who has backed Castor connected galore issues since her 2019 election, said Florida’s third-largest metropolis needs to measurement up its game.

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“This full occurrence has been precise disappointing connected galore levels. Our constabulary officers and residents merit better,” helium texted.

Viera called for a “smooth transition” successful picking the adjacent constabulary chief.

“Our constabulary and the metropolis merit a process that learns from the past and is robust, businesslike and liable — and arsenic escaped arsenic imaginable from unnecessary governmental turbulence,” Viera said.

Council members Guido Maniscalco and Joseph Citro didn’t instantly respond to a petition for remark Monday.