Greco, a Democrat, backs McCain, a Republican
June 17, 2008 at 3:43 pm by Wayne GarciaFormer Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, long considered a closet Republican despite his D registration, today was announced as an honorary co-chairman of the Florida branch of “Citizens for McCain:”
A Tampa native, Mayor Greco served as the Democratic mayor of the city from 1967-1974 and from 1995-2003. Greco was responsible for numerous economic and urban revitalization projects, including Greco Plaza and the Marriott Waterside Hotel complex.
[Gee, why not mention the killer deal that Greco got us on Centro Ybor, where the taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars for many years to come on that money-losing project? (One that I worked on as a political consultant, in the interest of full disclosure.)] Back to the press release:
“I am a registered Democrat, but when it comes to voting I consider the individual,” stated Mayor Greco. “I have listened to all of the debates, and with the challenges facing our country, I think it is important that we choose someone with the experience and integrity necessary to keep our country safe and fix our broken economy. Senator McCain’s credibility, judgment and toughness is the change we need.”
The McCain campaign has previously announced a group of prominent Democratic and unaffiliated leaders and activists who have joined “Citizens for McCain,” a new grassroots effort headed by Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to rally Americans of all political parties to support John McCain’s candidacy.
Senator Joe Lieberman added, “‘Citizens for McCain’ is an organization within the McCain campaign for people who, like John McCain, put country before political party and support the presidential candidate who has a proven record of bipartisanship.”
As part of the campaign’s continued effort to build on growing support from voters joining “Citizens for McCain,” John McCain, along with RNC Victory Chair Carly Fiorina, participated in a virtual town hall with Democrats and Independents last week to discuss John McCain’s record of putting country before political party. Many town hall participants were former supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Greco’s successor, Pam Iorio, also a Democrat, recently endorsed Barack Obama.
