GOP big-city mayors vanish

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http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/gop-big-city-mayors-are-vanishing-98539.html?hp=t1

 

I was thinking about this while doing a comparison article of the transitions of Orlando mayors from Carl Langford down to Buddy. Bill Frederick was a Democrat during his time in office (he became a Republican afterward), while Glenda was not only a Republican, but also quite active in the state party (Jeb appointed her Secretary of State in late 2002, paving the way for Buddy).

 

Glenda was all but crowned mayor in 1992 as the heir apparent to Mayor Bill, but by the end of her term was generally unpopular. Many attributed it to Glenda's sometimes prickly personality, but in retrospect it was also the period when Orange County (with Orlando leading the way) began the transition to solid blue politically.

 

Interestingly, even as Glenda left office and the special election for mayor was held in 2003, Republican mayoral candidates (and potential candidates) Pete Barr, Tico Perez and Bill Sublette seemed not to grasp what had happened. Today, there's no doubt about the City and the Orange County Commission stands as the last redoubt of Republican control in a county that once voted for Barry Goldwater. Stay tuned.