St. Pete Times CEO Is... A Republican

File this one under Things You Didn't Expect: St. Petersburg Times bigwig Paul Tash is a registered Republican.

On top of that, the Times CEO now sits on the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee, which is designed to lure the 2012 Republican National Convention to the Bay Area.

Take a moment to recover from your shock.

The Buzz, a blog read by Tallahassee insiders and hosted by the Times, posted a list Friday of the committee's members thus far. Somewhere between former gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis and an executive vice president for Outback Steakhouse is Tash's name.

His membership is probably more related to business than politics: The convention is sure to bring money to the Bay Area as well as boost its national profile. Tash's fellow committee member Davis, after all, is a Democrat.

Still, it's surprising to see Tash connected to something his news organization covers. Buzz commenters seem to think so, too. One writes:

"Uh, Paul Tash? Why would anyone from the St. Petersburg Times be invited to participate?"

Tash did not immediately return a phone call Friday seeking comment.

It's worth noting, by the way, that no one from The Tampa Tribune is on the committee.