Jim Kennedy's new mailer in St. Petersburg City Council race

 

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Karl Nurse's new mailer in St. Petersburg City Council race

Angela Rouson's door hanger in St. Petersburg council race

St. Petersburg council candidate Steve Kornell hosts election party

ST. PETERSBURG -- The District 5 candidate will host his party at Shackleton's Folly Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Coquina Key Plaza.

The outcome of the race will be historic no matter what. Kornell would be the city's first openly gay elected official. Rival Angela Rouson would be the first African American to represent the district.

Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Pinellas School Board member Linda Lerner backs Jim Kennedy in council race

From the news release:

St. Petersburg, Florida— Linda Lerner, current School Board member, endorsed James ‘Jim’ R. Kennedy Jr.

The support from Linda Lerner is another in a string of endorsements from public officials.  These endorsements come from all aspects of City government and include the Mayor’s office, City Council, County Commissioners, Law Enforcement and now Education.

St. Petersburg's next mayor might not see eye-to-eye with police chief

ST. PETERSBURG — Bill Foster wants his officers to focus on smaller crimes to prevent bigger ones. He wants to put up security cameras, train city workers to spot criminals and give officers the power to chase the ones who flee.

Kathleen Ford wants her police force to use up-to-the-minute crime statistics to find and tackle hot spots. She thinks if the city had hired more police during the boom years, St. Petersburg wouldn't have the crime problem it does now.

Both mayoral candidates promise to find the money to hire more officers — and put them back on the neighborhood beat like they used to be.

Sound like good ideas? Police Chief Chuck Harmon thinks so. Many already are in place at the St. Petersburg Police Department, he said, the rest just won't work.

Read story here.

St. Petersburg City Council member Jeff Danner faces Leonard Schmiege in District 8

ST. PETERSBURG — When two men started brawling at a City Council meeting this month, it was a perfect moment for council candidate Leonard Schmiege.

The technology-loving District 8 contender says he is intensely interested in letting people know what's happening in local government, which is why he brought a video camera to that Oct. 15 meeting. His footage was quickly posted on tampabay.com, the main news Web site of the St. Petersburg Times.

But in some ways, it also was a telling moment for District 8 council member Jeff Danner. Because while Schmiege was dead set against the city giving a public sidewalk to BayWalk, Danner said he was willing to consider it.

Ultimately, Danner voted against it, saying the downtown complex needs a more comprehensive solution than simply giving up some concrete. But it is representative, Danner said, of the balanced approach he takes on the City Council.

Read story here.

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Newcomer Settlegoode challenges longtime incumbent Curran in St. Petersburg City Council District 4

ST. PETERSBURG — In the quest for a political seat, it's a familiar scenario:

Veteran serves for years, wants to keep serving.

Newcomer wants change.

But the race in District 4 illustrates the biggest side-by-side experience gap of all the City Council candidates, pitting Leslie Curran, who has served longer than any other incumbent, against Pamella Settlegoode, who has never served before.

Read story here.

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More endorsements for James ‘Jim’ R. Kennedy Jr. for City Council District 2

From the press release:

St. Petersburg, Florida — Former Petersburg County Commissioner and St. Pete City Council Member Bob Stewart, former City Council Member Jay Lasita and current County Commissioner John Morroni endorsed James ‘Jim’ R. Kennedy Jr. in his bid to retain his City Council seat in District 2.

Bob Stewart who represented the residents of Pinellas County for nearly a quarter-century endorsed James ‘Jim’ R. Kennedy Jr. Stewart, along with former Commissioner Jay Lasita and current County Commissioner John Morroni, offered their endorsements on the heels of other public officials such as Mayor Rick Baker, Rep. Rick Kriseman and Rep. Bill Heller.

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St. Petersburg's District 2 race pits incumbent Jim Kennedy against Steve Corsetti

ST. PETERSBURG — The race for the District 2 seat on the St. Petersburg City Council may be the strangest one in the city's tangled political history.

The incumbent, James R. "Jim" Kennedy, has never run for office. His challenger, Stephen J. "Steve" Corsetti, is an experienced campaigner — albeit in another state.

Read story here.