5 apply for St. Petersburg council vacancy

ST. PETERSBURG-- A former city council member, a youth minister and a CEO are among the five applicants vying for Earnest Williams' vacant City Council seat.

Williams, who represented District 6 since 2000, resigned Monday after an unsuccessful campaign for the  Legislature.

District 6 includes part of downtown, Uptown, Midtown and Coquina Key. Council members must reside in the district in order to serve. They are paid $39,330 a year.

The applicants are:

David Welch, 80, former council member, owner of Welch Accounting Services and a current St. Petersburg Housing Authority board member.

Karl Nurse, 53, owner of Bay Tech Label, founder of the Pinellas Living Green Expo and former mayoral candidate.

Gwendolyn Reese, 59, CEO of Infinite Solutions, chairwoman of Close the Gap, an education non-profit, and former co-chairwoman of the city's Community Alliance committee, which advocates for diversity issues.

Cassandra Jackson, 48, former District 6 candidate, president of the Pinellas Black Republican Club and former Pinellas County Housing Authority board member.

Deborah Green, 45, youth minister, case manager for the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and president of Earth Mission Ministries.

The council will review the applications during a public hearing Monday before selecting Williams' replacement May 1. That person would serve the remainder of Williams term, which expires in January 2010.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer