Rep. Kriseman endorses St. Petersburg council candidate

ST. PETERSBURG- State Rep. Rick Kriseman has endorsed former mayoral candidate Karl Nurse in his bid to be appointed to the City Council's vacant District 6 seat.

Kriseman, a former St. Petersburg council member, sent a letter to the council this week highlighting Nurse's accomplishments and professional experience.

"Karl long ago established himself as a leader in our community," Kriseman wrote. "He has been a key cog not only in St. Petersburg's recent renaissance, but in the maturation of our city over the past few decades."

Nurse, 53, owns Bay Tech Label and is the former president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations.

Nurse, who ran unsuccessfully against Mayor Rick Baker in 2001, is one of five applicants vying for Earnest Williams' vacant City Council seat. Williams resigned Monday after an unsuccessful campaign for the  Legislature.

The other applicants are:

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

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 meet with the applicants 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