Each city council candidate was asked the same questions by NNB reporters. Here are their unedited responses.
- Why are you running for City Council?
“I have dedicated my entire career to caring about people. I was a firefighter and EMT for 23 years, dedicated to public safety and saving lives. I’m now District Vice President of the Florida Professional Firefighters Union, working to create secure futures for people and their families. I’m also a former President of the Childs Park Neighborhood Association. It is that strong commitment to our community that has led me to seek public office.”
- What is your plan for Midtown?
“The city recently created the Southside CRA, designed to bring jobs, affordable housing and small businesses to long-troubled neighborhoods. I strongly support the Southside CRA. It is my hope that the 85-acre Tropicana Field site can be added to the Southside TIF district once the Rays baseball issue is resolved. at or below the
Federal Poverty Level. Poverty’s symptoms are no secret either: Increased crime rates, high unemployment, insufficient public transportation options, insufficient affordable housing, limited access to healthy food, limited access to health care, and lower educational outcomes. Poverty affects the economic prosperity of our entire community, costing everyone living in St. Petersburg and throughout Pinellas County an astounding $2.5 billion annually. While spending so much combating the adverse outcomes of poverty, we have failed to spend enough to actually reduce poverty! One could say we’ve spent too much on a pound of cure, and nowhere near enough on an ounce of prevention. These conditions will continue to fuel the cycle of poverty until our City Council revisits its stance, lifts its restrictive funding policies, and resets its priorities. District 7 needs a City Council member who will respectfully call on colleagues to consider a different perspective and a meaningful commitment to break the cycle of poverty that burdens our entire city.”
- What do you feel are issues impacting Midtown?
“I have chosen to run for the District 7 City Council seat because it is the best opportunity to bring positive change for our community. I live in a part of town with a lot of challenges – crime, un- and under-employment and both a lack of opportunities and role models for young people. Addressing these problems will take a strong work ethic, leadership and an ability to compromise. These are the traits that my brothers and sisters in uniform saw when they chose me to lead them, and they are the same traits that I think have prepared me to be the right person at this time in this particular office.
The three most pressing concerns in my district are crime, a lack of employment opportunities for both juveniles and adults and a lack of affordable housing units. In particular, the employment opportunities for juveniles and young adults feed many of the problems in my district.”