Local activist Gina Driscoll is holding a fundraising mixer next week in her bid for St. Petersburg City Council.
The reception is Aug. 10, beginning 6 p.m. at Harborage Marina, 1110 Third St. S in St. Petersburg. The event will offer appetizers and beverages.
On the event’s host committee are consultant Mario Farias, Ramon Hernandez and Harborage Marina owners Stan Johnson, Marshall Funk and Gregg Kenney.
Of the eight candidates competing for the District 6 seat, Driscoll has been endorsed by Karl Nurse, the term-limited council member she hopes to succeed. Nurse is also listed as an event host.
Driscoll’s campaign is part of a long-term commitment to the district, a diverse region that includes downtown and parts of the Old Northeast and Midtown, a largely African-American neighborhood. She has been “working for years to improve our neighborhoods and the business climate in St. Pete,” says the invite. “Now she wants to do more to make our city even better.”
An Indiana native, Driscoll was raised in Pasco County and has lived in St. Petersburg for nearly 13 years. After stints at Disney and as an advertising account executive for the Tampa Bay Times, she now works as sales manager for Hampton Inn & Suites St. Petersburg Downtown.
In the most recent fundraising reports, Driscoll took in $4,835, which includes the maximum $1,000 contribution from Nurse, and another $1,000 from Bay Tech Label, which Nurse also heads. Florida Voters Fund, a committee chaired by Democratic consultant Tom Alte of Blue Ticket Consulting, also kicked in $1,000.
Driscoll has now raised $20,765 to date.
Also in the race are Justin Bean, Robert Blackmon, Eritha “Akile” Cainion, Corey Givens Jr., James “Jim” Jackson, James Scott and Maria Scruggs.
The top two candidates in the Aug. 29 primary will go on to the Nov. 7 general election.
RSVP for the event at [email protected].
