After hours of debate, the St. Petersburg City Council approved a campaign-finance reform measure Thursday, which could have national implications. The final vote was 6-2, with Council members Ed Montanari and Jim Kennedy dissenting. Once the final vote became clear, the crowd in city chambers erupted with cheers.
Except for Ed Montanari, the eight-person St. Pete City Council is made up of Democrats. So, it’s not unusual that most of them back fellow Democrat Gina Driscoll in her race against Republican Justin Bean for the St. Pete City Council District 6 race.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and members of the City Council had plenty of laudatory praise Thursday for their staff in handling Hurricane Irma’s impact on the city. The mayor even showed some love to Rick Scott.
Like Rick Baker, Justin Bean is a Republican running this November in the municipal elections for St. Petersburg, a very Democratic-centric city. But unlike Baker, Bean is actually talking about Donald Trump.
A St. Petersburg City Council committee took the first step toward crafting a citywide ban on plastic shopping bags Thursday, reports the Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg’s Energy Natural Resources and Sustainability Committee voted 3-1 to start drafting the ordinance, with City Council member Ed Montanari casting the lone vote against the measure. Plastic bags have drawn the ire of many environmental groups since they don’t break down, can harm or kill wildlife, clog flood control systems and even serve…
Wednesday was a big day for Rick Kriseman. Joined by Assistant Mayor Kanika Tomalin, City Councilmembers Darden Rice, Lisa Wheeler-Bowman, Ed Montanari, and Karl Nurse, as well as other officials, the mayor took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new St. Petersburg Pier, a major symbolic event for a project that has become a huge political issue. “It was really important that we fulfill the desires of the community from the standpoint of functionality, but do it within budget,…
St. Petersburg’s City Council took a step toward enacting far-reaching campaign finance reform, which could go well beyond what any other U.S. city has done before. On a 4-3 vote, council members supported a proposal that would require corporations that spend more than $5,000 in city elections to certify they are not entirely or partly owned by foreign interests above certain thresholds. The measure also would put a $5,000 limit on individual contributions to Super PACs that spend money on city…