This is the second in a new series called “The Ford Files.”
“The Ford Files” details several of the black marks on mayoral candidate Kathleen Ford’s political record, including today’s feature when …
Ford called for “buffers” against “yucky neighborhoods” with poor people.
During her 1997 city council campaign, Ford called for the city to “buffer” rich neighborhoods from poor. The St. Petersburg Times criticized her statements and endorsed her opponent:
“To appreciate the disdain attorney Kathleen Ford seems to feel for some people who live in her own city, one need only listen to her speak. Ford, former president of the North Shore Neighborhood Association and a proponent of stringent code enforcement, says the city must not ‘cater to lower socioeconomic groups’ and must ‘buffer’ some neighborhoods from others.” [St. Petersburg Times, 3/7/97]
Ford’s view of the world:
“”Snell Isle is only going to be so nice if the Old Northeast is a good buffer. . . . If you have a yucky neighborhood abutting your nice new neighborhood, the value of your property isn’t going to be as high as it would be if you had a nicer neighborhood there. . . . I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that you would mow your lawn, paint your house and keep crummy cars out of your front yard.”
