Ben Kirby - page 9

MEMORANDUM TO:  Allison Tant, Chair of the Democratic Party of Florida Re: An Opportunity Ms. Tant, somewhere on your desk is a grievance filed by a Democratic Party official in Pasco County.  While the charges of the “official grievance” are baseless, and the contents of the communication to you scurrilous, it may provide you an opportunity.  Never mind why a party official in an entirely different county would care so much about the mayoral race in St. Petersburg. Your response…

Keep Reading

We arrive at the Palladium as a family to the site of the Team Kriseman Primary Election Night victory party.  The room is teeming with people, many friendly faces.  Out in the hallway, the first voice Emeline, our three and a half year-old, hears is that of our friend Commissioner Charlie Justice.  We’re walking in, he’s walking past. Emmy is a little shy.  The Commissioner is gracious, helps her feel better by showing her pictures of his own daughters. By…

Keep Reading

I know that Peter posted briefly on the day-before polls just out from St. Pete Polls.  I wanted to take a few moments to highlight a couple of things that caught my eye.  Might be worth remembering as we all go to watch parties tonight and stay glued to the returns reported on Bay News 9 and other outlets. First, let’s be clear: according to this polling, Kriseman and Foster have it tied up.  The margin of error here is…

Keep Reading

Earlier, Adam C. Smith at the Times lamented the “incredible shrinking mayor’s race” here in St. Petersburg: These three [Ford, Foster, and Kriseman] are running to be mayor of the fourth-largest city in Florida, and yet they seem more like candidates for Oldsmar city manager. In most major Florida cities — Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale — you’ll find mayors widely viewed as potential candidates for statewide office. No one is courting Foster for higher office the way they…

Keep Reading

I am not proud of this, but I caught prominent Florida attorney John Morgan on the Bubba the Love Sponge show the other day.  Look, don’t judge me.  I was flipping through the channels and overheard Mr. Morgan’s amiable baritone slipping a rare word in edgewise against the bloviating Bubba.  I know most folks find his ubiquitous ads annoying.  Call me a whimsical naif: I remain charmed.  For the people.  Simply perfect. Bubba had on Mr. Morgan to discuss an…

Keep Reading

There is already some political conventional wisdom developing around the 2016 presidential election.  It goes something like this: Former Secretary of State, former Senator, and former First Lady Hillary Clinton will enter the race for President of the United States, buoyed by an incredible grassroots campaign (already being built today).  This now-formidable effort will be undergirded by activists and Democratic operatives, all of whom were either loyal to her during her doomed 2008 run, served her in the U.S. Senate,…

Keep Reading

A quick reminder, something like a disclaimer: I’m actually a resident of Gulfport, so I won’t be voting for any candidates in St. Petersburg’s August 27 primary — not for Mayor (I’m behind Rick Kriseman), not for City Council, not on the Pier.   For the record, if I could I would vote no to cancel the contract with the Pier builders, and I think you should, too: we should build that Pier.  But that’s not what I wanted to write about today.  The Pier…

Keep Reading