Linda Hersey - page 2

Wengay Newton is accusing Bill Foster of deliberately misleading voters by showing the City Councilman in a TV campaign ad targeting the city’s black communities. Newton, who is the only African American City Councilman, said that the TV ad features him in a cameo appearance, without his permission. Newton said that the television commercial shows Foster shaking hands and helping business owners, including a daycare provider, in the city’s black neighborhoods. At the end of the commercial, there is a…

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Mayor Bill Foster announced Tuesday that he will hire an economic developer to oversee Midtown and the Childs Park neighborhood, as well as examine public safety issues affecting the African American community. Foster made the announcement prior to an NAACP co-sponsored debate scheduled for Wednesday at the Sunshine Center. Some questioned the timing of Foster’s efforts, which come as he faces a tight re-election race and accusations by challenger Rick Kriseman that he has ignored economic challenges in neighborhoods, including Midtown.…

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Suffering from debate fatigue yet? Another round of forums for the mayoral candidates gets under way this week, along with a debate for City Council candidates. Mayor Bill Foster and Rick Kriseman have challenged each other on the issues in about two dozen debates since September. The City Council candidates also have met in numerous forums. In the latest series of campaign clashes the mayoral candidates debate at the Azalea Baptist Church on Tuesday, and then field questions Wednesday at…

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St. Petersburg residents may get a new waterfront park on Boca Ciega Bay. On Thursday, the City Council agreed to let city staff start negotiations for the potential purchase of part or all of 4.6 waterfront acres. The land is valued at $3.2 million. The property is one of the few undeveloped parcels of coastal uplands left in Pinellas County. The site, which is on 42nd Avenue South, has old growth oaks and pine trees. The Tampa Bay Estuary considers…

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Borrowing a line from Yogi Berra, Council member Jeff Danner declared “This is déjà vu all over again.” Danner was referring to a plan that Mayor Bill Foster introduced Thursday to restart the city Pier design process. It includes an aggressive schedule to survey 1,000 residents, organize a selection committee and then pick 10 architects to submit designs. Foster projected that a new Pier could be completed in 2017. But Danner and other Council members raised concerns that Foster’s fast-track proposal…

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Bill Foster has used two highly public candidate debates this week to lash out at challenger Rick Kriseman for a negative ad campaign lampooning the St. Pete mayor for proposing a fire fee and cutting Meals on Wheels. The pair of anti-Foster campaign mailers are full-color, 8 x 11 cardboard fliers mailed to St. Petersburg voters by Fast Check Florida of Jacksonville. One ad shows an over-sized fire hydrant spewing water, with the heads of Foster and Gov. Rick Scott…

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The St. Pete Young Professionals will host a Fall Bash at the Birchwood Hotel on Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 6-9 p.m. Of course, this is a networking event, but there also will be music, a cash bar and catered, complimentary appetizers. If you’re not a member of the SPYP, this may be a good time to join. Just go online and sign up, at a cost of $15. Or, you can pay at the door. Admission is free for members,…

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