A Pasco County Democratic Committee official is filing a grievance with the Florida Democratic Party over its support of candidate Rick Kriseman in the non-partisan St. Petersburg primary race for mayor.
Clay G. Colson has written an email to Allison Tant, the state party chair, to complain that the FDP funded Kriseman over fellow Democrat Kathleen Ford without consulting party leaders.
He is alleging that the party’s actions violate state party by-laws. In the email’s subject line, he wrote “Official Grievance.”
Colson complains that the party should not have given Kriseman’s campaign $30,000 for staff and expenses without giving Ford money as well.
Colson wrote that Kriseman used the money for “baseless mudslinging in mailers against Ford.” He also alleges that Kriseman received party help with “phone banking.”
Ford lost in the primary to incumbent mayor Bill Foster, a Republican, and Kriseman. “If the party had decided to equally support both candidates, the runoff could have been between Democrats with no Republican in the race,” he wrote.
Colson noted in the email that Kriseman campaign worker Kevin King was arrested for solicitation of minors while he was a substitute teacher in Pinellas County.
According to Colson, “Kriseman is also aware and has used [King] as a legislative aide in the past, and presently for public relations.”
Colson described Kriseman as “a corporatist backed by former Mayor Baker [who] knowingly lied in campaign mailers about Ford, … the better candidate.”
The email was sent to several members of the press, in addition to state party officials.
***Update – 10:21 a.m. *** Kriseman’s campaign responds:
“Rick Kriseman is the only candidate running for mayor of St. Petersburg with broad bipartisan support. He welcomes the support of the Florida Democratic Party, as he welcomes the support of the multiple Republicans leaders who share his vision of finding solutions for the problems facing St. Petersburg.”
