Citing her longtime service to the community, St. Petersburg City Councilmember Karl Nurse is giving thumbs up to Gina Driscoll as his successor in the District 6 race.
“I believe of the large field of candidates Gina Driscoll is the most ready to step into this city council seat due to her years of civic involvement,” Nurse said in a statement Wednesday. “Gina is capable of representing the broad range of neighborhoods and has the temperament and drive to be effective on the City Council.”
Nurse, term-limited from running again, has served on the Council for nearly a decade, in time becoming one of the city’s most popular leaders. He has won each of his re-election races by comfortable margins, most recently in 2013 with nearly 70 percent of the vote against Sharon Russ.
Nurse is also president of Bay Tech Label, a St. Petersburg specialty printing company.
“It means so much to me to have Councilmember Nurse’s endorsement,” Driscoll said in a campaign statement. “Councilmember Nurse has done so much for our city during his tenure. I look forward to building on his successes and working every day for the people of District 6 and St. Petersburg on sustainable development, protecting our environment, increasing affordable housing, and creating jobs that pay a living wage.”
In addition to being president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and a Downtown Business Association Board Member, Driscoll also serves on the Organizational Committee of the Central Avenue Council and is a member of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce.
She is one of eight candidates in the crowded field for District 6 seat, which includes Justin Beam, Robert Blackmon, Eritha Cainion, Corey Givens, James Jackson, James Scott and Maria Scruggs.
District 6 is a sprawling, diverse region that covers encompasses a wide range of communities: downtown, Old Southeast and Midtown, as well as Old Northeast from Ninth Avenue North to the south.
Primaries for both District 6 and St. Pete mayor is Aug. 29. If no single candidate gets 50 percent plus one of the vote – winning the race outright — the two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 7 general election, which will also include District 2 and 4 races.
