Opponents of St. Pete Mayor’s Rick Kriseman’s continued push to build Pier Park is continuing to annoy their lot. The Facebook page for the group Voteonthepier.com, backing a referendum effort that would require voter approval for any construction or demolition projects on city-owned waterfront property, is accusing Kriseman of being just like Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
“Mayor Kriseman’s lack of transparency mirrors Governor Rick Scott,” the post read. “Mayor Kriseman’s also hired political cronies just like Governor Rick Scott. Mayor Kriseman created 4 new positions for his campaign supporters and people who have been riding his coat tails when he was a legislator. Mayor RICK Kriseman is no different than Governor RICK Scott.”
While it is understandable the group is growing more and more angry as the Pier looks less and less like its 1973 self each day it’s toppled by heavy machinery, it’s a giant stretch to compare the two politicians.
First, Kriseman is a Democrat. Scott is a raging Republican. While serving as a state legislator Kriseman championed policies blatantly rejected by the Scott administration; most particularly Medicaid expansion.
As mayor, Kriseman has supported progressive policies contrary to actions Scott has taken in the Governor’s Mansion. For example, Kriseman “banned the box” for city employees allowing applicants with a past criminal record to not indicate prior indiscretions on initial applications. That is widely thought to give past-felons a better shot at meaningful employment. Meanwhile, one of Scott’s first acts as governor was to mandate drug testing for government assistance applicants.
Kriseman has also ensured employees earn a living wage by increasing the city’s minimum wage. He’s also publicly supported increased wages.
Another area Kriseman has taken action in St. Pete where Scott would likely disagree is the city’s family leave policies. Under Kriseman’s watch city employees have access to broader maternity leave, including paternal leave and leave for adoptive parents.
Voteonthepier.com’s resonating argument lies in transparency, though. Opponents of Pier Park argue Kriseman ignored the public will by supporting Pier Park and may have strong-armed the Pier Selection Committee into choosing a design that would demolish the inverted pyramid while also shielding some information from the public view.
“59% wanted the Pier reused. When he saw the results, he suddenly said it was non-binding!” another post read.
The problem with this assertion is, from day one, the public survey was referred to as non-binding on the website where residents could vote, in community promotion and in the press.
The point is, opponents of the Pier Park decision are turning the Pier into a referendum on Kriseman. The criticism stems often from those who admit to having voted for him and whose publicly displayed political leanings tend to favor other aspects of Kriseman’s actions as mayor.
Much as I criticized the Tampa Bay Times for making City Council member Steve Kornell’s re-election about the sole Rays’ MOU issue, it’s equally unfair to grade an incumbent mayor on a single issue. The bottom line is, Voteonthepier.com supporters won’t support any elected city official unless they are on the same side of the Pier issue.
This latest effort is a low-blow effort to compare Kriseman to a governor much of St. Pete’s liberal constituency despises based on an economic development project on the city’s waterfront.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there are better ways to make a case for meaningful public input on waterfront projects than to resort to petty name-calling.
