Will Newton’s campaign celebrated Monday as The Tampa Tribune ditched its endorsement of opponent Lisa Wheeler-Brown and instead backed Newton.
Just one day later the campaign is announcing another key endorsement – former St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker.
“Will Newton is focused on building on our past success and making St. Petersburg the best city in America. I strongly support his effort to become our Council Member,” Baker said.
Newton was called out in a Tampa Bay Times article Monday for his track record as president of St. Pete’s firefighter’s union. A press release not shared with SaintPetersBlog but given to the Times indicated that under his leadership the union failed to reach collective bargaining agreements in 2006, 2008 and 2011. After the third deadlocked bargaining session Newton was overthrown as leader.
In a statement to the Times, Newton was portrayed by his opponent’s campaign as “following in his brother’s footsteps, causing gridlock and delays without anything to show for it.”
Newton is running to replace his brother, Wengay Newton, who has been repeatedly criticized for taking a hard stance against policies including a new Pier and a key agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The latest endorsement is key following that report because Baker was on the other side of the table as mayor during two of the bargaining sessions referenced by the Times.
“It is an honor to have the support of Mayor Baker,” Newton said. “I have the utmost respect for him and his service. I look forward to working to make St. Petersburg truly seamless.”
Newton currently serves as the district vice president for the Florida Professional Fire Fighters. He formerly served as a firefighter and EMT for the City of St. Petersburg for 23 years and earned Florida’s Governor and Cabinet award for Professional Firefighter of the Year in 2011.
Newton also served as president of the Childs Park Neighborhood Association and on Mayor Rick Kriseman’s Public Safety Transitional Team Task Group. Wheeler-Brown also worked on Kriseman’s transition team.
Newton has also been endorsed by incumbent City Council members Steve Kornell, Amy Foster, Wengay Newton and Bill Dudley, Council member-elect Ed Montanari, State Representatives Darryl Rouson and Kathleen Peters, former opponents Sheila Scott-Griffin and Aaron Sharpe, Largo Commissioner Michael Smith, the Suncoast Police Benevolent Association, the St. Petersburg Firefighters Association, the Pinellas Realtor Organization and the West Central Florida Federation of Labor.
Newton and Wheeler-Brown are facing off in a heated race for the District 7 seat covering St. Pete’s two poorest neighborhoods – Midtown and Childs Park. They face a citywide vote at the polls November 3.
