Don’t know where, don’t know when, but Kathleen Ford is telling friends and associates that she will finally file her paperwork tomorrow to run for Mayor of St. Petersburg. Thank you Kathleen for getting into the race and scaring the shit out of enough voters that they will have to actually choose someone else to support!
Scott Wagman, aka The Half Million Dollar Man for his ridiculous fundraising boast, is running into the challenges many first-time candidates face at one point or another.Before I get into that, let me begin by saying that Wagman is trying hard and he has some smart people working for him. He just uploaded a sharp, welcoming campaign website that features a lot of social networking and video. He also just had an open house for his new campaign headquarters (it…
ST. PETERSBURG–Mayor Rick Baker said he hasn’t ruled out a potential Senate run. “I’m not taking anything off the table,” he said when asked whether he would go after the seat being vacated by Republican Mel Martinez. Wouldn’t it be great to see Pam Iorio face off against Rick Baker?
After yesterday, with both Rick Kriseman and Ken Welch nobly deciding not to run for Mayor of St. Petersburg, political observers we are left with a much clearer “playoff picture.” The race is still in the first round, but the paths to victory for some candidates are now much more defined.As I saw it, only either Deveron Gibbons or Ken Welch could move forward by consolidating the African-American vote. With Welch’s departure, Gibbons wins an entire voting block, if only…
Dear Friend:During the last few weeks, I have evaluated the opportunity to run for Mayor of St. Petersburg this year. I am thankful and humbled by your support, encouragement and counsel, and I am confident that with your support we could wage a compelling campaign to lead St. Petersburg. However, the true measure of leadership is not competition for competition’s sake, but choosing the path that is in the best interest of the community. During this process of reflection and…
“An opportunity like this doesn’t come along often, and as I’m always thinking of how best to serve my community, I simply couldn’t just rule it out. Also, because such a decision for me is personal, and not political, it hasn’t come easily or swiftly. After having given this decision the thought and attention it deserves, I now know this: I do not intend to run for mayor in 2009.” I’ve been saying for weeks that Rep. Kriseman couldn’t and…
From PoHo: With the simple and unelaborated headline “Running for Mayor” on his personal website, the legislator shakes up the field draws some attention for St. Petersburg’s mayoral election later this year. Will Rick Kriseman announce he is running, after seeming like he wasn’t while awaiting a Ken Welch candidacy? Or is the headline prelude to his explanation that he won’t run? UPDATE: It’s the second scenario from above. A source with knowledge of Kriseman’s decision says the representative is…