Mayor Ken Welch joins WMNF to make his pitch to keep leading St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 26, 2024. Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr

Election Day for the Aug. 18 primary is rapidly approaching in the Tampa Bay area, and early voting starts next week in both Hillsborough (Aug. 3-16) and Pinellas (Aug. 8–16) counties.

Voters in St. Petersburg will also make a decision about their mayor.

Incumbent Mayor Ken Welch faces challenges from St. Petersburg City Councilwoman Brandi Gabbard and former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Other candidates in the race include Orange County corrections administrator Maria Scruggs, realtor and Shore Acres Neighborhood Association President Kevin Batdorf, and Former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large.

Welch, a former Pinellas County Commissioner, joined WMNF public affairs program “The Skinny” today to make his case for leading the city another four years.

His appearance means that Crist—who has been invited numerous times—is the only candidate that has not joined the program to discuss the race.

The mayor discussed a myriad of topics over the course of 40 minutes, including the Tampa Bay Rays and Gas Plant District, lessons learned in storm response, rumors, property taxes, St. Pete Police’s 287(g) agreement with federal immigration officials and more.

In the second half of the show, political strategist and consultant Steve Schale joined in to talk about Democrats and the challenges facing the party ahead of November elections.

Listen to the show via Apple Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.