Residents and business leaders gathered Thursday evening at Tropicana Field for an opportunity to meet candidates running for elected offices across the St. Petersburg region. The event was hosted by the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce.
Races represented included St. Petersburg mayor, City Council, Florida governor, the Pinellas County School Board and 6th Judicial Circuit judge. Additionally, individuals seeking seats in the Florida House of Representatives, Florida Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate attended.
“When you look someone in the eyes, you kind of get to know them a little bit better,” said Chamber president and CEO Chris Steinocher. “St. Pete is at an amazing part of its lifecycle.”
“We have so many opportunities on the horizon,” he continued. “Those we elect help us get to those points on the horizon. So, we’ve learned over the years that the business community’s voice matters and the relationships matter with those who lead in the political world.”
The goal, Steinocher added, was to help individuals form bonds with the candidates prior to the election. While social media can shape public perception, he argued that meeting contenders in person can provide a better understanding of both their policy positions and their personalities.
Every participating campaign had its own table. Attendees were able to ask questions and have discussions with candidates or their representatives.
Steinocher explained the event provided an “understanding” about “which candidates are important” from Chamber members’ perspectives. Individuals were able to participate in a straw poll as well.
Rachel Tenpenny is a St. Petersburg resident and founder of real estate company The Tenpenny Collection.
“I’m asking candidates about their stance on the ground that we are standing on here in the Gas Plant District,” Tenpenny said. “We have approved a bid for the third time. Of course, we’d love to see the Rays stay here. But, if that can’t happen or doesn’t happen, I think the community needs its leadership to take that bid and move it forward even if changes need to be made. We can’t keep going back and forth.”
Pinellas County resident Adam Woodard’s main goal in attending the event was to see what differentiates each candidate.
“I spoke to Stefen Diskey, who’s running for Circuit judge,” he said. “He kinda started off by saying that a lot of people don’t know a lot about judgeship and how it works. I said ‘you’re right, I don’t. So, please explain it to me.’ So, right off the bat, I got some education. A question I asked him was ‘what should I be looking for in a judge and what qualities do you have?’ So, being able to have that conversation was really helpful.”
Chuck Tiernan is the senior director of community connections at Community Foundation Tampa Bay, a public grantmaking organization.
“We support hundreds of nonprofits every year,” he said. “When we are close to government and close to the issues in our community, we can make better decisions and we can share better information with our donors.”
One of the key questions Tiernan wanted to ask candidates was “what can philanthropy do long-term to address the variety of issues that are in front of us?”
“I am looking to see what candidates are doing to support the business community,” said Amy Powell, founder and CEO of St. Petersburg-based AimWell Financial. “I’m trying to understand each candidate and their positions and what their plans are for the city, especially some of the more small business-focused initiatives. We’ve done a lot to grow the community. Hopefully, they will continue to keep us on a good path.”
A number of students attended the event as well. Alison Ashley is a political science major at the University of South Florida.
“My biggest issues that I wanted to discuss were mainly about women’s reproductive rights and women’s health in general,” she said. “I’m 19 in Florida, and it’s a very scary time to be a young woman right now with the way the laws are changing and the climate is turning on us. I really wanted to get out to the people running and hear their stances on it just to know where I should lead my vote.”
St. Petersburg native Nick Hasbun is studying government at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
“Especially for the mayoral candidates, I wanted to ask about Complete Streets, which is the program that helps make the city more bike and pedestrian friendly,” he said. “I also wanted to ask about zoning laws. That’s a huge part of housing affordability.”