Charlie Gerdes backs Trevor Mallory as ‘best choice for St. Petersburg’s future’

Former St. Petersburg City Council Member Charlie Gerdes knows who he’d like to see on the dais to replace a former colleague.

Gerdes, whose son serves on City Council and whose brother is currently the City Administrator, is endorsing Trevor Mallory in District 6, to replace term-limited incumbent Gina Driscoll.

“I will be voting for Trevor Mallory to be the next City Councilman for District 6 because Trevor is a community leader on affordable housing and access to home ownership,” Gerdes wrote. “Trevor Mallory is the best choice for St. Petersburg’s future success.”

Mallory is the President of Neighborhood Home Solutions, a nonprofit organization established to help people realize the dream of homeownership, maintain their home after purchase and avoid foreclosure.

Responding to Gerdes’ endorsement, Mallory praised his district as “the most diverse” in the city and “a testament to what a diverse community can accomplish together.”

“I had a lot of help over the years from people who do not look like me,” said Mallory, who is Black. “I want to be sure every single kid in St. Pete has opportunity like that. And the foundation of opportunity is a community where people can afford rent or a mortgage, where parents can pay for gas and groceries, where working people can afford to save a little money for a rainy day.”

That, he said, is the future he plans to build in collaboration with community partners.

Linsey Grove was the first-place finisher in the Aug. 18 Primary, finishing with 28% of the vote. Mallory secured a spot in the runoff by finishing second, with 22% of the vote.

But Mallory has since consolidated at least some support heading into the General Election sprint, including earning support from previous opponents, including Terri Balliet, who finished the Primary with 17% support, and Doug Homeyer, who finished fourth just behind Balliet.

Mallory has also secured support from former Mayors Bill Foster and Rick Baker after previously earning support from former Mayor Rick Kriseman. Driscoll has also already endorsed Mallory as her preferred successor, and he has earned support from state Sen. Darryl Rouson and former City Council member Ed Montanari, giving Mallory a bipartisan slate of support as he faces Grove in the Nov. 3 General Election runoff.

District 6 covers parts of southeast St. Pete, loosely from 12th Avenue North to 54th Avenue South, from Tampa Bay to 16th Street.

Mallory is a lifelong St. Pete resident, with the exception of the five years he spent in Toronto when he was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, which recruited him out of high school.

Mallory also serves or has served on a number of community boards and advisory groups, including the St. Petersburg Affordable Housing Advisory Committee; St. Petersburg Citizen Redistricting Commission; St. Petersburg Affordable Housing Lot Disposition Committee; the State of Florida Democratic Black Caucus; and the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee.

Mallory also coaches baseball for Gulfport Little League and the Lakewood High School baseball team. Mallory is a graduate of Lakewood High School.

Mallory is running on an affordability platform, noting that it’s the biggest issue facing residents today. He’s particularly focused on affordable housing, writing in a candidate questionnaire to Florida Politics ahead of the Primary that “housing is the biggest drain on family budgets.”