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<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 Why are you running for office?\u00a0I love St. Petersburg and believe our city works best when people come first. I\u2019ve served children, families, seniors, and people in crisis, and I\u2019ve seen firsthand how local decisions shape daily life. I want to bring that experience to the City Council to keep neighborhoods safe, strengthen infrastructure, make housing affordable, and ensure every resident feels heard. I\u2019ll be a voice for young people and work to create opportunities for current and future generations in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
\u2014 What makes you the best choice for voters in your district? I bring a proven record of delivering results through executive leadership, frontline service, and a deep commitment to children and families. Every day, I work with youth, families, schools, service providers, and community partners to solve complex challenges. I bring a perspective that considers not only today\u2019s needs but also the long-term impact of our decisions on future generations. My focus isn\u2019t ideology \u2014 it\u2019s results, collaboration, and restoring humanity to local government.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Top three issues to address if elected, and how would you accomplish them?\u00a0Too many families are being priced out of housing, so we need more workforce housing and faster, responsible permitting. Due to property tax vulnerability, we must protect the essential services residents rely on while investing in stormwater, flood protection, and resilient infrastructure. (I would also give) thoughtful consideration of the Gas Plant plan and commitment. I\u2019ve spent my career bringing people together to solve tough problems, and I\u2019ll bring that experience to the City Council to keep St. Pete safe, affordable, resilient, and ready for the future.<\/p>\n
\u2014 How would you serve differently than your predecessor, if elected? Every council member brings unique strengths to the role. My experience leading large organizations, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, and bringing people together to solve complex community challenges has prepared me to lead with both compassion and accountability. Throughout my career, I\u2019ve worked alongside state senators, state representatives, local governments, and community partners to secure resources, navigate policy, and deliver measurable results. I will bring that collaborative, solutions-focused approach to City Council \u2014 putting people first, following through on commitments, measuring outcomes, and remaining accessible and engaged with residents every step of the way. That\u2019s what Vision Without Division looks like in action.<\/p>\n
\u2014 How would you ensure residents in your district are heard and their issues addressed?\u00a0Listening has been central to my entire career. I plan to hold regular community meetings throughout District 6, maintain open communication with neighborhood associations, business owners, and residents, and make myself accessible outside of City Hall. Good policy starts with listening, but it also requires following up and keeping residents informed about what actions are being taken. I want people to know their concerns don\u2019t disappear after Election Day.<\/p>\n
\u2014 St. Pete, like many other communities, is experiencing an affordability crisis. As a City Council member, how would you ease the financial burden for residents?\u00a0Affordability touches nearly every issue facing our city. We need more workforce housing, faster permitting to reduce unnecessary construction costs, and smarter planning that encourages housing near jobs and transportation. We also have to invest wisely in infrastructure so residents aren\u2019t paying more later because we\u2019ve delayed needed repairs. Supporting small businesses, which provide local jobs and strengthen our economy, is equally important. My goal is to make St. Petersburg a city where teachers, nurses, first responders, hospitality workers, and young families can continue to afford to live.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The city\u2019s infrastructure is aging and long overdue for major upgrades and repairs, yet the issue has continued over several mayoral administrations. How would you work to ensure the city\u2019s water and wastewater infrastructure is brought to modern standards?\u00a0Infrastructure isn\u2019t optional; it\u2019s one of the government\u2019s most important responsibilities. We need a long-term capital improvement strategy that prioritizes replacing aging water and wastewater systems before they fail, uses available state and federal funding whenever possible, and provides transparency so residents understand where projects stand. As someone who has overseen large budgets and complex organizations, I know the importance of planning ahead rather than waiting for emergencies. We can\u2019t continue kicking these investments down the road.<\/p>\n
\u2014 High water bills, often unexplainable, have been plaguing some city residents in recent years and months. How would you solve that issue?\u00a0Residents deserve answers when their utility bills suddenly spike. I support a thorough review of our billing system and quicker investigations when unusual bills occur. We should improve leak detection technology, provide clearer communication with customers, and ensure residents have fair opportunities to resolve billing disputes before facing penalties. Restoring trust begins with transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Over the past many years, the state Legislature has imposed several preemptions on cities and counties. Recently, the state forced the removal of street murals. How would you balance the need to follow the law with the needs of the communities you serve?\u00a0Local governments have a responsibility to follow state law, even when we disagree with it. At the same time, I\u2019ll continue advocating for local decision-making and work with our legislative delegation whenever state policies negatively affect our community. St. Petersburg\u2019s character comes from its neighborhoods, artists, businesses, and residents, and I\u2019ll always look for lawful ways to preserve what makes our city unique while complying with state requirements.<\/p>\n
\u2014 A decision on the future of the Historic Gas Plant will come before the next Council. If elected, what would you prioritize for the site\u2019s redevelopment?\u00a0The Historic Gas Plant District is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and every decision we make will have ripple effects across St. Petersburg for decades. I will prioritize transparency, accountability, and ongoing community dialogue to ensure residents remain part of the process. It\u2019s essential that we understand not only the immediate decisions before us, but how those choices will shape housing, transportation, economic opportunity, neighborhoods, and quality of life throughout our city. I will advocate for a redevelopment that honors the site\u2019s history, expands workforce and affordable housing, creates meaningful green space and public gathering places, supports local and minority-owned businesses, and delivers lasting benefits for generations to come.<\/p>\n
\u2014 What steps would you take, and what measures would you support, to continue enhancing sustainability and resilience across the city as stronger and more frequent hurricanes threaten our coastal and low-lying communities?\u00a0Storm resilience has become one of the defining issues facing St. Petersburg. We must modernize our stormwater system, improve flood mitigation in vulnerable neighborhoods, protect Tampa Bay\u2019s water quality, and invest in infrastructure that can withstand stronger storms and rising seas. We also need to improve emergency preparedness and speed up post-storm recovery, including rebuilding and permitting processes. Protecting our environment and strengthening our infrastructure are investments in our neighborhoods, our economy, and our quality of life.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Please add any other personal, professional or campaign-related details not included in these questions: I\u2019ve spent my career helping people, solving complex challenges, and delivering measurable results. From serving as a child welfare case manager to leading large organizations with multimillion-dollar budgets, I\u2019ve overseen complex operations, managed detailed line-item budgets, and made data-driven decisions that improve outcomes while remaining fiscally responsible. I\u2019ve built innovative partnerships, including launching the CALL program, and have worked alongside local governments, state agencies, senators, and representatives to secure resources and solve community challenges. I believe good leadership means listening, bringing people together, and following through with accountability. That\u2019s the approach I\u2019ll bring to the City Council. St. Petersburg is an incredible city, and I want to ensure it remains a place where families can afford to live, businesses can thrive, neighborhoods are safe, and every resident has confidence that their local government is working for them.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Jesse Mendoza of Florida Politics contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Five candidates are running in the District 6 race for St. Petersburg City Council to replace incumbent Gina…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6167,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[132221,3067,65234,6773,202,3351,204,203,199,201,200,6774,76055],"class_list":["post-352174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-doug-homeyer","tag-gina-driscoll","tag-jameka-williams","tag-linsey-grove","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-city-council","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-terri-balliet","tag-trevor-mallory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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