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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look someone in the eyes, you kind of get to know them a little bit better,\u201d\u00a0said Chamber president and CEO Chris Steinocher. \u201cSt. Pete is at an amazing part of its lifecycle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so many opportunities on the horizon,\u201d he continued. \u201cThose we elect help us get to those points on the horizon. So, we\u2019ve learned over the years that the business community\u2019s voice matters and the relationships matter with those who lead in the political world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every participating campaign had its own table. Attendees were able to ask questions and have discussions with candidates or their representatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Steinocher explained the event provided an \u201cunderstanding\u201d about \u201cwhich candidates are important\u201d from Chamber members\u2019 perspectives. Individuals were able to participate in a straw poll as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rachel Tenpenny is a St. Petersburg resident and founder of real estate company The Tenpenny Collection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking candidates about their stance on the ground that we are standing on here in the Gas Plant District,\u201d Tenpenny said. \u201cWe have approved a bid for the third time. Of course, we\u2019d love to see the Rays stay here. But, if that can\u2019t happen or doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t keep going back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pinellas County resident Adam Woodard\u2019s main goal in attending the event was to see what differentiates each candidate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to Stefen Diskey, who\u2019s running for Circuit judge,\u201d he said. \u201cHe kinda started off by saying that a lot of people don\u2019t know a lot about judgeship and how it works. I said \u2018you\u2019re right, I don\u2019t. So, please explain it to me.\u2019 So, right off the bat, I got some education. A question I asked him was \u2018what should I be looking for in a judge and what qualities do you have?\u2019 So, being able to have that conversation was really helpful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n