Something remarkable happened last night at the Bethel Community Baptist Church on 54 Avenue South in St. Petersburg. There was a Mayoral debate, sponsored in part by The Power Broker and Grapevine magazine, followed by a straw poll of 116 people. Rick Kriseman utterly and decisively destroyed the competition with 64.7%. Incumbent Mayor Bill Foster -- a white man who told the world last time around that he wanted to be "the first black mayor" of St. Petersburg -- came in at an anemic 16.4%. He should worry. A lot.
Kathleen Ford garnered just over 10%, but she managed to blow even that paltry showing. From Mark Puente's Tampa Bay Times piece today:
After the debate ended, Galladro said organizers sought out a supporter from each campaign to help oversee the ballot counting. They couldn’t find any Ford supporters, Gallardo said.
She pointed to an answer that Ford gave when a resident asked what the candidates had already done to help the struggling Midtown area. Ford said she helped make potato salad at an event in Campbell Park in the 1990s.
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It is an offensive, appalling statement and proves -- again-- that Kathleen Ford is simply not fit to lead the fourth largest city in Florida.
I used to think that perhaps Ford was just a bad campaigner -- hey, not everyone can do it. I figured maybe I just didn't know her. Maybe she had a brilliant mind for policy.
I was wrong. I've heard her a number of times, now, and witnessed displays exactly like this, and it is enough evidence for me: Kathleen Ford is not fit to be mayor of St. Petersburg.
I hope you will support the person with the vision to lead St. Petersburg: Rick Kriseman.
