Health & Fitness
Where will the St. Pete Big Money Players Go?
A Mayor who could largely ignore the Chamber and Beach Drive could be a significant disaster.
With Bill Foster now trailing Rick Kriseman in the latest St. Pete Polls report, the local big money players and power brokers face a significant dilemma.
Stick with Foster and ride a looser to the finish line, or do they quietly begin to move some support to Kriseman so they can still be in play should the election go like it currently looks that it will?
Gut wrenching question since the race has become so partisan.
Find out what's happening in St. Petewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Most, but not all, of the power players in St. Pete are openly Republican or closet Republicans. So even thinking about supporting Kriseman could produce severe indigestion.
On the other hand the boys over at the Chamber, the Beach Drive crowd, along with their friends the more artful, certainly don't want to be left out in the cold should Kriseman's momentum sweep him into office with anything close to a mandate.
Find out what's happening in St. Petewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A Mayor who could largely ignore the Chamber and Beach Drive could be, in their view, a significant disaster.
How, you might ask, could they accomplish supporting Kriseman and not compromise their Republican roots?
How about shutting off support for the PAC over in Orland supported by the Realtors that created all of the negative campaign mail in the primary?
Second how about a new PAC that supports Kriseman where he boys could quietly shuffle some money to the Kriseman campaign, with disclosure coming after the election is over?
As the Republicans Like to say "Mission Accomplished"
Neither of these ideas may be viable, but the fact is the downtown crowd that has long run St. Pete cannot sit idly by and let Rick Kriseman get swept into office without getting some hooks into him. They need to do something.
Kriseman needs to be careful. One of the things that has him out in front is the very fact he is not a down town puppet. Or as the Prophet said "beware of downtowners with gifts, they come with strings attached." (loose paraphrase)
Be sure to comment below or you can e-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net, or send me a Facebook Friend request.
Campaign Disclosures: Contributor to Kathleen Ford Campaign, Darden Rice Campaign, Concern Citizens of St. Petersburg, Rick Kriseman for Mayor
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