Kathleen Ford Now Ducking Second, Possibly Third, Mayoral Debate

Forgive me if this sounds familiar, but St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Kathleen Ford is ducking another candidate forum.

As has been much discussed, Ford declined to participate in the Suncoast Tiger Bay mayoral candidates forum on July 10. Today, it's been confirmed she has declined to participate in a second, and possibly a third, candidate forum.

According to an email obtained by SaintPetersBlog, Ford is ducking a candidate forum scheduled for Monday, July 8 at the Palm View Independent Living Condominium. The event is being hosted by Westiminster Communities.

"The residents of both our building and others in our complex are very interested in this election and we want to provide them the opportunity to hear personally from each candidate," writes former City Councilwoman Connie Kone, who is organizing the event. In her email, Kone notes that "Kathleen Ford has declined."

Meanwhile, attorney David Schauer, organizer of the "St. Petersburg LGBT Mayoral Debate" on Tuesday, July 9 at the Metro Wellness and Community Centers, says that he has yet to hear from candidate Ford whether she will participate in that event.

Based on her recent behavior, it won't be surprising if Ford ducks this event, too.