Politics & Government
What is the Voting Record of St. Pete Council, Mayoral Candidates?
Some candidates on the Aug. 27 St. Petersburg ballot have never voted in a municipal election.
As local city council and mayoral candidates ask you to come out and vote this August in St. Petersburg's municipal primary election, St. Pete Patch decided to look into how often those candidates have voted.
For some of them, like council member and District 6 candidate Karl Nurse, they have voted nearly two dozen times since the 2004 election season. Others, like District 8 council candidate Amy Foster, have only participated in presidential elections.
Many candidates have little experience voting in the very municipal elections they are asking voters to participate in this August.
Nurse said he learned at a young age that municipal voting is where the public can have the greatest impact in the community.
"There is no level of government where it's easier to get things changed," Nurse said.
Nurse said an engaged public can quickly shift council's decision. After the public complained about limiting hours to libraries, rec centers and laying off firefighters, council stopped supporting those items.
"I’ve seen it over and over again, that when the public is engaged that changes the council’s mind," Nurse said. "You’re about to see this on curbside recycling. I’ve seen it dozens of times where an engaged public moves the position of city council."
He said a candidate's voting record gives the public an indication at how involved and in touch a candidate is.
"Voting is one indication that somebody has been paying attention to what’s going on in the community," he said.
Amy Foster said a busy work and travel schedule meant she did not always stay engaged in municipal elections. She said she had her "a ha" moment that local elections mattered while organizing and helping with St. Pete Pride.
Foster said there was no excuse for her lack of voting in municipal elections but she hopes she can express to the public how important it is to be involved.
"Many people like myself didn’t really understand what level of interaction was happening with municipal government," Foster told Patch. "If people were happy with taxes and never had their door knocked on, they didn’t realize the importance. So that’s one of the things we’ve spent time talking with people about."
She said despite her voting record, other candidates in her district do not have a great voting record either.
"I think almost everyone in my race has spotty voting records," she said.
According to information provided by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office, here are the number of times candidates have voted over the last 10 years in Pinellas County. Also included is the number of municipal elections candidates have voted in.
Mayoral Candidates Votes Since 2004 Municipal Votes
- Anthony Cates 2 0
- Kathleen Ford 19 6
- Bill Foster 18 5
- Rick Kriseman 18 6
- Paul Congemi 17 5
- Jim Kennedy 17 5
- Lorraine Margeson 17 6
- Richard Eldridge 14 3
- Carolyn Fries 15 5
- Dr. David McKalip 17 4
- Darden Rice 20 6
- Trevor Mallory 5 1
- Karl Nurse 21 6
- Sharon Russ 9 2
- Alex Duensing 4 0
- Robert Davis 10 3
- Amy Foster 3 0
- Steve Galvin 7 1
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