Since last summer, we've been making phone calls to re-elect our Democratic mayor rather than let St. Petersburg, Florida, fall into the hands of the Republicans. Our man, Rick Kriseman, won on November 7.
Before he did win, the race had the feel of a nail biter, especially once the local newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times, threw its weight to endorse the former mayor, Rick Baker, a Republican in power from 2001 to 2010 (followed by another Republican until 2014). In the August primary, Democrat Kriseman led Baker by just 70 votes - this after an endorsement by former president, Barack Obama.
To the Times, the unending and inescapable story to run about the first-term Democrat was a sewage crisis occurring under his watch.
Kriseman did tackle the serious infrastructure issue. I’ll say it again: He did tackle it. Reports rightly questioned how it was handled. But, Kriseman did not personally open the valves in the city’s sewer system that led to problems after summer storms in 2016 and, to a lesser extent, after this year's Hurricane Irma. As the Times ran with the story, you could just about picture the mayor in hard hat, malevolently spinning those valves to ruin the city he serves. Pshaw!
More telling: The Times made scant mention of the 14-years during which Republicans did nothing - nada - zip - of significance to improve the city’s aging infrastructure. I also don’t recall prior Times stories demanding Republicans act.
The newspaper sniffed that the race should be nonpartisan. I struggled to see the reasoning in that stance, since - like the major parties - the Democratic mayor and former Republican mayor philosophically diverge on major environmental, social and development issues:
- Kriseman’s term featured the introduction of recycling for individual homeowners. The Republicans had years to tackle that.
- Kriseman stood with climate change and environmental activists in demonstrations against oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and for action against climate change. Didn’t spot Baker demonstrating.
- Kriseman presented the city as embracing diversity and inclusion. He promoted and marched in the annual Gay Pride parade. Baker is not the retiring type. Has been known to strum his guitar at the city's famed Saturday Morning Market. Was Baker seen marching in the parade or as removed from it as he was while mayor?
- Kriseman’s public service includes communications, sending weekly Sunblast e-mails to citizens, enhancing awareness of the city’s issues and accomplishments and announcing events the public could attend.
- Under Kriseman, housing attracting young professionals rose along mid-Central Avenue, transforming the Edge into a thoroughly modern neighborhood with a youthful vibe - unlike the bleak stretch we knew it to be for years.
- When Kriseman was asked how he’d bring affordable housing to an impoverished south-side neighborhood, he said he would do it by slating $15 million for builds. By contrast, Baker said he’d give away plots to Habitat for Humanity.*
Republicans do prefer that charities tackle the societal work Democrats see as governmental imperatives. As noble a cause as Habitat for Humanity is, applying $15 million to address the problem will be more far reaching than the occasional ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Still, the Times thought it unseemly to bring up Republican Baker’s ties to the Republican Party, Florida's Governor Rick Scott and Donald Trump. The party of No. No taxes. No tax-fueled infrastructure repair. No climate change. Sound familiar, even if filling a non-partisan position?
The majority of citizens rejected the non-partisan premise – beating Baker by more than 2,000 votes. (In defeat, Baker left out any reference to Kriseman’s win, a gracious concession statement he chose to leave unsaid.)
The Times ran with this grudging, back-handed, post-election headline: "Great job, Mayor Kriseman, now don't blow it."
“We embrace light and love here," Mayor Kriseman said on Election night. "We drive out darkness and division.”
In this nationwide, toxic political climate, Kriseman's forward-looking message appealed to voters. It is worth sending out across the country into 2018.
by Reggie Morrisey
*See a prior post In My Little Town about the passions running deep in this election, especially demands to bring housing to the south side of the city.
Historic Reflection, Downtown St. Petersburg, a pastel by Vincent Mancuso