St. Pete decides: The city council race and charter amendments

Election day is in full swing in St. Petersburg, and in addition to selecting its first new mayor since 2014, the city will also decide four city council races and vote on seven charter amendments for the first time in 10 years.

St. Petersburg residents are guaranteed to see at least three new faces on city council, as Districts 1, 4 and 6 are open seats.

Copley Gerdes and Bobbie Shay Lee are competing in District 1 to replace Robert Blackmon, who is on the mayoral ballot. Gerdes is a financial planner, and Lee is a lobbyist.

Lisset Hanewicz and Tom Mullins are vying for the District 4 seat Darden Rice has occupied for the last eight years. Rice, who was also a mayoral candidate, is term-limited. Hanewicz is a former prosecutor, and Mullins is an executive with Raymond James.

Incumbent Gina Driscoll is facing off against newcomer Mhariel Summers in District 6. Summers has previously worked under Congressman Charlie Crist, Senator Daryl Rouson and Representative Michelle Rayner.

Jeffrey Danner and Richie Floyd are running for Amy Foster’s seat in District 8. Foster is also term-limited. Floyd is a local teacher, while Danner is a former city councilman.

Incumbent Brandi Gabbard was set to face Kyle Hall in District 2 until Hall dropped out of the race.

Unlike their mayoral counterparts, city council candidates participated in just one public forum. A recap of that forum can be found here, minus Lee, who was not able to attend.

Regardless of what district a resident resides in, they can choose a candidate from each of the city council races – although a hotly debated proposed charter amendment could put an end to that method of voting.

Voters will decide the fate of seven potential charter amendments; however, it is Charter Amendment 1 that has garnered the most discussion. Amendment 1 would limit city council elections to voters in the applicable council district. St. Petersburg residents currently only choose councilmembers from their respective districts in the primary election. The two candidates receiving the most votes move on to the general election, which is then open to voters across the city.

When the Charter Review Commission (CRC) gave its final update to the city council Aug. 5, the proposed change to how the city chooses its representatives elicited strong responses.

Councilmember Rice said single-district voting could lead to “ward politics that happens in bigger cities, where a system of cooperation gets replaced with a system of horse-trading.”

Councilmember Gabbard said she takes pride in being elected by the entire city – a sentiment shared by her colleagues.

“I had to campaign city-wide; therefore, I understand city-wide issues,” said Gabbard.

Dr. Lars Haffner, Chair of the CRC, said that all options were considered thoroughly, and the commission thought that single-district voting would provide more racial equality and representation throughout the city.

Voters can read the full list of charter amendments here.

As of the 3 p.m. update, the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections Office reports that 54,454 ballots have been cast out of 184,974 active eligible voters. Polls are open until 7 p.m., and to find your designated polling place, click here and enter your home address.

The Catalyst will provide election updates throughout the day.