Kriseman VS Baker What could this election cost you?

Please do not pass this election up. Mail your Ballot today, vote early next week, or go to the polls on November 7, 2017 and vote.

St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin, So You Want to Blog.   

In case you missed it, you should take a look at this Tampa Bay Times Editorial:

Tampa Bay Times Editorial: October 20, 20176 Editorial: The unknown price tags in the mayor's race.

It details some of the key issues that are at stake in the St. Petersburg Mayoral election.

The Times Editorial deals with the big financial questions but there are more areas of concern with the Kriseman Administration.

Honesty

Kriseman and his spokespersons have consistently skirted around the truth when it comes to critical issues like dumped wastewater quality and the timing of these issues. Even with a fist full of high-paid  spokespeople Kriseman can’t keep his stories straight.

South St. Pete

A grocery store gone, drug store gone, schools left to fail with no direct effort by the Kriseman administration. Next major concern is the south side TIF. Right now, funds are flowing to a Tax Increment Fund for use in improving South St. Pete. So far, about all the Kriseman, administration has done is pretty up 34^th St South, making the dividing line between south St. Pete and southwest St. Pete brighter.

As the Times Editorial points out Kriseman is going to be looking for money to fund HIS projects like the Pier and Pier Park. So, can Midtown and South St. Pete's residents trust Kriseman with the TIF Funds? You know what he did on the Pier selection.

Kriseman has stopped tracking and reporting crime in midtown. Failure to track and report midtown crime has not made it go away. Kriseman disbanded the Street Crimes and Auto Theft units of the St. Petersburg Police Department. No real way to tell if crime is up but auto thefts were. The auto theft unit is back, but for how long if Kriseman is re-elected?

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods and their associations have been relegated to a significantly lower position regarding dealing with the Kriseman Administration. It is time once again to build a strong neighborhood association system that has direct access to the Mayor’s office. This is an effort that takes time and patience but yields significant results.

Comportment

Kriseman likes to talk about St. Petersburg being a great City, but he promotes it as a sanctuary city. A city status that has been declared illegal. He has been quiet on this subject for a while, but it will come back if he is re-elected.

Kriseman likes to talk about the politics of climate change, but he is spending millions of your taxpayer dollars to build a park and playground at sea level and expanding the Southwest wastewater treatment plant which sets at sea level. See my Post Climate Change – How Serious is Rick Kriseman?

Kriseman likes to tie Baker to Trump but in reality, Kriseman’s itchy Twitter Trigger finger, his penchant for spokespeople and out right fabrications and lies are a lot more Trump like than Rick Baker ever has been or will be.

What could this election cost you?

If you live in south St. Pete pretty much everything; continuing failing schools, more crime, drugs and heartache, no convenient shopping and worst of all a betrayal of your trust in the promised redevelopment.

If you live in the rest of St. Pete, wasted tax dollars, a pier and park that are nonfunctional and expensive to maintain. A deal with the Rays that was bought and paid for with campaign contributions, a growing list of Kriseman political cronies populating high-paid City positions and more lies and half-truths about almost everything.

This election is the big one.

If we go Kriseman’s way, then St. Pete continues down the road of many other Florida Cities running on favoritism, political cronyism, sleight of hand and ultimately corruption.

With Rick Baker, you have a chance to reverse this path. You can help clean up City Hall, get the cronies out, improve the caliber of people running your City and spending your tax dollars, improve all schools in St. Petersburg and when you speak your preferences know your Mayor will heed your will.

Please do not pass this election up. Your vote counts more now than ever before.

Mail your Ballot today, vote early next week, or go to the polls on November 7, 2017 and vote.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (E. Eugene Webb) Friend request. Be sure to follow me on Pintrest (Doc Webb),  Like or share on Facebook and follow me on TWITTER  @DOC ON THE BAY.

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Disclosures: Contributor to Rick Baker for Mayor Campaign

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