Sunday November 24, 2013

St. Pete
Mayor elect Kriseman has been busy moving his transition team into place and getting the large group transition team organized and moving.

Thursdays first planning meeting was well organized and exceptionally well lead by the Mayor elect's co transition team chairpersons. The task for the committee is well defined.

The Group is well credentialed and also well experienced in team visioning events. At first glance a seemingly well balanced team.

Well represented are lawyers, downtown, District 1, activists, unions and south St. Pete. All with their own agendas.

 

 However, missing seems to be representation from the retired community, Gen-X, the millennials to some degree, the Mayor's neighborhood West St. Petersburg, the average person and the Tyrone area which the St. Pete Chamber DOES NOT represent.

 

An unofficial member of the Kriseman team said "they just didn't have time to go get those people".

Just a reminder: those people are the ones that elected the new Mayor.

This group no doubt is going to produce some interesting findings for the new mayor. The real question is will they address anything new or will the final outcome look like a rehash of the waterfront committee, the Pier Task Force, 20/20, the PD as it is and so on.

Outstanding moment of the evening was a short but powerful speech from soon to be Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin. I am quickly becoming a fan of new Deputy Mayor.

 

Also present at the meeting a name many of you will remember: Mike Dove. Mike will be a strong and valuable voice as the Transition Team puts its plan for neighborhoods together.  

St. Pete PD

Looks like Mayor elect Kriseman's candidate for interim Police Chief will get an early start as Chief Harmon's last Day will be December 18, 2013  with Assistant Chief DeKay becoming acting Chief on December 19, 2013. This creates an interesting window for Harmon and DeKay. Could there be some PD hanky-panky afoot? Check out my Post Monday.

PSTAPSTA will be in the news for the next year as they work on the Sales Tax Referendum on the November 2014 Ballot. I will be following the Referendum initiative looking at a number of issues including the tax itself. You can see my latest Post GreenLight Pinellas - PSTA's Take on Sales Tax.

I attended Wednesdays meeting of the PSTA. It was Jeff Danner, long time St. Pete City Council member's last day as PSTA Chair. Jeff received an award and the well deserved accolades of his fellow board members for his service to the PSTA. Jeff has done an outstanding job at PSTA.

I am starting to get an idea about how much opposition may be building to the sales tax referendum. Saturday I walked into the Largo Gun Show only to discover a two booth display featuring "NO TAX FOR TRACKs, a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers and several clipboards full of people who had signed up for the cause.

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