A Serious Conversation with Rick Kriseman Part I
January 2013 St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin
Here
are some comments by the current mayor from an interview I did with him January of 2013 before he had entered
the Mayoral race: A Casual Conversation with Rick Kriseman.
Bill Foster was the current Mayor.
My current comments
are in BOLD.
Rick Kriseman
began his political career when he was appointed to the St. Petersburg City
Council in 2000. He won reelection in 2001 and 2003 before stepping down in
2006 to run for the State House of Representatives.
Rick and I sat
down this past week(January 2013) at the Kahwa Coffee Shop south for some great
coffee and a casual conversation.
Like most of the
people seriously considering a run for the St. Mayors’ spot, Rick Kriseman is
fully aware of the City’s problems and opportunities.
For someone who
just finished a six-year stint in Tallahassee Rick looks great. Currently
practicing law at Lucas, Green and Magazine in Clearwater, Rick gets into
political mode quick.
His answer to my
first question: "Where do you think the City is," was quick and
decisive.
"I don’t
know where we are going. It’s like a car stuck in neutral," Rick said.
“What do you see
as major issues," I asked?
“Beyond the Pier
and the Rays, I think the age of City staff is a critical issue." "I
am concerned about the ongoing decline in institutional knowledge and the lack
of a transition plan," Rick responded.
Kriseman has
done little to address this problem in his first four years.
“Are you ready to
be the CEO of a nearly 500 million dollar a year business" I asked?
"Absolutely,”
Rick Replied!
So far Kriseman
has managed to run up the cost of almost every major project his team is
managing. Moral is slipping to a new low and the transparency and credibility
of the office of the Mayor is seriously in the toilet.
I am not sure he
is ready to run St. Petersburg after four years of on the job training paid for
by the taxpayers in St. Petersburg.
"How would
you govern differently than the current administration," I asked?
“The best leaders
are those who recognize their shortcomings and surround themselves with people
who compensate for those short comings," Rick replied.
Here, in my
view, is one of Kriseman's biggest failures. Instead of surrounding himself
with people who compensate for his shortcomings, Kriseman immediately
surrounded himself with his political cronies. The high-priced Office of the Mayor
has been a serious source of frustration for the City staff and a major
impediment to progress as everything is seen through a political lens.
"I
would govern differently by offering a clear vision for the future, by being
bold and proposing initiatives that move St. Pete forward, by solving problems
instead of kicking the can down the road."
As
for as clear vision goes, Kriseman now has two spin doctors one in his office
and one at Water Resources to shape what you hear and see. Clarity it seems is
far less important than political correctness.
As we will see
in the next few questions, Kriseman had a good overview of the City's problems
but he completely ignored the infrastructure issue until the sewage dumps into
Tampa Bay.
In Part Two of this Post Kriseman talks about his
frustration with Tallahassee, how he would
do things differently than the Foster administration, and crime in South St.
Pete.
If you are following the St. Pete
Mayor's race, you might find the following Posts interesting: A
Casual Conversation with Rick Baker, A
Casual Conversation with Herb Polson, Is
Rick Baker Really Out of The Mayor's Race .
E-mail
Doc at mail to:
dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (E. Eugene Webb) Friend request. Please
comment below, be sure to Like or share on Facebook and follow me on
TWITTER @DOC ON THE BAY.
Disclosures:
Contributor to Rick Baker for Mayor Campaign
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