It's Time To Vote - Schools and the Rays

The campaign is almost over.

Tuesday, November 5, you can go to your polling place and vote.

Every race in this campaign is critical but the next Mayor will set the pace for the next four years.

Recently your mail box has been stuffed full of negative ads, so if you're confused you're not alone.

Beginning during the primary I presented your questions to the candidates. These responses may help you clear up some issues.

Bill Foster
Even though the answers were presented with NO EDITING current Mayor Bill Foster refused to answer your questions. If Foster doesn't respect you enough to answer your questions why should he be your Mayor?

Rick Kriseman
We have a number of problem schools in St. Petersburg. Specifically what will you do to help improve those schools?

We’ve lost our way under the current mayor. Mayor Baker recognized the power that the mayor’s office and the city could have on our schools. I want to take it a step further by working closely with our school system to implement service-learning in our classrooms. Integrating community service projects into the curriculum improves both the student and the community and has proven to be a success elsewhere. 

I will continue and strengthen the Mayor’s Mentors & More program (now under the St. Pete’s Promise umbrella) and seek out additional community partners to assist with volunteering, resources, and strategic planning.

Do you support the Rays talking to anyone in Pinellas County or Hillsborough County about a stadium site?

My preference is for the team to remain in St. Pete and to thrive here. If that proves to be unrealistic - if the Rays simply do not want to be here any longer - then they should be given the opportunity to pay an exploratory fee in order to look at other locations, provided those locations are in the Tampa Bay area. Throughout the negotiating process, I will ensure that our taxpayers are protected. While a sense of regionalism is important, especially in tough economic times, my primary duty will be to the residents of St. Petersburg.

Be sure to comment below or you can e-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net, or send me a Facebook Friend request.

Campaign Disclosures: Contributor to Kathleen Ford Campaign, Darden Rice Campaign, Concern Citizens of St. Petersburg, Rick Kriseman for Mayor, District 2 Lorraine Margeson