PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF IN TAMPA GAY MAN’S ELECTION VICTORY

John McDonald

Not all the news out of Florida is bad these days. For the first time ever, Tampa elected a gay man to its city council. Alan Clendenin won the District 1 seat in a runoff election, taking almost 65% of the vote.

A retired air traffic controller, Clendenin received 16,244 votes to defeat Sonja P. Brookins, who got 8,933 votes. Clendenin, 64, lost in the city council race four years ago, but never gave up.

He credited his years of civic engagement as a key factor in the win.

“Years of hard work and experience,” Clendenin said. “Building relationships and I surrounded myself with good people. I also had the help of the Victory Fund and Equality Florida.”

In a July 2021 estimate, the Census Bureau reported Tampa had a population of 387,050, making it Florida’s third largest city behind Jacksonville and Miami.

“Big congratulations to Tampa’s newly elected city council members. Look forward to working with each of you to keep moving our city forward,” tweeted Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

Clendenin, who had the backing of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association, told the Tampa Bay Times that increased funding for the city’s transportation department is a top priority.

Voter participation in the citywide election was 11%.

After Some Uncertainty And Misinformation Pride On The Block Will Happen

JUNE 3.

The fourth annual party raises money for Transpire Help, which provides aid for LGBT in recovery.

According to Donna Weinberger, founder of Transpire, in a press release, “I appreciate [West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James] sitting down with me to work out the details. Pride on the Block is a celebration of and for the community which brings together so many people, performers and vendors to celebrate Pride in our community. It’s our major fundraiser for the year and it helps us fund our programs which give LGBTQ+ individuals the resources to access help.”

The city of West Palm Beach is ending all street parties in the 500 block of Clematis St. The area began hosting the outdoor drag parties during the pandemic as a way for the community to safely come together. SFGN was told that had nothing to do with Pride on the Block and so there was confusion and misinformation being spread.

According to the press release from the city the hold up with the event the initial application contained “fatal flaws.” James worked with Transpire to submit a new application for permit. The press release says The City of West Palm Beach will “expedite permitting so all deadlines can be met.”

Last year’s event was marked by the threat of violence after a very detailed letter was received. It listed streets and landmarks, and police took it seriously. The person behind it was determined to be a minor in Canada who used an online mapping service to scout the area. He remains under arrest in Canada.

“It is truly a pleasure to work with the sponsors of Pride on the Block. The City is fully supportive and is looking forward to a safe and successful event. As mayor of this great city, I fully support the LGBTQ+ community and I am pleased that we were able to come together,” said James in a statement.