St. Pete Reacts to Historic Election The people have spoken: Ken Welch is the new mayor-elect of the Sunshine City. Tuesday (Nov. 2) night’s election was historic in that he will be the first Black mayor in the city’s history. Hundreds of people packed into the Legacy Gardens of The Woodson African American Museum of Florida to watch history in the making. From being a sundown town to former Mayor John Burroughs saying in 1958, “I like the Negro. I like him in his place,” St. Pete has seen progress but still has a long way to go. With the election of Mayor-elect Welch, many people in the community feel that progress is in sight.
VIA KEN WELCH
The Weekly Challenger Staff
On Nov. 2, St. Petersburg voters elected the city’s first Black Mayor, Ken Welch.
Gwendolyn Reese, community activist This is a very important and historical election for several reasons. Because for the first time, we have an African-American candidate who has gotten past the primary and is actually in the running to become the first African American mayor in this city. We have an African American, LGBTQIA person who is actually vying for a district that is very, very important and had previously been what was a historically Black district that had had Black representation for many years. It’s also a historical election because of the charter amendments that are on the ballot. For the first time in the history, to my knowledge, of the Charter Review Commission, four of the seven amendments deal with equity. And as far as I know, this is the first time a Charter Review Commission has ever dealt with equity. So that makes it very, very, historically significant — regardless of the outcomes of any of those three things, it will not undermine at all the historical significance of each of these.
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Leon Jackson, Courageous 12 I endorsed Ken, and it was a pleasure. I know he will do an excellent job because I know his entire family. They’re very great people. During the time when we filed that lawsuit, there were no African Americans in leadership at city hall. The only African Americans that worked for city hall during that time was the ones that did janitorial work. We 12 police officers, the “Courageous 12,” saw racism in the city, and we stated that, “It’s not right.” We decided to file that lawsuit, and we won! Dr. Alex Harris, co-founder of the Arts Conservatory for Teens This is a historic moment, and I feel extremely excited to be a part of this history in the making for the City of St. Petersburg. But beyond that, his interest is to serve all people, regardless of party, regardless of race, regardless of economic status, to really continue the growth that we are seeing in our city to the next level. Carla Bristol, Youth Farm director So, I am beyond excited; I was actually going to leave the city if he didn’t
win. Because it just doesn’t make sense, we have a qualified candidate. For any other job on the planet, you would look at qualifications and vote based on that. And I was a little surprised that people were even having any trepidation about a highly qualified candidate. So, it’s not even only about making history; it’s definitely about the focus and attention that’s been lacking in South St. Pete. So, I feel confident that that’s what we’re going to get under this administration. Jabaar Edmond, community activist Today our community takes a step forward. Welch will stay focused and advocate for the least of us. Darlina Herring I started off with Commissioner Welch when he was elected in November 2000. I have been the only aide that he has had for the entire 20 years. And I am excited for him because he is a phenomenal man of God, he has a heart for the city of St. Petersburg, and he has the character, the integrity. All my prayers for him are that he will be surrounded by
theGabber.com | November 11, 2021 - November 17, 2021
