st pete mayoral race

Candidate Conversation - St. Pete Mayoral Race 2021

Voters in St. Petersburg will be going to the polls in November to pick a new mayor. The race is between Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and St. Petersburg City Council Member Robert Blackmon. What ideas do they have for the city and what role should St. Petersburg play in the growth of the Tampa Bay Area? Host Rob Lorei moderates a discussion with the candidates.
 

Topics:

•  Rays baseball and Tropicana field plans 
• Gun violence in St. Petersburg 
• Affordable housing in St. Petersburg 
• Police reform and Black Lives Matter efforts 
• Vaccine-mask mandates and local control 

Host, Rob Lorei, talks about important news from Florida this week and gets political insights from guests:

• Dr. Chris Mason, Asst. Professor of National Security, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College
• Dr. Donna Petersen, Senior Associate V.P., USF Health, Dean, College of Public Health 
• John Romano, Sports Columnist, Tampa Bay Times 
• Colleen Wright, St. Petersburg Reporter, Tampa Bay Times

This week we discuss:

• A terror attack in Afghanistan as the U.S. evacuation nears an end.
• There will be a runoff in November to see who will be St. Petersburg’s next mayor.
• More school boards around the state resist the governor and mandate masks.
• The latest on what the Rays want to stay in the Tampa Bay area.

To learn more about Florida This Week, visit www.wedu.org/floridathisweek