Beach communities looking for candidates

Got an itch to be a politician? It's election time on the gulf beaches.

Soon Gulf Boulevard (and, in other coastal communities, Gulfport Boulevard and Pasadena Avenue) will be lined with campaign signs that will linger until mid March, the end of election season -- unless one or more of the races leads to a runoff.

Up for grabs are two mayor's chairs and 30 seats on governing panels, called city commissions, town commissions, city councils or town councils.

Many of the incumbents are running for re-election. Some haven't decided yet.

Finding people to run for these offices can be tough, especially considering that the Social Security checks some of these elected officials receive from the government total more than their city salaries. In Belleair Shore, for instance, home to about 100 people, candidates are only required to be registered voters who live in the town.

It doesn't matter how long you've lived there.

"We're lucky if we get people," said John Robertson, the mayor, "so we make it as easy as possible."

The communities that make up the Pinellas County beaches are inherently small. Including Gulfport and South Pasadena, their residents make up 6 percent of the county's population, yet these 54,000 people are divided into 12 tiny cities and towns.

The largest is Gulfport, population 12,527, according to the 2000 census. The smallest (not including Belleair Shore, which the census folks declined to count) is North Redington Beach, population 1,474.

One tip for those who want to limit their involvement to voting, not running: If you aren't already registered, the last day to register to vote in a March 5 election is Feb. 4. The last day to register for a March 12 election is Feb. 11.

Belleair Beach

SEATS OPEN: City Council seats held by incumbents Tom Ferrara, Frank Lombardi and Larry Rudolph. Council members are elected to two-year terms and are not paid.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Candidates can pick up qualifying materials at City Hall, 444 Causeway Blvd., and must file by 4:30 p.m. Jan. 21. To qualify, candidates must have moved to Belleair Beach before July 21 and must submit 10 petition cards signed by other city residents. Candidates pay no filing fee.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. Residents vote at City Hall.

Belleair Shore

SEATS OPEN: Town Council seats held by incumbents Mary Alice Grizzle, Carl Hilton and Bob Schmidt. Council members are elected to two-year terms and are not paid.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Candidates can pick up materials from the town attorney, John Elias, whose office is located at 611 Druid St., Clearwater. Elias also can be reached at 461-0220. Candidates must file for election by 4 p.m. Jan. 15.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. In Belleair Shore, which does not have a town hall of its own, residents vote at Belleair Beach City Hall.

Gulfport

SEATS OPEN: City Council seats held by incumbents John "Ted" Phillips, who represents Ward 1, and Lynne Brown, who represents Ward 3. Council members are elected to two-year terms and earn $7,200 a year.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Candidates can pick up materials at the city clerk's office, inside Gulfport City Hall at 2401 53rd St. S. To be eligible, prospective candidates must have lived in Gulfport for at least two years prior to qualifying. They also must submit 10 petition cards signed by registered city voters and pay a $72 state fee. Candidates must file for election by 4:30 p.m. Jan. 24.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 5. Though Council members in Gulfport are elected to represent individual sections of the city, called wards, everyone in the city votes in each district's election.

Indian Shores

SEATS OPEN: Town Council members Jim Lawrence, Sandy Schuler and Bill Smith are the incumbents. Town Council members typically are elected to three-year terms and earn $6,100 annually, though the council member selected by the Town Council as vice mayor earns additional money. This year, the person elected to Smith's seat will serve only a two-year term because he replaced Irene Anderson, a council member who resigned a few months after her election last year. Smith was appointed by the council to fill Anderson's seat until the 2002 election, when someone will be elected to complete the remainder of Anderson's term. Smith has filed to be elected to the seat he now holds. Lawrence and Schuler also have filed for re-election.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Anyone interested in running for office in Indian Shores must file by noon Friday. Information packets can be picked up at Town Hall, 19305 Gulf Blvd. Candidates, who must live in Indian Shores and be registered voters for six months prior to qualifying for election, must submit 37 petition cards signed by voters in the town. Candidates also must pay a $61 state filing fee and a $25 city fee.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. Residents can vote at Indian Shores Town Hall.

Indian Rocks Beach

SEATS OPEN: Mayor Bob DiNicola and incumbent City Commissioners R.B. Johnson and Thomas "Toby" O'Brien are up for re-election. Commissioners are elected to two-year terms and earn $4,412.52 annually. The mayor, also elected for two years, earns $5,673.24 a year. Commissioners are considering adding two referendum questions for voters to consider this year. One would expand their terms of office from two to three years; the other would allow the city to sell some property. The commission is expected to decide this week whether to add the questions to the ballot.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Anyone interested in running for office must pick up and submit qualifying materials between noon Monday and noon Friday at City Hall, 1507 Bay Palm Blvd. Prospective candidates must have lived in Indian Rocks Beach since before Jan. 11, 2001, and must submit 20 petition cards signed by city voters. Commission candidates must pay a $44.13 state filing fee. Mayoral candidates must pay a $56.73 state filing fee.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. Residents can vote at Indian Rocks Beach City Hall.

Madeira Beach

SEATS OPEN: District 1 City Commissioner Doreen Moore and District 2 City Commissioner Jan Sturgis are up for re-election. Both have filed to run. Commissioners are elected to two-year terms and earn $4,800 annually.

CANDIDATES QUALIFYING: Prospective candidates can pick up information at City Hall, 300 Municipal Drive. Candidates must file by Friday. Candidates must be residents of Madeira Beach for two years prior to qualifying and residents of the district they hope to represent for at least six months prior to qualifying. Candidates also must pay a $48 state filing fee to run for election.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. Residents can vote at City Hall.

North Redington Beach

SEATS OPEN: Town Commission posts now held by David Yost and Raymond Jagielski. Commissioners earn $2,400 annually and are elected to two-year terms.

CANDIDATES QUALIFYING: Election qualification information will be available at Town Hall beginning Jan. 21. Anyone interested in running for commissioner should file by Feb. 1. Running for office requires one-year residency prior to qualifying and a $24 state fee.

ELECTION: The town election is March 5. Residents can vote at Town Hall, 190 173rd Ave.

Redington Beach

SEATS OPEN: Three Town Commission seats -- two for two-year terms and one for a one-year term. Redington Beach commissioners typically hold office for two years, but Commissioner Laura Caniff resigned and Linda Wilson was appointed to fill her seat until the next town election. The person elected in March will hold the job just one year to complete Caniff's term. The other two seats now belong to Judy Orzech and John Fish. Town commissioners earn $600 annually, though commissioners might ask voters to raise their salaries through a referendum this year.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Prospective candidates must file by Friday at Town Hall, 105 164th Ave. Candidates must have lived in Redington Beach for at least one year prior to the election, submit five petition cards signed by town voters and pay a $6 state fee.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. Residents can vote at Town Hall.

Redington Shores

SEATS OPEN: The seats of two town commissioners, Launa Dopp of District 1 and Clell Miller of District 3, will be filled this year. Commissioners in Redington Shores are elected to two-year terms and earn $4,800 annually. Commissioners are elected districtwide and must live in the district they represent.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Anyone interested in running for town commissioner can pick up information at Town Hall, 17425 Gulf Blvd. Prospective candidates should submit 15-25 petition cards signed by voters, a $48 state fee and a $5 town fee. They also must live in the district they hope to represent for six months before qualifying for the election.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. Voters can cast ballots at Town Hall.

St. Pete Beach

SEATS OPEN: District 1 commissioner, now held by John Phillips; District 3 commissioner, now held by Peter Blank; and the mayor, now Ward Friszolowski. Friszolowski and Blank plan to run for re-election. Phillips said he will announce his plans at the St. Pete Beach City Commission meeting Tuesday night. Commissioners are elected to two-year terms and earn $5,400 annually. The mayor earns $8,100 a year and also serves two years, though voters will decide on possibly extending the mayor's term to three years. Voters also can cast ballots on a plan to switch St. Pete Beach from districtwide to citywide elections. In that type of system, commissioners would continue to live in and represent an individual district, but they would be elected by all the voters.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Anyone interested in running for election can pick up information at City Hall, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, beginning Jan. 22. Candidates must file to run by noon Feb. 5. All candidates must submit 15 petition cards signed by city voters and a $40 city fee. In addition, mayoral candidates must pay an $81 state fee, and commission candidates must pay a $54 state fee.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. District 4 voters should report to the Warren Webster Community Center, 1500 Pass-a-Grille Way; District 3 voters to the Don Vista Building, 3300 Pass-a-Grille Way; District 2 voters to Legion Hall at City Hall; and District 1 voters to the city gymnasium, also in the City Hall Complex.

South Pasadena

SEATS OPEN: Commission posts now held by Wayne Barr and Chris Burgess. Dick Holmes, whose term does not expire until next year, has announced plans to resign, so a new commissioner will be elected to complete his term. Commissioners are elected to three-year terms and earn $5,700 annually. Voters here also will vote on extending term limits for elected officials and allowing them an automatic annual raise.

CANDIDATE QUALIFYING: Anyone interested in running for election can pick up and submit materials by noon Jan. 18. Candidates must have lived in South Pasadena for one year prior to qualifying and must submit 10 petition cards signed by voters. They also must pay a $57 state fee.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 5.

Treasure Island

SEATS OPEN: District 2 City Commissioner Butch Ellsworth and District 4 City Commissioner Barbara Blush are up for re-election. Voting is districtwide, meaning only residents of a district can vote for their representative. Commissioners in Treasure Island are elected to two-year terms and earn $5,400 annually.

CANDIDATES QUALIFYING: Prospective candidates can pick up information at City Hall, 120 108th Ave. By noon Jan. 29, they must submit five petition cards signed by city voters and pay a $54 state filing fee and a $50 city filing fee. Candidates also must live within the district they want to represent.

ELECTION: Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12. Residents can vote at the Treasure Island Community Center, 1 Park Place.

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