Southpinellas: Brodhead becomes council's new face

Brodhead becomes council's new face

A quiet election with the fewest voters since 1995 followed a civilized campaign.

By AMY WIMMER, Times Staff Writer

GULFPORT -- Harry Brodhead is the new face on the City Council, defeating Iris Manley in a campaign marked by its lack of controversy and, in the end, its lack of voters.

Brodhead, 47, received 632 votes, which amounted to 63.45 percent of the 996 ballots cast Tuesday. Manley, 68, received 358 votes, or 35.94 percent.

Brodhead, who spent part of Tuesday night collecting his campaign signs, said he was pleased at how the two candidates campaigned.

"I think that's the way that it should be. Iris and I ran a clean campaign," Brodhead said after hearing of his victory. "I'm just glad Gulfport is a classy enough town to do that."

Brodhead, who has lived in Gulfport for five years, runs his own handyman service. Manley has lived in Gulfport 29 years and has volunteered at Gulfport Elementary School since she first arrived.

On Tuesday night, Manley said she was "a little bummed out" by the election results, and admitted running for office was more difficult than she expected. "It was my first campaign," she said, "and it was hard."

Brodhead and Manley agreed on most issues. Brodhead tended to be more outspoken, coming out strongly in favor of retaining the city police department's in-house dispatching center.

Manley, meanwhile, said she would have to study that issue and many of the other more controversial ones facing Gulfport, including the idea of Gulfport creating its own city cable service.

Tuesday night, as the candidates awaited election results, Manley invited campaign workers to her home, where she served them chicken and dumplings, deviled eggs and other goodies while awaiting the election results.

Meanwhile, Brodhead and his girlfriend, Linda Henderson, headed to Fazio's Pizza & Subs in Gulfport after votes were tabulated for what Brodhead called "the best pizza in Pinellas County."

Brodhead will replace Lynne Brown, two-term council member known as an advocate for Gulfport's arts community and its rich history. Brown decided not to seek re-election this year.

Also this year, John "Ted" Phillips, a 12-year incumbent on the City Council, was re-elected without opposition.

Voter turnout was unimpressive, registering at the lowest levels since 1995, when turnout was just 11 percent. Only 996 people, or 12.32 percent of Gulfport's 8,084 registered voters, showed up at the polls.