St. Pete Beach: Of 4 vying for 2 seats, one pair create a stir
The residency of a candidate is a hot-button issue, his opponent maintains.
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN
Published March 3, 2004
ST. PETE BEACH - Although one political race is the talk of the town, there are two seats up for election on the City Commission.
Commissioner Pete Blank and Ed Ruttencutter are vying for the District 3 seat, but it is the race between Deborah Martohue and Will Jacoby, both newcomers to city politics, that has been getting attention.
The election is Tuesday and each term is for two years.
Martohue, who is running for District 1, has questioned whether Jacoby met the city's residency requirements to qualify to run for office.
Although city officials say they are content with Jacoby's explanations as to why his name appeared on a ballot on a local election in Kentucky in November 2002 - a month after he says he began his full-time residency in St. Pete Beach - Martohue said residents may have wanted to ask Jacoby their own questions at a candidates forum.
Jacoby, 53, told the Neighborhood Times his schedule prevented him from participating in a League of Women Voters-sponsored forum.
Jacoby also said that by the time he decided to stay in Florida it was too late to take his name off the ballot for the City Council race in St. Regis Park, Ky.
But Martohue said residents in District 1 may have wished to ask Jacoby why he still voted in that election.
The residency issue is irrelevant because the city took no action against him, Jacoby said. He said he wants to run for office to make St. Pete Beach a better place.
"The goal of the City Commission should be to protect individual rights to enjoy this piece of paradise for as long as we individually choose," he said in a campaign brochure.
The literature also listed what Jacoby would like to accomplish if elected to office: implement and improve the master plan; bring jobs and revenue to St. Pete Beach; ensure fiscal responsibility in city government; and provide open communication with his constituents.
If elected, Martohue, 38, said she would develop revitalization strategies with Blind Pass Road merchants; continue efforts to build a new waterfront park at the old City Hall site and to beautify Gulf Boulevard and Blind Pass Road; work with Corey Avenue merchants to create a redevelopment initiative; and preserve the Police Department.
Martohue also wants a master plan that fosters a mixed-use community, she said. "There is a trend right now of condominiums being built on Gulf Boulevard rather than resorts," she said, adding that if the city becomes a bedroom community it could lose its local merchants.
Commissioner Pete Blank has served for four years. During that time, the city hired a new city manager, built a new City Hall, adopted a master plan, upgraded the city's sewer system and improved public playgrounds, he said.
But Blank, 70, says he has more to do: Create incentives that will encourage revitalization in the Corey Avenue, Blind Pass Road and hotel/beach districts. Balance the city budget. Create more outdoor opportunities for residents, such as walking, jogging and bicycle lanes along side streets. Ensure that St. Pete Beach continues to be a vacation destination.
Blank realizes there is a lot to get done, "but when we work together as a community everything is possible."
Hoping to unseat him is Ed Ruttencutter, 53, who ran against Blank two years ago. In campaign literature, Ruttencutter said he has no ties to developers and opposes increases in building heights and densities. He said the city must discourage "inappropriate development."
Ruttencutter said he is not against development but does oppose "bad development."
"Our city government must allow and encourage residents to be more involved in issues affecting our city," he said. "We cannot be a nice place to visit if we are not a nice place to live."
