The City Council declared April to be "Winky Wright Month" and gave the athlete a key to the city.
By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published April 2, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Amid cheerleaders, balloons and a packed crowd screaming his name at City Hall, boxing champion Ronald "Winky" Wright remained humble.
"It's been a long road," said Wright, 32, a Gibbs High School graduate and St. Petersburg native. "I never would have thought I'd get a key to the city, chilling with the City Council."
On March 13, Wright defeated 154-pounder champion Shane Mosley in Las Vegas and was named the junior middleweight champion. He returned home Thursday and was treated to a hero's welcome.
Mayor Rick Baker and council member Rene Flowers read a proclamation designating April as "Winky Wright Month." They also presented Wright with a 6-inch gold key to the city, which made Wright smile.
"I just need to find out which bank this key opens," Wright said, chuckling.
The council praised Wright for both his boxing skills and his role as a mentor to local children.
Council member Virginia Littrell said even her 81-year-old mother was a Winky Wright fan.
"She said, "You don't have to tell me who Winky Wright is. Winky Wright is the boxing champion of the world,"' Littrell said.
Also Thursday, the council voted to reallocate $300,000 in federal money the Holocaust Museum returned to the city because it wasn't ready to follow through with plans to expand.
A portion of the money, $119,000, will go toward placing utility lines underground along the 22nd Street corridor from Interstate 275 to 15th Avenue S.
An additional $81,000 will be used for streetscaping along 22nd Street S and installing a crosswalk at 10th Avenue S.
Another $100,000 will go to ASAP Homeless Services Inc. for operations and renovation of its headquarters at 423-437 11th Ave. S.
Also included in the proposal was a request to reclaim $24,000 from the Asian Family and Community Empowerment Center Inc. The money was to be used to paint the organization's building at 2201 First Ave. N.
Joshua Johnson, the city's director of housing and community development, said the center's leaders failed to secure the necessary three bids for the project. They also did not submit an audit this year, a requirement for receiving the funds.
Also Thursday, the City Council cleared the way for a powerboat race along the downtown waterfront the weekend of June 25.
The event will be held by Offshore Super Series, which broke away from the larger American Power Boat Association in December. The group has about 35 racing teams, said Anita Treiser, the city's marketing director.
The APBA held a race in St. Petersburg in October, but it was unclear whether the organization would be returning this year, Treiser said.
