Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Federal agency attorney seeks council seat
By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published August 20, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - Eve Joy said it was a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that pushed her into local politics.
In June, the court ruled 5-4 to give local governments the authority to seize people's homes for private development. Joy, a lawyer, said she wants to do something to counteract that decision.
"We can take steps at the local level if we don't want to feel our homes are imperiled," Joy said. "I'm in a position to do that if that's what the constituency really wants."
Joy, 67, is challenging City Council member John Bryan for the District 2 seat, the northernmost area of St. Petersburg. It includes the Brighton Bay, Meadowlawn and Gateway neighborhoods.
Council members serve a four-year term and receive an annual salary of $24,758.
Born in Jacksonville, Joy received her undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. After teaching high school for a few years, she decided to get her law degree from the University of Mississippi.
Joy practiced law in Jackson, Miss., for 12 years before moving to Florida in 1991. She now works as a lawyer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which she calls her "dream job."
Joy also is a licensed residential building contractor and renovated two homes last year.
In addition to protecting homeowners' rights, Joy said she would make the creation of more affordable housing a top priority.
As a member of the Sierra Club, she said she also wants to protect the environment. She was upset by a recent proposal to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter on 27 acres of vacant land in District 2 on Gandy Boulevard, just east of Fourth Street. The Sierra Club protested the development because most of the area is classified as wetlands.
The city's Environmental Development Commission rejected the proposal and Wal-Mart withdrew its appeal to the City Council a few weeks before a scheduled hearing.
Joy is single and has a daughter who lives in Fort Lauderdale.
Because there are only two candidates competing for the District 2 seat, there is no need for a primary race. Joy and Bryan will face off in the Nov. 8 general election.
Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com
[Last modified August 20, 2005, 01:14:08]
Share your thoughts on this story
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor