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Newcomer assails council incumbent

St. Petersburg's Eve Joy was inspired to run because of an eminent domain ruling by the Supreme Court.

By ALEX LEARY
Published November 1, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - John Bryan is inescapable. He's on TV, talking about promises kept and goals to reach. He smiles down from billboards and from advertisements in the newspaper.

"The fear of losing eats me up," Bryan says. "I love this city and I love my job and I don't want to take any chance of losing it."

The incumbent City Council member is seeking a second term and has raised more than $30,000, affording him a wide net to cast his message. He has picked up key endorsements and is closely associated with the city's popular mayor, Rick Baker.

Yet Bryan, 54, faces a determined challenger in Eve Joy, a lawyer inspired to seek office by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision giving local governments the authority to seize people's homes for private development.

"People that have read about it were shocked and are glad to know I'll do what I can to reduce that threat," said Joy, 68, who hopes to propose local legislation to define and limit the city's eminent domain powers.

The candidates are vying for the District 2 seat, the northernmost area of St. Petersburg. Council members serve a four-year term and receive an annual salary of $24,758.

Joy, a member of the Sierra Club, has portrayed herself as more of a thinker than Bryan. She also criticizes her opponent's pro-development inclinations.

"I'm not anti-development," Joy said. "But I am for the protection of the existing people who live here. Before the ambiance is completely destroyed and more importantly, city services - police and fire - are undermined ... we need to stop and reorder our priorities."

Bryan, a former builder, said he is for responsible development, too, but does not want to lose the progress after so many years of trying to prop up downtown. Bryan has thoughts on the eminent domain issue, too. While the tool should be government's last resort, he said, it should remain available. It could be used to replace blighted property with space for affordable housing, he said.

Born in Jacksonville, Joy received her undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. She taught high school before attending law school and practicing law in Jackson, Miss. After 12 years as a lawyer, she moved to Florida in 1991. She works as an attorney for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Joy also is a licensed residential building contractor.

Bryan is a St. Petersburg native and had his own building company before being elected to the council in 2001. In that race, he promised to focus on quality-of-life issues and has gotten dog and skateboard parks for the area. He was also involved in the deal for a new Dali Museum. In 2003, he proposed relaxing the city's blue laws, which prohibited the sale of alcohol before 1 p.m. The City Council changed the hour to 11 a.m.

If re-elected, he said, he will seek improvements for District 2, including a library, swimming pool, recreation center and playing fields. He also wants to work on getting cruise ships to use the city as a day stop and wants courtesy boat docking downtown. Joy wonders about environmental ramifications of such a move.

[Last modified November 1, 2005, 05:01:02]