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Debate pits rookies against veteran pols

Differences among the candidates in the crowded field were more subtle than sharp.

By CRISTINA SILVA
Published March 11, 2007

GULFPORT - An election forum last week highlighted the subtle differences among six of the candidates running in what has turned out to be one of the most crowded elections in the county this March.

Dozens of residents filed into Gulfport City Hall on Thursday night to watch the forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

Mayor Michael Yakes, who has served for 15 years, is running against first-time candidates Clark Scherer and Marlene Shaw.

Council member Michele King is running for re-election to the Ward 2 seat against political newcomers Christine Brown and Courtland Yarborough.

Council member Mary Stull, who is running unopposed for the Ward 4 seat, did not speak during the forum.

The forum began with a debate among the Ward 2 candidates.

When asked about the city's ongoing debate on whether to install a mooring field in Boca Ciega Bay to help bring boaters to the area, King said the field would only turn the bay into a parking lot.

Likewise, Yarborough said the mooring field was not a good idea, but he supported expanding the city's marina.

But Brown said the mooring field could help draw new crowds to the businesses along Beach Boulevard, many of which have been struggling financially.

During much of the election, Brown has attacked King in political advertisements, especially regarding King's alleged conflict of interest as a real estate agent.

At one point during the debate, Brown accused King of once having said that residents who did not own property did "not count."

King denied the allegations and said she has worked more for the downtown community than any of the other candidates.

"I'm not getting into this fight," Yarborough said, when asked to comment.

A question was raised about whether Brown could serve without drawing concerns about her relationship to City Council member Bob Worthington, who is her husband's brother.

Brown said she and Worthington would act ethically at all times if she were elected. But Yarborough and King said they doubted the relationship would have no impact on the outcome of City Council votes.

"You don't have to break the Sunshine Law, it just has to look like you are breaking the Sunshine Law," King said.

During the mayoral debate, Scherer, a retired engineer, and Shaw, a management consultant, said soaring property values have brought an excess of tax money into the city's coffers.

Yakes said he is also concerned about stabilizing the city's budget and has acted as such, including recently when he claimed to help initiate the special session in Tallahassee that forced state leaders to confront tax issues.

Mixed-use zoning along the streets surrounding Beach Boulevard was the favored idea for helping local artists and reviving downtown Gulfport.

The City Council has discussed the idea, which would allow a combination of residential and commercial properties in a district.

All candidates supported it Thursday.

"It would give a lot more places for the artists to live and it would expand the art district," Scherer said.

Cristina Silva can be reached at 727 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 10, 2007, 21:06:09]