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Politics

Five file to fill Bryan's seat on St. Petersburg council

The City Council will soon decide who finishes their late peer's term.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 3, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT David A. Eaton, 49, is a lawyer and former assistant state attorney who also served as an appointed St. Petersburg Traffic Court judge. James R. Kennedy Jr., 50, is a lawyer and three-time president of the community group Social Action Stops Abuse. Eve Joy, 70, an attorney with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, received 44 percent in the 2005 election. Sean C. Kelly, 27, is a wealth management specialist for Raymond James and a member of the board of directors of the Police Athletic League. David S. Hoover, 51, is a retired certified legal video specialist and current president of the Riviera Bay Civic Neighborhood Association.

ST. PETERSBURG - The woman who lost to St. Petersburg City Council member John Bryan two years ago is among the group of applicants now seeking to fill the former council chairman's seat.

Eve Joy, who lost to Bryan in 2005 by 3,000 votes, is one of five people hoping to replace Bryan in council District 2, city officials said Tuesday. Joy, 70, is joined by two local lawyers, a neighborhood leader and a Raymond James financial planner.

"I have an interest in the way the city develops and the kind of city we become," Joy said. "I'd like to be a part of that process."

Joy, an attorney with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, received 44 percent in the 2005 election.

District 2 covers the northernmost part of the city, and council members must reside in the district in order to serve. They are paid $39,330 a year.

The other applicants:

- David A. Eaton, 49, a lawyer and former assistant state attorney who also served as an appointed St. Petersburg Traffic Court judge.

- Sean C. Kelly, 27, a wealth management specialist for Raymond James and a member of the board of directors of the Police Athletic League.

- David S. Hoover, 51, a retired certified legal video specialist and current president of the Riviera Bay Civic Neighborhood Association.

- James R. Kennedy Jr., 50, a lawyer and three-time president of the community group Social Action Stops Abuse.

The top candidate will fill the seat left vacant by Bryan's suicide last month amid allegations that he molested his adopted daughters.

The City Council will review the applications and conduct public interviews with the candidates before selecting Bryan's replacement Oct. 18. That person would serve the remainder of Bryan's term, which expires in January 2010.

Aaron Sharockman can be reached at asharockman@sptimes.com or 727 892-2273.

[Last modified October 2, 2007, 23:41:40]