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Letter to the editor

Dudley vs. Montanari

By Aaron Sharockman
Published October 28, 2007

Bill Dudley has been running for a City Council seat for more than four years. Ed Montanari has been running for closer to four months.

The two men will soon find out if any of that makes a difference to city voters.

Dudley, a longtime teacher and wrestling coach at Northeast High School, faces off against Montanari for the council seat in District 3. The seat is being vacated by Bill Foster, who is prevented by city election law from seeking a third term.

Montanari, a 49-year-old pilot for American Airlines, has emerged as the choice of the city's establishment.

He has been endorsed by Foster, Mayor Rick Baker and council member Rene Flowers. And he finished well ahead in the District 3 primary last month.

All of it is fine with Dudley, who is running for the council for the second time. In 2003, he was soundly defeated by Foster.

Dudley's campaign has focused on a message that the city can no longer afford the status quo.

"I'm not afraid to speak up," said Dudley, 63, who retired from teaching last year. "Sometimes I think enough is enough. I think people like that about me."

Dudley said the city, and specifically the mayor, made the wrong decisions during the most recent round of budget cuts.

He said high-level administrators were spared at the expense of lower-level staffers.

"Ever notice when they cut, they cut from the bottom to the top?" Dudley asked. "We have deputy mayors, supervisors, division leaders. This guy tells one guy to tell that guy to do something. You can cut out a lot of that stuff."

Montanari, meanwhile, is running a nearly opposite platform. His campaign is based on the theme, "Building on success."

"I'm not going to be running for office to make wholesale changes," said Montanari, who largely supports the cuts the city made earlier this year.

Montanari's campaign centers on what he believes is his best attribute, an ability to build consensus.

He talks often about his work as chairman of a group discussing the future of Albert Whitted Airport.

In that case, he says he was able to bring people together who started the process at opposite ends of the spectrum.

"People that know me know that I study the issues and I am proactive the way I address problems," Montanari said. "That seems to be resonating."

William H. 'Bill' Dudley

Age: 63.

He is a retired Pinellas educator who ran for the City Council in 2003. Dudley moved to St. Petersburg from Cambridge, Mass., with his family when he was 12. He graduated from Northeast High School, St. Petersburg Junior College, the University of South Florida and Stetson University. Dudley retired in 2006 from Northeast High School, where he was a driver's education instructor and wrestling coach. He serves as president of the Snell Isle Property Owners Association and is a member of the Northeast Exchange and the Council of Neighborhood Associations. He is married to Michelle Timmel Dudley and has two adult children and one grandson. Assets: Home, timeshare, retirement investment. Liabilities: Mortgage, credit cards. Source of income: School salary, state retirement, Social Security. Web site: www.dudley4stpete.com

John Edmund 'Ed' Montanari

Age: 49.

He is a pilot for American Airlines who served as chairman of the Albert Whitted Blue Ribbon Advisory Task Force. Born in Hattiesburg, Miss., Montanari moved to Florida and graduated from Northeast High School. After earning a bachelor's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Montanari joined the Air Force, where he flew F-16s. He later was an air operations officer and a simulator instructor based out of MacDill Air Force Base. Montanari is a member of the Snell Isle Property Owners Association and is a past president of the Lutheran Church of the Cross church council. Montanari is married to Pamela Montanari and has two children, Jacqueline, 16, and Matthew, 14. Assets: Home, cars, boats. Liabilities: Mortgage, home equity loan, car loans. Source of income: American Airlines salary. Web site: www.edmontanari.com .

[Last modified October 28, 2007, 14:26:17]