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'Outsiders' triumph in St. Petersburg council elections

Record low turnout elects two critics of the mayor and two incumbents.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN and NICOLE HUTCHESON, Times Staff Writers
Published November 7, 2007

District 3: Bill Dudley celebrates with his wife, Michelle, as he sees his early vote deficit slowly begin to turn into victory. Voter turnout was a record low.
	[Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Edmund D. Fountain | Times] District 7: City Council member-elect Wengay Newton weeps while hugging his daughter, Chelsea, 9, after he won the race against Gershom Faulkner. Jaime Bennett retained his seat in District 5. Voters could choose between him and "New Election." Herb Polson, who was appointed to the seat in District 1 in 2006, retained his seat.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Wengay Newton and Bill Dudley, two self-described outsiders who campaigned against City Hall, narrowly won seats Tuesday on the City Council.

In an election with record low 9 percent turnout, Newton defeated Gershom Faulkner by some 600 votes in District 7; Dudley beat Ed Montanari by less than 260 votes in District 3.

Newton and Dudley had been voiceful critics of Mayor Rick Baker's fiscal policies. Both men said the message resonated.

"We'll work with the mayor. But he has to work with us," Newton said after fielding congratulatory calls from several council members. "The people really want change. They want something done."

"Being a coach, you're always up for a challenge," said Dudley, the former wrestling coach at Northeast High School. "We had to overcome a lot, including City Hall backing my opponent."

Baker, when reached late Tuesday, said he believed the close victories of Newton and Dudley do not suggest a mandate for change. "They were individual races," Baker said.

"But however it turns out, I will do what we always do -- work with each of the council members to find common ground," Baker said.

Only about 14,500 of the city's 156,146 registered voters cast ballots in the city election, a 9 percent turnout. The previous record was 11 percent, which was set in 1995 and equaled in the September council primary.

Two other seats on council were also decided Tuesday, with incumbents Jamie Bennett and Herb Polson winning re-election.

Polson, who was appointed to the seat in District 1 in 2006, defeated former City Council member Bob Kersteen by about 600 votes.

When asked by a reporter how he was doing after the results were final, Polson simply turned to a crowd of supporters and asked: "How am I doing?"

The group all cheered.

"I just plain worked hard every single day for the last six months," Polson said. "I never deviated from the message, and I was fortunate that the voters agreed with it."

Bennett had the easiest night among the candidates. Without an official opponent, the current council chairman overwhelmingly retained his seat in District 5. Voters could choose between him and "New Election."

"I'm thrilled," said Bennett, who partied with supporters at The Chattaway on Fourth Street South. "I'm still waiting for 'New Election' to call me to concede."

For much of the night, Montanari was leading in the District 3 race. But the lead started to shrink by 9 p.m.

"I'm a little more nervous than I was earlier," Montanari said after the 9:30 p.m. results came in, showing a tightening race. His mother, Barbara Montanari, gave him a reassuring kiss before leaving the campaign party at a building on Central Avenue.

"Moms are never wrong," she said. "He's a shoo-in."

Throngs of Dudley supporters watched the results trickle in nearby at Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill.

"There's a mood with voters today of 'let's change government,'" said Richard Jager, a local union steward and Dudley supporter.

The race wasn't decided until 11:45 p.m., when the last votes were finally counted.

"This was ridiculous," Dudley said. "We live in the 21st century. We can put a guy on the moon and bring him back faster than we can count the ballots. But we did it and that's all that counts."

Elected council members serve four years and receive $39,330 a year. They take office in January.

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

[Last modified November 7, 2007, 01:13:26]