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Politics

Familiar faces pursue council seats

Two incumbents, a former member and a candidate on a second quest are chasing two seats in the March 11 vote.

By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer
Published December 19, 2007

SEMINOLE - Voters will have a chance March 11 to put some different folks on the City Council, but the choices all have familiar faces. Two candidates are incumbents, one is a former council member and the fourth is making a second run for a Seminole council seat. Two seats are up for grabs.

John Counts

Incumbent John Counts, 41, is a St. Petersburg native and a Lakewood High School graduate. He has an associate's degree from Santa Fe Community College and a bachelor's degree in business and marketing from the University of South Florida. He is a banker and has worked as a financial consultant. He is married and has one daughter. He says he is running because there's a lot of unfinished business on the council.e_SClBBob Matthews

Incumbent Bob Matthews, 63, was born in Alvarado, Texas, and moved to Seminole in 1979. He retired from Progress Energy in 2002. He and his wife own Seminole Garden Florist. He has served on the Seminole City Council since 1990 except for eight months in 2006. He is married with two children and one grandchild. He is running because he wants to help work out the big issues facing Seminole in the coming years.e_SClBPatricia Plantamura

Patricia Plantamura waged an unsuccessful campaign for the council last spring. She lost out when voters decided to return three incumbents to the open seats.

Plantamura, 50, is a former police officer turned teacher who grew up on a farm near Lincoln, Neb., and moved to Florida 17 years ago. She has lived in Seminole for the past seven years. She is married and has one daughter. Plantamura could not be reached for comment.e_SClBTrina Watkins

Trina Watkins was elected to the council in 2006 and resigned nine months later to run an unsuccessful campaign for mayor against Jimmy Johnson. Watkins, 62, is a community relations director. Born in Lakewood, N.J., she moved to Pinellas in 1950. She graduated from Dixie Hollins High and Santa Fe Community College. Married, she has three children, three stepchildren, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She did not return a call for comment.

Fast facts

About the council

The council is composed of the mayor and six members who generally meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. They hold workshops as needed. The council is responsible for setting policy for the city, overseeing the budget and hiring the city manager and city clerk. Council members serve three-year terms and earn $5,562 a year. The two top vote-getters will win seats on the council. Seminole has about 18,500 residents.

[Last modified December 18, 2007, 21:27:04]