A Times Editorial

Vote responsibly

Faced with a two-step election process, St. Petersburg residents should get to the polls and avoid frivolous decisions.

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 25, 2001

St. Petersburg has never seen a mayor's race like this one. Nine candidates are on the ballot, and most of them are running serious and vigorous campaigns. With so many candidates competing for support, responsible voters will find it necessary to devote even more time and thought than usual to the process of making an informed choice.

Voters' choices are further complicated by St. Petersburg's two-step election process. The Feb. 27 primary will trim the field to two, who will face each other in the March 27 runoff. In these circumstances, some voters may be tempted to treat the primary as a freebie -- a chance to lodge a protest or send a message (or stay home altogether) without affecting their ultimate choice for mayor in the runoff.

But things aren't that simple. Those who fail to vote in the primary for the person they consider the best candidate -- as opposed to the most interesting candidate, or the fieriest candidate, or the one who would make the runoff most entertaining -- may not have a chance to vote for that candidate in the runoff.

Nobody is a sure bet to make it to the runoff this year. The candidates and their advisers aren't sure who's ahead or behind. The journalists certainly don't have a clue. So voters shouldn't assume they can safely treat the primary as a dry run for the runoff. That attitude might leave them with two less attractive choices in March.

The Times recommends Rick Baker for mayor. A lawyer and former Chamber of Commerce president, Baker also has been deeply involved in the history and civic life of St. Petersburg's neighborhoods. Baker offers an informed and constructive agenda for building on the city's economic and social progress, and he seems to have a good sense of the untapped potential of the office under St. Petersburg's relatively new strong-major form of government. Other serious candidates are on the ballot as well. In particular, Karl Nurse, a small business owner and longtime neighborhood leader, has the experience to be a successful mayor -- although a late negative mailing by his campaign has undercut the more positive message with which he began this race. In any case, voters should make their choice Tuesday on the basis of who they think would be the most effective mayor, not based on some lesser consideration.

Residents of Districts 2, 4 and 6 also will be voting in City Council races on Tuesday. The top two vote-getters in each district will then face each other in the March runoff, when two-person contests in Districts 1 and 5 also will be decided.

This is an important election for St. Petersburg. The city is moving in the right direction after years of stagnation and division, and voters have a chance to build on that success. This is no time for frivolous decisions that could jeopardize St. Petersburg's hard-won progress.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright