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Littrell, Eaton play up their backgrounds
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE © St. Petersburg Times, published March 21, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- Experience has become a thorny issue in the District 4 City Council race. At candidate forums, St. Petersburg native Virginia Littrell touts her civic contributions as a member of two city commissions and her job with a consumer lobbying group. Chris Eaton, a relative unknown, counters that he has mastered important leadership skills through ownership of a consulting company with international reach. The two are vying for the seat being vacated by Kathleen Ford, who is running for mayor. The winner will represent part of downtown and neighborhoods to the north, including North Shore. "The city stands on the brink of very great change," Littrell, chairwoman of the city's Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission, said recently. "We are facing the largest questions this city has ever faced: water, citywide economic development, the education crisis, policing, permitting. To address those questions calls for knowledge of how the city functions. We have too many problems to stop and train someone. The new leadership has to hit the ground running. We cannot wait while somebody learns the ropes." "I represent a fresh perspective," responds Eaton, 43, owner and president of Bridge Builders Inc., a consulting company specializing in humanitarian work in developing countries. "I'm someone who really has been outside. I have experience that is different from the usual government committee type of stuff. Those things are great, but I bring a different perspective, and I bring experience from an international horizon. . . . I'm not myopic." Apart from disagreeing about the breadth and relevance of their experience, the two candidates differ little about what they view as important issues facing the city. Economic development, the city's permitting process, jobs, growth management and water rank high among their concerns. "No water, no economic development," declared Littrell at a recent candidate forum. Littrell, 50, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network, said if elected she will work for increased sources of water and its conservation. Education is another key issue, Littrell said. "Maybe the city of St. Petersburg should be providing after-school programs, computer labs, tutoring programs, mentoring programs," she said. Eaton said two qualities define him. "I've really made it a point to be a candidate who listens. I view the role on council as you're a representative of your district and of the city as a whole. So you've got to listen to know what the concerns are," Eaton said. "The second thing that defines me is I am a unifier. Contrary to what my opponent might say, I do have experience bringing together different types of groups, building bridges between differing groups." Littrell, who finished second to Eaton in the four-candidate primary, said she is gaining momentum as the citywide election nears. "After the primary, I realized I needed to be really ready to go for the general election, and we've been working very hard since then," she said. Eaton's confidence has soared since the February vote. "It is helpful to have people who really believe in you, and I think that the win in the primary really energized the base," he said. "It sort of moved you from obscurity to front-runner." The jobMembers of St. Petersburg's eight-member City Council set city ordinances and control the appropriation of the city's approximately $450-million annual budget. They also set city tax and utility rates. The part-time job pays $23,337 per year. The elections for districts 2, 4 and 6 are for full, four-year terms. The elections in districts 1 and 5 are for the two years left on the current terms. All of the races will be on every ballot in the city. CHRIS EATON, 43, is the owner and president of Bridge Builders Inc., a consulting company specializing in humanitarian work in developing countries. He is a commissioner on the Pinellas Wages Coalition Hardship Review Board and was co-founder and executive director of Single Purpose Ministries, an interdenominational organization for single adults in the Tampa Bay area. Eaton is chairman of the Planning Team for the National Short-Term Missions Conference and has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Single Adult Leaders. He is co-author of Vacations With A Purpose; A Planning Handbook for Your Short-Term Missions Team. Born in Montclair, N.J., he moved to St. Petersburg in 1974. He is a graduate of Lakewood High School and has a bachelor's degree in history from the University of South Florida. He is single. ASSETS: home, office, checking account, mutual funds, money market, stocks LIABILITIES: first and second mortgages on business property, first and second mortgages on home, car loan SOURCE OF INCOME: Bridge Builders Inc. WEB SITE: http://www.chriseatoncampaign.com E-MAIL: ccefl@AOL.com VIRGINIA LITTRELL, 50, is executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network. She has worked as an independent consultant for the city of St. Petersburg's millennium celebration, served as development officer for the Museum of Fine Arts and was director of the St. Petersburg Arts Center. Littrell is chairwoman of both the city's Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission and a member of the state of Florida's Historic Preservation Advisory Council and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. She also sits on the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the steering committee for the 22nd Street Redevelopment Corporation's Main Street application. She has served as president of the Junior League of St. Petersburg and on the board of directors of the Pinellas County Education Foundation. Littrell also has been a member of the St. Petersburg Historical Museum's board of directors. Born in St. Petersburg, she graduated from Lakewood High School and the University of South Florida, where she received a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary social sciences. She is divorced and has no children. ASSETS: home, checking accounts, car LIABILITIES: none SOURCE OF INCOME: Florida Consumer Action Network. WEB SITE: http://www.virginialittrell.com E-MAIL: campaign@virginialittrell.com
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