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The mayor pops in
By LEONORA LaPETER and BRYAN GILMER © St. Petersburg Times, published April 3, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- Mayor Rick Baker started on the 10th floor of the Municipal Services Center on Monday and worked his way down floor by floor, poking his head over cubicles, shaking hands and making small talk with secretaries and managers. "I've been here 25 years," codes inspection supervisor Brenda Stewart told Baker.
During his first full day as St. Petersburg's mayor, his top priority was to spend the day poking his head in on some of the more than 3,000 city employees to introduce himself, "let them get to know me." Today Baker is in Tallahassee meeting with his friend, Gov. Jeb Bush. Baker spent part of the morning and afternoon with newly elected City Council members and had a lunch of North Carolina-style barbecue with them at the city-owned Mangrove Bay Golf Course. Then he took his walk through the municipal services building, which houses several city departments. It lasted about 2 1/2 hours. Baker relished walking through doors marked "employees only" ("I'm an employee now, so I can go in there," he said) and took a particular interest in people with blueprints or plans on their desks. Baker peered at plans for the Jordan Park public housing complex off 22nd Street S. He asked to see a copy of the designs for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority transfer station on Central Avenue. "I was on the committee that pushed to have a Mediterranean Revival look to the YMCA out there," Baker said to planner Tom Whalen. "I'd like to see what they're doing with the PSTA." "It's got a Space Age, Jetson look to it," Whalen responded. "We'll have to work with them." The appearance of their new 6-foot-7 boss startled some employees, especially on the upper floors. "Sorry, I was talking to my daughter," said Debbie Raley, an administrative secretary, hanging up the phone and looking flustered. "Don't worry, I talk to mine all the time," Baker said. By the time Baker had worked his way down to the seventh floor, employees admitted their upstairs colleagues had sent down warning that the boss was coming. They greeted him effusively. While Baker seemed to have shed the stress of the campaign trail, his baggy slacks, cinched at the waist with a belt, told of long days with few meals. Baker lost 14 pounds campaigning to be mayor. Baker said he made no staffing changes Monday. "I think the mayor has pretty much said he's going to study things," said Tish Elston, who served as former Mayor David Fischer's city administrator and is doing the same job for Baker so far. Several high-level managers and administrators said it will probably be different with Baker after 10 years with Fischer. "It's a change, obviously," said City Attorney John Wolfe. "But we won't know the difference until we get to know him better. He's only been in office one day." If employees are fearful, they did not show it Monday. "I think most of them are hopeful that if they're doing their jobs well, he'll recognize that and retain them," Wolfe said. Baker already knew a number of city employees from his tenure as chairman of the Florida International Museum and the Chamber of Commerce. "Rick -- I mean, I should say mayor," said Bob Jeffrey, manager of urban design and historic preservation, smiling. "It's going to take me a while to get used to that."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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