Community activist will run for District 3 School Board seat

By KELLY RYAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 8, 2000

Tarpon Springs businessman Peter Nehr is running for the seat on the Pinellas County School Board being vacated by Susan Latvala.

Nehr, 47, said he is seeking the post because he wants to help teach students "a sense of urgency (about) how important it is to have a good education."

Nehr and his wife, Anita, own and operate American Spirit Flag Shop in Tarpon Springs. He is active in a number of community groups, including his homeowners association, the guardian ad litem program, the Kiwanis Club, the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens and the Upper Pinellas Republican Club.

Nehr has an associate's degree from St. Petersburg Junior College and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of South Florida. Nehr earned his bachelor's degree this year.

He has three grown children who attended public schools in Pasco County. He has lived in Florida for 25 years.

Nehr has sought public office once before: He ran for the Pasco County School Board 20 years ago. He lost that race.

"I was young and ambitious," Nehr said. "I was always working with kids."

Nehr said he would have several priorities on the board, including keeping schools safe. He said he would be an asset to the board because he is a good problem solver and has experience running a business.

"I have a way of balancing the issues," he said. "I can take information from both sides before I make a decision."

The District 3 seat Nehr is seeking roughly includes Dunedin, Tarpon Springs and the parts of Palm Harbor and Clearwater west of U.S. 19. Latvala is not running for re-election because she is running for a seat on the Pinellas County Commission.

The District 3 race has drawn -- so far -- two other candidates: Carol Cook, a fourth-grade teacher, and David Archie, a Tarpon Springs City Commissioner.

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