It’s OK to support Ken Welch, but don’t feign surprise when he draws a challenge

Ken Welch and Charlie Crist have long been allies. Welch backed Crist in his most recent bid for Governor and past bids for Congress, and Crist supported Welch as a County Commissioner and then, a little over four years ago, in his first run for Mayor.

Now it looks like the two will go from allies to opponents, and that should come as a surprise to no one, especially Welch’s successor on the Pinellas County Commission, Rene Flowers.

Yet she was aghast she was at the news that a political committee had been formed to promote a potential Crist bid against Welch for Mayor. In a post the day before Thanksgiving, after the Tampa Bay Times reported on the PAC (which, full disclosure, my wife, Michelle Todd Schorsch, is chairing), Flowers wrote that it made her sad, “because I like Crist and have worked on his campaigns.”

She lamented that he had not reached out to her about a potential bid, “probably because he knows who my choice would be and yes, I would try to talk him out of it.” She also questioned whether Crist gave Welch a courtesy call letting him know he was mulling a run and explaining why. And she further suggested that “there have been whispers in Charlie’s ear and not necessarily from people who want to see him WIN.”

To her credit, Flowers diplomatically acknowledged that she would “have no hard feelings” if Crist were to challenge Welch and win. To her discredit, the post was clearly written from behind a pair of rose-colored glasses that allow her to see a version of Welch — one who has “performed in the face of obstacles, challenges, and successes” — that simply doesn’t reflect reality.

Welch’s re-election prospects have been called into question since back-to-back whammies from last year’s Hurricanes Helene and Milton saw Welch stumble both practically and in the realm of public opinion.

Though the city under Welch’s guidance would love to revise history to reflect a successful debris collection and storm response, it was anything but. Ask Kevin Batdorf, President of the Shore Acres Civic Association. In the wake — literally and figuratively — of Hurricane Helene’s massive flooding, Batdorf walked his neighborhood day after day, noting the city’s failure to adequately respond. “Welch piles,” as they were dubbed, sat uncollected for weeks, attracting critters and looters even as a second storm approached.

To be clear, it is OK to support Welch. Had it not been for the hurricanes, he may very well be on his way to an unopposed re-election, or at least to facing non-serious opposition.

And it’s not like Crist — who still hasn’t even decided whether to run — is the only source of opposition. Need we remind that City Council member Brandi Gabbard has already announced her intent to run. Even before that, the rumor mill was speculating about a possible challenge from the nonpartisan Ryan Griffin.

Given that, Flowers’ opposition — no matter how diplomatically worded — to Crist’s hypothetical entrance to the race is arrogant.

It ignores the very real sentiment among St. Pete residents and stakeholders that the Welch administration has had a few too many missteps — not just the hurricanes, but also a fire chief scandal, a top-level staffer credibly accused of sexual harassment, failed development deals, the crumbling of the Rays deal, etc.

Few were complaining out loud in the open. But in private, developers were questioning whether St. Pete was open for business, residents felt unattended to, and the Welch administration overall has been described as a club that you’re either in or you’re not.

None of this means that Crist is necessarily the better choice. It’s no secret that Crist is my friend, and reporting ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday made clear that my wife’s professional support for Crist is ongoing. But that is what elections are for.

No one, not even the beloved Rene Flowers, should assume an elected official should coast to re-election without opposition just because they are the right political party for the geographic area.

The political process not only allows voters to critically weigh their electoral options, it demands it. Welch will have the opportunity to defend his administration in the same way Crist, should he join the race, will have the opportunity to critique it. And voters have the opportunity to use any and all information coming from campaigns to make an informed decision.

Maybe they send Welch back to City Hall. Maybe they go in a different direction.

But spare us the pearl-clutching when democracy works the way it’s supposed to work.