Meet the St. Pete City Council, District 6 candidates: Jameka Williams

Five candidates are running in the District 6 race for St. Petersburg City Council to replace incumbent Gina Driscoll, who is leaving office due to term limits.

Qualified for the race are Terri Balliet, Linsey Grove, Doug Homeyer, Trevor Mallory and Jameka Williams. District 6 covers parts of southeast St. Pete, loosely from 12th Avenue North to 54th Avenue South, from Tampa Bay to 16th Street.

As of July 10, the most recent date for which campaign finance records are publicly available, Balliet was the top fundraiser, with nearly $50,000 raised and just over $5,000 on hand. Mallory follows with nearly $36,000 raised, and he maintains more than $14,000. Grove has raised nearly $27,000, and has about $13,000 still in the bank, while Homeyer and Williams trail with less than $14,000 and less than $7,000 raised, respectively.

Florida Politics sent candidate questionnaires to each candidate and is publishing them as-is to allow voters to learn more about candidates appearing on the Aug. 18 Primary ballot. Because the race features more than two candidates, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to the General Election in November.

Below are the candidate responses from Williams:

— Profession: Marketing & community engagement, community activist.

— Education: Communication Studies, B.A.

— Years in St. Pete: 4.

— Years in your district: 4.

— Civil service/volunteerism: Faith in Florida, Democratic Socialist of America, League of Women Voters, Uptown Neighborhood Association Board Member.

— Why are you running for office? I am running for office because our city is at a crossroads and it’s being sold out from underneath us. I believe that everyone should feel that their voice and their vote matters and that together, we can create a city that works for everyone, not just for the few!

— What makes you the best choice for voters in your district? I set out to make effective change in this community long before I lived here. I fell in love with St. Pete when I moved to the Bay Area 10 years ago. But, rising costs of living kept me out. In the Summer of 2020 I began organizing with the St. Pete Tenants Union and Faith in Florida, advocating for rent control. Ultimately, that was pre-empted at the State level but we were able to push for tenants to have rights and assist people in stabilizing their living situation. I also became an active patron of the Arts community that is a huge economic driver for our city, as well as a defender of lgbtq and reproductive rights. I am the best candidate for this district because I am committed to improving the quality of life for everyone in our city, not just the few, and I refuse to sit idly by while skyrocketing costs and gentrification push the working class out. I am also committed to building coalitions to take back local control from the hands of the state government.

— Top three issues to address if elected, and how would you accomplish them? 1. Increase the affordable housing supply by prioritizing mixed-income and workforce housing utilizing public owned land and rehabbing established city parcels to cut costs. I will also work to make sure they are near jobs and transit so that working class folks can get to work and pay for their housing. 2. Build a more resilient St. Pete by investing in stormwater infrastructure as well as wastewater improvements. I will employ proven methods to restore our shore lines, and invest in mitigation techniques to better prepare us for flooding and rising sea levels. 3. Strengthen our local economy through the arts and local business by investing in local entrepreneurs and funding the arts as an important economic driver in our community. I will also invest in our existing and up and coming commercial corridors to ensure access, innovation, and safety drive consumers, create jobs, attract visitors, and keep the fabric of what makes St. Pete, St. Pete strong.

— How would you serve differently than your predecessor, if elected? Councilwoman Driscoll has dedicated years of service to our community, and I respect her tenure, especially in her dedication to the arts and protecting wildlife. Where I would lead differently is by placing an even greater emphasis on transparency, proactive communication, and collaboration. I want residents to clearly understand how decisions are made and have meaningful opportunities to shape those decisions. I also want to work with fellow council members to advance the entire city, not just District 6. I approach this role with openness, accessibility, and building consensus to get tangible results.

— How would you ensure residents in your district are heard and their issues addressed? Serving my constituents in a way that makes them seen, valued and heard is a top priority of mine. I will do so by being visible, accessible, and accountable and recognize that everyone doesn’t have access to city hall. That means holding regular office hours outside of city hall, implementing a streamlined process for residents to submit and track their concerns, holding quarterly town halls, and attending neighborhood association meetings throughout District 6.

— St. Pete, like many other communities, is experiencing an affordability crisis. As a City Council member, how would you ease the financial burden for residents? My priorities for easing financial burdens are to expand affordable housing, improve transparency around utility costs, attract higher-paying jobs, invest in resilient infrastructure, and invest in the arts and local businesses that make St. Pete a desirable place to live and work.

— The city’s infrastructure is aging and long-overdue for major upgrades and repairs, yet the issue has continued over several mayoral administrations. How would you work to ensure the city’s water and wastewater infrastructure is brought to modern standards? I first want to work to rebuild public trust when it comes to upgrading our current infrastructure. To do so, I will have an independent audit of major projects done, (publicly) release the findings, and ensure the bidding process is competitive. Following that, I will support strong oversight through dashboards accessible by the public, that will include progress reports, any budget updates, and clear performance benchmarks.

— High water bills, often unexplainable, have been plaguing some city residents in recent years and months. How would you solve that issue? Residents deserve to know where their money is going. Right now the utility system is neither transparent nor easy to navigate. I will tackle this by working to improve the customer service experience to reduce wait times and onboard a dedicated advocate to help settle disputes in a timely manner. I will also call for bills to be easier to understand and send out leak alerts so that residents can avoid costly surprises on their bill.

— Over the past many years, the state Legislature has imposed several preemptions on cities and counties. Recently, the state forced the removal of street murals. How would you balance the need to follow the law with the needs of the communities you serve? While respecting state laws, I will advocate for restoring decision making at the local level in areas where pre-emption has limited our ability to address St. Pete’s unique needs. As an experienced coalition builder, I will work with other municipal leaders, our legislative delegations, and other civic organizations to advocate for local control. In the meantime, I will focus on finding solutions within the scope of the law to keep delivering meaningful results for residents.

— A decision on the future of the Historic Gas Plant will come before the next Council. If elected, what would you prioritize for the site’s redevelopment? The Historic Gas Plant should not be seen as another new development in our city and must deliver lasting benefits to all residents with respect for the historical nature of the site. My priorities are maximizing affordable and workforce housing, creating pathways to well-paying jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for local and minority owned businesses, honoring the history and legacy of the Historic Gas Plant, ensuring strong public oversight throughout the process, and investing in infrastructure, transit, and public spaces that benefit the residents of St. Pete.

— What steps would you take, and what measures would you support, to continue enhancing sustainability and resilience across the city as stronger and more frequent hurricanes threaten our coastal and low-lying communities? To enhance sustainability and resilience, I will prioritize modernizing our waste and wastewater infrastructure, invest in stormwater improvements, restoring natural shorelines and native plants that help mitigate floods, and emphasize the importance of regular resilience planning. I will also advocate that this work be done in a transparent manner with oversight and benchmarks available to the public.

— Please add any other personal, professional or campaign-related details not included in these questions: I am committed to leading with compassion and creativity, advocating for policies that move our city forward in a way that everyone can live with dignity. My mission is to ensure that as we grow, the benefits to residents do as well. I have an exceptional ability to connect with the community, build meaningful relationships, and foster collaboration. (I am) a community activist, neighborhood leader in Historic Uptown, performance artist, and avid art supporter that has strengthened tenant, lgbtq+, and reproductive protections, drafted policy for mixed income housing solutions, assisted with voter registration drives, connected residents to city and community resources, and championed arts as a vital part of our city.

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Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics contributed to this report.