LISTEN: St Pete City Council Elections, District 4 Preview

Listen to an interview with Tom Mullins:

Listen to an interview with Lisset Hanewicz:

ST. PETERSBURG -- The district 4 city council seat is up for a citywide vote November 2nd.

Lisset Hanewicz is a former prosecutor who went into private practice. Tom Mullins is an investment banking manager with Raymond James Financial.

Hanewicz says a new mayor and a new council should work together and present a united front in talks with the Rays, about stadiums and split seasons, to prevent "divide and conquer".

Mullins says Tropicana Field redevelopment is an option any city would envy. But he believes that "professional baseball is not the highest and best use of those 86 acres." He thinks the redevelopment process so far has been flawed and hasn't produced the best results.

Both candidates recognize affordable housing as an issue. Mullins doesn't support subsidizing rents but believes the marketplace can solve the problem if more density is allowed. He says the city needs to work with neighborhood groups who fear density will damage the character of their communities.

Hanewicz also supports changes to allow more types of housing, including the so-called "mother in law" apartments or cottages that can host singles or even small families.

Both are concerned about St. Petersburg's murder rate, which is on pace to set a record in 2021. Hanewicz thinks many of the murders are tied to domestic arguments of one sort or another. Mullins also says St. Petersburg shouldn't follow a "woke progressive" approach and points to policies such as bail elimination, COVID-related prison releases and unemployment payments as contributing factors to a violent crime wave.

Photo: Canva


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