June Johns
Election season is in full swing as far as state and county races are concerned, but municipal elections in Gulfport are not too far off, either.
The city council voted at its Oct. 18 regular meeting to approve a resolution making March 14 the official 2023 municipal election date. As part of the resolution, City Manager Jim O’Reilly will enter into a contract with the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections to conduct the elections.
According to the city charter, the general election for City Council members is to take place on a Tuesday in March each year, as determined by the council.
The 2023 election will decide seats in Ward II and Ward IV. Vice Mayor Christine Brown is the current Ward II representative, while Councilman Michael Fridovich has the Ward IV seat.
The candidate qualifying period for the election begins Monday, Dec. 5, at 8:30 a.m. and ends the following Monday, Dec. 12, at noon.
According to a staff report, the anticipated cost of the election is $19,141.51.
The resolution setting the election was approved without discussion as part of the consent agenda. The vote was 4-0 with Mayor Sam Henderson absent from the meeting.
In other business, three separate ordinances were considered with respect to the Firefighters’ Retirement Pension Fund, Police Officers’ Trust Fund, and City of Gulfport General Employees’ Pension Plan. O’Reilly pointed out that all three ordinances were very similar in that they would allow more flexibility in asset investment allocation and also would help with compliance regarding the Internal Revenue code. All were approved 4-0, with no council discussion or public comment.
A resolution was addressed appointing a trustee to the Municipal Police Officers’ Pension Board, with two citizens submitting applications: Vickie Grant and Daniel R. Liedtke. Liedtke formerly served as the Ward I representative, losing his seat to April Thanos in the 2020 election. While serving as an elected official, Liedtke remained a stalwart supporter of the Gulfport police.
Councilwoman April Thanos (Ward I) immediately made a motion to appoint Grant, at which time Councilman Paul Ray asked for legal clarification of the process. City Attorney Andrew Salzman said that if the motion got a second, it would be voted upon. If there was no second or the vote failed, another motion could be made for an alternate appointment.
Thanos’ motion died for lack of a second, and Fridovich moved to appoint Liedtke. That motion was seconded.
“I have no problem with Dan [Liedtke]. He would probably do a fine job,” said Thanos. “She [Grant] just has way more experience. He has no experience in this, not specifically in financial management. She has years and years of experience. I don’t know her, but just from reading the resumés I would pick her.”
Ray countered that Liedtke has a great deal of financial experience relevant to the position and is also familiar to some councilmembers already. Fridovich also pointed out his familiarity with Liedtke.
“I don’t know the lady that applied,” said Fridovich. “I think that if you’re going to apply for a board and it needs city council approval, common courtesy and sense would be that you contact at least half the council members to introduce yourself to them so they know who you are. Talk to them about what your thoughts are. I haven’t talked to Dan about it but we all know Dan. For that reason alone I’m going to go with Dan. If you’re not known throughout the city or on the council, it would be nice if you talked to the councilmembers.”
Ray noted the experience reflected by Grant’s resume but echoed Fridovich’s comments.
“Dan has a lot of financial experience. He also understands the city,” said Ray. “I agree with Michael. I would have hoped this person would reach out to me and say, ‘I’d like to talk about being on that board.’ I did not speak to Dan, either. I did not think it was necessary in this case. I’m sticking with Dan.”
Liedtke’s appointment was approved 3-1, with Thanos voting in opposition.
