Councilman Paul Ray (Ward III) embraces newly elected Ward IV Councilman Ian O’Hara shortly after the polls closed and 100% of the vote came back, with a majority favoring O’Hara.Election results are in, and for the first time in a decade, Gulfport’s Ward IV has a new representative: Ian O’Hara. Christine Brown will keep her seat in Gulfport’s Ward II.
“I want to thank my wife for putting up with this nonsense,” O’Hara said from the stage at the North End Taphouse Tuesday night. He also thanked the Ward III Councilmember, Paul Ray, and Ray’s husband, Wes. He went on to thank everyone who supported him.
The crowd of revelers and well-wishers, including Christopher Butler-Jones, were in high spirits after O’Hara’s speech. Jones lost his bid for the Ward II seat to incumbent Christine Brown, but congratulated O’Hara. He then addressed the crowd. He pledged to stay involved in Gulfport.
“I have a loud voice and plan on using it,” Jones said shortly after conceding the election, then called Brown to congratulate her.
While O’Hara sipped a mocktail at what became his victory party, Brown spoke to The Gabber as she and her husband collected campaign signs from around the city.
“Thanks Gulfport, for the birthday love,” Brown, whose birthday is Mar. 14, said, adding: “I can’t wait to get back to work.”
Brown estimates she spent roughly 40 hours a week campaigning during election season. She said she wants to get Butler-Jones – whose campaign signs read simply “Jonesy” – involved in city boards over the next two years.
“I like him. He’s doing it for the right reasons,” Brown told The Gabber.
Fridovich told The Gabber he had “not a thing” to say about the election.
Past Election Results in Gulfport
Fridovich and O’Hara faced off once before – in the 2021 race for Ward IV. Fridovich won that race with 48.58% (1,319) of the votes cast to O’Hara’s 40% (1,086). A second challenger for Ward IV, Richard Fried, took 11.42% (310) of the votes. Fried opted not to run in the 2023 election.
In that same election, Brown had only one challenger: Mike Bauer. She defeated him by a scant 130 votes. Brown had 1,435 votes cast for her in that election, or 52.37% of the votes, while Bauer had 1,305 votes, or 47.63%.
2023 Gulfport Election Results
Overall, 2,315 voters cast votes in Ward II. Brown took home the lion’s share, with 1,405 votes (60.69%). Christopher Butler-Jones came in second with 507 votes (21.90%), and Greg Simek finished third with 403 votes (17.41%). In Ward IV, 2,323 voters cast ballots – 1,286 for O’Hara (55.36%) and 1,037 for Fridovich (44.64%).
Ingrid Bredenberg, who leads the nonpartisan “Gulfport Votes 100%” movement, spoke briefly with The Gabber about the voter turnout, roughly 26% of registered voters.
“Historically, Gulfport has had just average turnout for municipal elections,” Bredenberg said. “We’ve just had a change in the make up of city council. As more people visit and move here, they can help enrich Gulfport by participating in the civic, cultural, and community projects that make Gulfport the jewel it is.”
The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections has only released unofficial results; the SOE will certify the elections at a later date.
