For years, Bob Devin Jones as nurtured and cultivated the arts first in Los Angeles and Oregon before landing at American’ Stage’s Shakespeare in the Park and then founding the Studio@620. But now the out theater veteran can add another title to his resume that of Emcee of St. Petersburg’s Mayoral Swearing-in Ceremony.
Incoming St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman asked Jones to serve as master of ceremonies on the steps of City Hall on Jan. 2. The celebration, which Kriseman said only cost the city about $150, marks the first time a challenger has defeated an incumbent mayor of the city in nearly three decades. Kriseman easily won November’s election over Mayor Bill Foster by more than five percentage points.
The swearing-in was scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m., rain or shine and will be the first swearing in of its kind for the city. Typically new mayors take the oath of office inside council chambers.
That’s exactly how new council members Amy Foster and Darden Rice and re-elected council members Karl Nurse and Steve Kornell will begin 2014. A quieter, indoor ceremony scheduled for noon.
And the council seems eager to get to work. We asked Foster, Rice and Kornell, all of whom are members of the LGBT community, what city business they hope to tackle first in 2014.
“I don’t think we have the luxury to focus on one issue at a time,” Foster told Watermark. “There are many important issues facing the city, but I will stay focused on the things I talked about in my campaign “safer neighborhoods, creating jobs and preparing our next generation of leaders.”
Rice said she’s ready to get St. Petersburg caught up with recycling, which is an issue she’s worked on for years and has addressed with previous council members.
“I also want to eliminate the fees citizens are charged when making payments on the city website,” Rice said. “I’d also be interested to explore the idea of a municipal ID card that allows kids age 5-17 to get into recreation centers, pools and museums for free. I am also a strong supporter of the Greenlight Pinellas referendum to invest in our transportation future to achieve better bus service and light rail to connect our communities.”
Kornell, the veteran of the three, said he is ready to make St. Petersburg even more recognizable as a friendly city to LGBT whether they live here or vacation here.
“I have set a goal to push St. Petersburg to score a perfect 100 on the Municipal Equality Index done by the Human Rights Campaign,” Kornell said. “My goal is to have an entire package of ordinances and policies that can be voted on at once, and to have these ready to go by June. That would be a great way for us to kick off Pride month. I am also asking for a discussion of Sea Level Rise, which will happen early in the new year.”
Both the city council ceremony and the Mayoral swearing in ceremony will be at City Hall on 175 5th St. N. and are free and open to the public. Overflow parking may use the area near the Coliseum if necessary.
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