Foster, Rice take office, rain holds off for Kriseman’s outdoor celebration

St. Petersburg – The rain clouds held off and a substantial crowd gathered outside City Hall Jan. 2 for the swearing in of its new mayor. And while preparations were underway outside for Rick Kriseman to take the reins of St. Petersburg, inside, history was made when Darden Rice and Amy Foster were sworn in and took their seats on the City Council.

Rice and Foster, both of whom are gay, handily won their elections in November and are two of three out council members now representing the City of St. Petersburg. Steve Kornell, who won his second term in office in 2012 and is the city’s first openly gay elected official, is currently serving his second term.

The official ceremony was held before a packed chamber and when Rice’s name was called to step up to the dais, the crowd made more noise than it had made all morning. She was joined by her partner, Julie. The scene repeated itself when Foster stepped up to take the oath of office. She was joined by her partner, Jamie.

With Foster, Rice and Kornell all now actively serving, three of the council’s eight members are part of the LGBT community. Neither councilwoman said much, except for a “thank you” as they took their seats.

Outside, a large crowd gathered for the swearing in of Kriseman, who is the first candidate to beat an incumbent mayor of St. Petersburg in nearly 30 years. He is also the first LGBT-friendly candidate in since the inception of St. Pete Pride in 2003. He was invited to the stage by Bob Devin Jones, the out theatrical entrepreneur and co-founder of Studio@620, who explained that he came to St. Petersburg for work, but stayed for love. He has been with his partner for more than 20 years.

Upon taking the oath of office, Mayor Kriseman took time to speak to the crowd, and thanked them for their support while he explained why he orchestrated an outdoor ceremony.

“The tradition has been to hold this occasion in chambers,” he said. “And while that is a very regal room, it has limited seating.”

He went on to say that those seats often fill up with family and friends of the newly elected officials, pushing the public out of visual range. This way, he said, he can share a historic day with more people. His comments brought applause.

Kriseman, a former St. Petersburg City Councilman and a former State Representative, is the 53rd Mayor of St. Petersburg.

Rice, Foster and Kornell were selected as Watermark‘s Most Remarkable People of 2013.

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