The St. Petersburg Times Recommends Karl Nurse!
Karl Nurse faced two challenges when he was appointed to the City Council in April 2008 to fill an unexpired term. A white man from a majority black district, he filled a seat that had been held by African-Americans for some 30 years. And as a longtime neighborhood activist, he had clashed with City Hall often enough that some feared he would not fit in on the council.
Sixteen months later, Nurse has reassured doubters. A devoted representative of his diverse district, he has proven to be a very effective council member — energetic, innovative, informed, and showing unexpected skill at persuading other officials to support his ideas. He is off to an impressive start and should be elected to a full term.
Nurse, 55, faces two unprepared opponents. Derrick Frohne is a 24-year-old student who has been invisible in the campaign. Vel Thompson, 51, is a cosmetology student and community volunteer who was formerly a manager for the city's neighborhood services team. She was fired from her city job last year following allegations of misconduct.
Nurse, who owns a printing business, is the obvious choice. Before joining the council, he served as chairman of the Planning Commission and president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations. He helped rebuild his Old Southeast neighborhood and founded the Living Green Expo.
Several of his initiatives on the council have aided struggling residents. He launched a program to educate residents about avoiding foreclosure, and he worked with banks to offer low-cost checking accounts to low-income residents. He has pushed for more jobs and more effective code enforcement and crime fighting in troubled neighborhoods.
Nurse also has sought more transparency in city government. He cajoled the City Council into agreeing to televise its subcommittee meetings, where much of the work of the council is done. And he spoke against the secrecy involved in the award of tax incentives to businesses.
In District 6, the Times recommends Karl Nurse.
