Lina Teixeira wins bitter race for Clearwater City Council seat

Lina Teixeira
The race was one of the most dramatic Clearwater has seen in recent years.

Artist and gallery owner Lina Teixeira has defeated Aaron Smith-Levin in the race for the soon-to-be-vacant Clearwater City Council District 5 seat.

Teixeira received just shy of 44% of the vote. Smith-Levin, who was considered a top contender with Teixeira, got about 36%. Rounding out the slate was the Rev. Jonathan Wade, a local pastor. He cleared just over 20%.

Teixeira, a multilinguist initially from Montreal, came to Florida as a traveling nurse. She and her husband made Florida their first home and never left. She spent the years since opening several businesses, including a medical research company, and served on several city boards and service organizations. She also works as an anti-human trafficking advocate.

“I’ve learned I have a talent, an affinity, for public service,” Teixeira said. “Turning ideas into action, particularly in concert with others who share a common goal, is a powerful way to bring effective change.”

Teixeira and Smith-Levin were considered front-runners in one of Clearwater’s most dramatic races in recent years. Smith-Levin is a former Church of Scientology member who has made a name for himself crusading against the Church and its influence in the city. But he has also made a name for himself with a few intoxicated incidents with law enforcement over the last two years.

In the latest, a video surfaced showing the aftermath of Smith-Levin being punched in the face after calling a woman — who he admitted to harassing online — a vulgar word for the female anatomy. In both instances, law enforcement considered him the aggressor.

Teixeira soon sent out mailers proclaiming she would fight in City Hall, not the city’s bars. Smith-Levin returned fire, accusing Teixeira of being “Scientology’s Trojan horse.” Teixeira is, however, not a church member.

Teixeira will replace outgoing City Council Member Hoyt Hamilton, vacating his seat because of term limits. Hamilton endorsed Teixeira for the seat.

Daniel Figueroa IV

Bronx, NY —> St. Pete, Fla. Just your friendly, neighborhood journo junkie with a penchant for motorcycles and Star Wars. Daniel has spent the last decade covering Tampa Bay and Florida for the Ledger of Lakeland, Tampa Bay Times, and WMNF. You can reach Daniel Figueroa IV at [email protected].


One comment

  • Ammo Alamo

    March 19, 2022 at 7:58 pm

    I was looking at candidates for city council, and noticed one was a drunken misogynist who apparently thought because he was a big muscular guy accompanied by a cute doggie he could call a women nasty names in a bar.

    “Hey, c**t, wazzup?”

    Ol’ demon rum slowed this future President, and impaired his mental and physical faculties, such as they were. His blurry vision failed to account fer the woman’s BF, who had heard more than he was willing to put up with after the first “c**t” word. But Candy Candidate managed to get in a couple more nastee-werdz, as the BF was standing up to put things right, which he then did with a straight left. That was one good ol’ boy-friend who was pure-dee offended on behalf of the GF, and of women everywhere. So, he spoke to the Candy-*ss Candidate in the powerful no-nonsense barroom language in use since the beginning of time: he rared back and smashed his big fist two boogers deep into the Candy-A** Candidate’s left nostril. Bam!

    After awhile C. Candidate was sittin’ and holding a lacy hanky to his bleedin’ nose, and explaining: “Oh, Ossifer, yesh, it wer Demon Rum, shir, demon rumple, or something… I promish my doggie will take me straightish home rights away, Oshishfer, and I will be a good boy, yessir scouts honor.”
    “Hiccup.”

    So the good officer wrote up his paperwork: “No charges filed. Candidate got what was coming to him.”

    “Don’t use fightin’ words when ya ain’t ready to fight.” he cautioned the Candy-A** Candydate, “Specially not in a bar. Specially not agin a female.”

    The officer carefully penned his report: “…fighting words… nose smashed… just desserts… Offender warned against language… BF praised for effective action, given GOJF card good for next two Parking Tickets… least the Department could do for quieting this loudmouth,” noted the officer.

    Case closed. Turns out the little city got the word out: spend your valuable vote elsewhere.
    So they did.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704