Joshua Nwajei resigns from St. Pete City Council race

Stock image via Adobe.

Joshua Nwajei, a candidate for St. Pete City Council, District 3, has resigned from the race, documents show.

In an email to City Clerk Chandrahasa Srinivasa dated Oct. 10, Nwajei informed the Clerk that he was withdrawing from the race, citing his need to move “to North Carolina to handle my grandmothers (sic) property.”

Nwajei is a local child care advocate. His departure from the race leaves just one candidate — former chemist turned community housing organizer Nick Carey.

The District 3 seat is currently held by Ed Montanari, the only Republican on the City Council. Montanari is not seeking re-election due to term limits and is instead challenging Democrat Lindsay Cross for her seat in House District 60.

The District 3 seat covers parts of northeast St. Pete, including Old Northeast, Shore Acres, Venetian Isles, Allendale and parts of Meadowlawn.

The district is one of only two in the city with a voter registration advantage for Republicans, though City Council races are technically nonpartisan. The GOP has an advantage of nearly 1,500, far more than the about 500-voter advantage in District 1, which includes west St. Pete.

That means a conservative candidate is likely to emerge in the race. Pete Boland, a local restauranteur and moderate Republican who ran unsuccessfully last cycle for Mayor, is expected to enter the race.

The Primary Election is Aug. 20, 2024, with the General Election Nov. 5. Qualifying for the race doesn’t begin until June 4, 2024.

If someone else does jump into the race, Carey will have an early start on fundraising. He raised nearly $11,370 as of the end of September, and at that time had a little over $10,000 left in the bank.

St. Pete City Council races aren’t typically expensive races, compared to other elections higher up the ballot, but Montanari proved to be a proficient fundraiser when he ran, with more than $150,000 raised for his last election, which lacked a viable contender.

This will be the first election candidates are on a presidential ballot for the General Election. The City Council recently approved moving its elections to even numbered years, a move meant to save on ballot costs and encourage greater voter participation by having elections coincide with national election cycles. Critics of the move worry that City Council races will receive less attention as they are dwarfed by higher-profile races at the top of the ticket.

Carey is an interesting candidate for this seat. He previously worked as a chemist, but later left his career to become an organizer for Faith in Florida, a decision he told Creative Loafing was sparked by outrage over the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. He was part of a group of more than 100 people who rallied at St. Pete City Hall to demand rent control, which never materialized.

The City Council already includes two progressive activists — self-described Democratic Socialist Richie Floyd who is serving his first term, and Brother John Muhammad who was appointed following the resignation of District 7 Council member Lisa Wheeler-Bowman.