Janelle Irwin Taylor
Former St. Petersburg Mayor Bob Ulrich is endorsing Mike Harting for City Council. The Republican served just one term from 1987 until 1991, but has remained an integral part of the city’s past.
Ulrich was one of many leaders who played a key role in bringing Major League Baseball to St. Pete, an issue that is now front and center as the Tampa Bay Rays work with the city and its development partner, Hine, to build a new stadium.
Harting, co-owner of 3 Daughters Brewing, is running for the District 3 seat currently held by Ed Montanari, who is not seeking re-election due to term limits.
Ulrich praised Harting for his business acumen and family values.
“Mike Harting grew up in Shore Acres and if you know his track record, you know that he’s a business owner who understands that jobs are the economic underpinning of a healthy community,” Ulrich said.
“Mike and his wife serve as evidence of sound and loving parents dedicated to seeing that their daughters mature into contributing citizens not only to the benefit of our community, but to the nation’s adults of tomorrow. Please join me in assuring that we gain ground on the decision-making process by electing Mike Harting as our next District 3 Council Member!”
While St. Pete municipal races — including City Council and Mayor — are nonpartisan, Ulrich is a Republican. Harting is not registered with a political party, but he faces Pete Boland, a registered Republican, in the November election, making endorsements from prominent Republicans a key to earning that voting bloc.
And Harting has plenty of conservative support, including most recently from former Rep. Frank Farkas. Before that he earned support from another former Republican St. Pete Mayor, Rick Baker. Other prominent Republican supporters include former Sen. Jeff Brandes and former City Council member Robert Blackmon, among others.
Harting said he was honored to add Ulrich’s support to the mix.
“We in St. Petersburg owe a lot to Bob Ulrich’s bold leadership and vision during his tenure as Mayor, which put our city on its course to becoming one of the most desirable destinations in the state for businesses, tourists, and families. I am very thankful to have his support,” Harting said.
Harting wants to bring his business success to city government. His platform centers on fiscal responsibility and reducing city taxes and fees to help with the ongoing affordability issues plaguing St. Pete and many other areas.
He wants to focus on working with employers to ensure residents have access to good-paying jobs and to streamline government regulations to attract new job creators. He is also running on a pledge to work toward improving the city’s aging infrastructure.
3 Daughters Brewery is known throughout St. Pete not just for its tasty beverages and lively entertainment venues, but also as a charitable beacon. The company has worked with more than 150 local charity projects each year, including a line of kids’ beverages served with the “Men in the Making” program in Pinellas County Schools.
3 Daughters was also one of the first businesses in the nation to utilize its production facility to make and distribute hand sanitizer — for free — during the early days of the COVID pandemic, when stores were struggling to keep commercial products on shelves.
