Janelle Irwin Taylor
St. Petersburg City Council races are nonpartisan, but that doesn’t mean the job is free entirely from partisanship.
It’s no secret that Ed Montanari is the board’s only Republican member. And while Montanari has served largely without rampant partisanship, there have been moments when the red shone through.
Now two candidates — one a registered Republican and the other working with Republican consultants — are competing in a close race to replace him.
The partisanship, though an aspect that’s supposed to be void in these races, is actually important in the District 3 matchup to represent residents in parts of northeast St. Pete. The district is one of only two in the city with more active Republican voters than Democrats, and of those two (the other is in District 1, covering parts of west St. Pete), it’s the more conservative, with 9,059 active Republican voters compared to just 7,249 Democrats.
Enter Pete Boland, a restaurateur and registered Republican, and Mike Harting, a brewery owner and political independent working with Republican strategists.
Neither have run a particularly partisan campaign, but the evidence is there if one looks.
Both have endorsements from powerful Republicans or conservative groups. Boland, who owns and operates Mary Margaret’s Olde Irish Tavern in downtown St. Pete, has support from the Pinellas Republican Party and its Young Republicans chapter. Harting, meanwhile, has nods from former St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker, former Sen. Jeff Brandes and former St. Pete City Council member Robert Blackmon, all Republicans.
Harting, who co-owns 3 Daughters Brewing, also boasts endorsements from Sen. Darryl Rouson and City Council member Gina Driscoll, both Democrats.
While the race has stayed civil — a priority both men have said they hold — it could have gone differently.
In a nod to the partisanship question — the General Election is held citywide where Democrats have a clear voter registration advantage — Boland’s campaign allegedly sent a survey to voters portraying Harting as a right-wing candidate, arguing he “is backed by Republican politicians and special interest groups” as well as “conservative figures and corporate donors.”
Harting fired back that he is a centrist who “sits in the middle.” He said he didn’t “want to be perceived as extreme in any direction.”
Harting, meanwhile, acknowledged a survey his campaign sent dinging Boland for voting for Democrats in the past, including Joe Biden, Bill Nelson and Andrew Gillum. The survey also made mention of Boland’s “several run-ins with the law.” Boland has acknowledged an arrest record for drug possession when he was in his late teens and early 20s, but lamented that the survey made it seem like he was a career criminal by referencing some 30 “scrapes with the law.” Boland said the survey must have been including parking tickets.
So what does it all mean for the race? That’s hard to say before votes are tallied.
Harting has raised far more cash — more than $126,000 compared to Boland’s $69,000, as of Oct. 18. But Boland finished ahead of Harting in the August Primary, earning 29% of the vote to Harting’s 27%.
The outcome may well come down to how supporters of candidates who didn’t make the General Election vote. Nick Carey, a self-described progressive, finished third with 23% of the vote. Juan Lopez, a registered Democrat who had support from former St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman, finished in fourth place with 16% of the vote. Barry Rubin, a registered Democrat who ran as a conservative, garnered just 4%.
Here again partisanship could play a role. With the citywide electorate more liberal than the Primary that was closed to District 3 voters, Boland could find an advantage in being called out for previous votes for Democrats. But his political affiliation as a Republican could also be a liability.
And that goes for Harting too, considering his support from higher profile conservatives and Republican campaign staff.
Even the Tampa Bay Times was mostly split on the race. Ultimately, they gave their coveted recommendation to Boland, but did so only narrowly, noting in the Primary that both Boland and Harting were standouts. The editorial board wrote that it landed on Boland based on his “business experience and grasp of the other issues that the City council must address in coming years, combined with a down-to-earth personality.” But in its description of Harting, the board nodded to similar traits.
Of the two candidates, Boland is the only one with experience running for office. He ran unsuccessfully in 2021 for Mayor.
There are some similarities between both candidates’ platforms, but there are key differences.
Both list housing as a priority, with Harting emphasizing workforce housing by “streamlining permitting and reducing property taxes,” as well as focusing “on creative partnerships that ultimately reduce the cost of building.” Boland’s plan focuses more broadly on affordable housing, prioritizing density, preserving existing housing stock and zoning changes to increase the number of multifamily dwellings.
Both also list protecting waterways as a priority. Harting calls on prioritizing sewage improvements, while Boland wants to reconsider opening the shuttered Albert Whitted sewer plant and educate residents, visitors and students about the “importance of environmentally friendly practices, conservation and stewardship.”
Public safety is also an area of similarity, with Boland pushing for modernizing the St. Petersburg Police Department, including ensuring salaries are competitive to attract the best talent. Harting emphasizes ensuring all first responders “have the tools they need to protect local families.”
Harting’s platform includes “supporting our city’s vulnerable communities” by establishing collaborative opportunities “to find working solutions to improve the lives of our less fortunate.”
He also has a plan for the city’s aging infrastructure, which includes improving water quality, sidewalks, traffic and safety, and flood mitigation.
