Hello everybody, we’ve got a special edition of the Sun Leaders Podcast. I had to go through my mind and remember if we’re just saying Sun Readers, Sun Leaders, Sun Listeners. But this is our podcast and we have a special guest today. I would say you would be- what do we- what would we say? You say you’re an honorary Sun Leader.

So thank you for being a part of this today. Thank you. I’m honored to be an honorary Sun Leader here in the Sunshine City. And hopefully maybe someday you’ll actually just kind of join us, pop in, and you’ll be, you You know, beyond honorary, we’d love to have you. But today we’re here and we’re going to talk about whatever we feel like we’re going to talk about, about a 45-minute discussion.

I’m here with Jamaica Williams, and I always say it just a little bit wrong, and I think it’s probably my northern, almost Canadian sort of diphthong-ish sort of, you know what I mean? Because people go, where are you from? And I go, I don’t know, like Seattle. But we get a little bit of that Canadian border sort of, um, what do you call it, dialect. Say house.

House. Oh, house. Okay. But there’s a word that my kids always make fun of me for. What word is it?

Measure. How do you say measure? Like, like a, like a tape measure. Measure. Okay.

That’s why they make fun of me. So there’s a lot of words that I didn’t know that I say weird. Um, so anyway, uh, Jamaica Williams, I’m happy to have you. But I always like my guests to be able to introduce themselves rather than me force upon you labels and whatevers. So how would you like the people to know you?

Sure. Uh, I’m a city council candidate for District 6 here in St. Petersburg. I am a community activist, um, with several nonprofits, um, housing policy being my wheelhouse, uh, here in St. Petersburg. But I’ve also organized around reproductive care, infrastructure development, affordable housing, and getting out the vote. Okay, so there’s a lot there already.

You and I met at a walkabout for the Edge District. We’re in the Edge District right now. Define what District 6 is. Are you able to do that? Because I don’t know.

Sure. So the Edge District is a part of District 6. I’m in his, I live in Historic Uptown. So that goes from 9th Avenue North to 54th Avenue South and over past Tropicana Field, just a few streets into historic Kenwood. Okay.

Yeah. All right. So I don’t know if that’s a big or small district, but I, you defining it, I don’t know where our listeners are located, but I can kind of see it in my mind’s eye or on the map.

Is that a lot? Is that a big territory to be responsible for? And how does when you serve, because we’re just going to speak this into truth right now, when you serve, how does that work? I don’t think most of us know how local government, local politics work. Certainly.

So I wouldn’t say it’s a big district. I would say it’s very diverse. Very unique in its boundaries because it encompasses, like I said, from my neighborhood in historic uptown, but a huge part of downtown and then South St. Pete over, you know, all the way down like Beach Drive and then like to Coquina Key. So it’s a very diverse population that I’ll be serving and responsible for. Um, South St. Pete is unique because they’re prone to flooding, so they’re good.

Yeah, so they’re going to want someone coming in talking about sustainability. How are we going to protect our natural shorelines, especially when there’s, um, talks about development for the waterfront and bringing a new marina? So how are we going to protect those shorelines from environmental factors, but also with South St. Pete, how we’re going to economically develop so that those residents are seeing the benefits of all this development that we’re experiencing in our city. And then downtown is, well, we know Tropicana Field is on everyone’s mind. But as an advocate who has organized campaigns around Tropicana, I’m looking forward to actually hearing what the residents want, especially the descendants of the historic gas plant.

As a grassroots organizer, I enjoy holding listening sessions, bringing, you know, the advocacy to the people. Because not everybody can be at City Hall, right? At, in the middle of the day, right? Not everyone can do that. And so I think there’s real value in literally meeting people where they are.

Okay. So much there. And I thought I was gonna ask you the, the, the who, why, what, how, when, but now I gotta jump ahead to what you shared with me. So we’ve got South St. Pete gas plant, which includes this Tropicana thing, and we’re in transition really because the Rays are here. We thought we had a deal, but for whatever reason, for- I, I’m not the politician.

I don’t need to get political on this. Mm-hmm. But there’s a lot in flux there and it’s all connected. So when we think about our population in South St. Pete, they are absolutely positively affected by all of this. They were the first time, they’re going to be this time.

What are our responsibilities beyond politics as just as a community to make sure this goes in the right direction? And what is the right direction? Sure. Well, I think our responsibility, A, is to do more than put a plaque up. For a historic neighborhood that was destroyed, essentially.

I think in honoring those people, we need to be talking to their descendants, and they need to be a part of any decision-making process that we make. But it’s also when we’re building these, some- a lot of these jobs need to be going to them. Right. So we need- with South St. Pete, There needs to be workforce and talent pipelines. There needs to be job training and development.

Um, I’m not sure if you know Brother John Muhammad or not. Okay. He’s a, he’s a former city councilman, but he’s also a huge, um, activist in this community. And, um, I was at his birthday party, his 50th birthday party, and I met a general contractor, born and raised in South St. Pete, and he says he gets undercut, undercut a lot by out-of-town contractors. So those are things like awarding business to people that are homegrown.

Those are things and responsibilities that we can put in place to make sure that we’re honoring residents. And like I said, you know, they are getting something out of all this development.

Right, right. Okay, so first of all, you asked me if I knew this person. I would like to know this person, so that’s the first thing.

Um, getting under- it’s difficult, right? Because we live in this world of open market capitalism. How do we protect our local workers and our local businesses, as you’re suggesting, without How is that done? So just, I would say bringing them to the table early, really hashing out what they can contribute to any projects, um, baking in community benefits that will benefit residents, especially long-term. Residents, um, renting space to local business owners at affordable rates, and just for, um, extend- expanding tenant protections from corporate landlords.

If my- you know, we’ve had a number of businesses that were like, we can’t afford these rent hikes anymore, and they’ve had to close their doors. Like, those are things that can be put in place to protect our local business owners, our local contractors. You know, it is like, like you said, we do live in a free market society, but I think giving first consideration- I don’t think there’s anything wrong with giving first consideration to people that already live here. I love that idea. That actually, that actually gets to one of my theories of just how fast we’re growing and how it would be super duper- no offense to anybody listening- if you’ve come from out of the area and you’ve invested your hard-earned money here, thank you for your investment.

We do appreciate it. Absolutely. I would love it if we as a community could also have an opportunity to invest in the area and in development and have a say in how we’re developing. And sometimes I don’t feel we do. Sometimes I don’t feel we have a voice in that.

And maybe it’s to one of your earlier points We already had a healthy discussion before we even started the podcast, so I can’t remember if we record that portion or not, but we keep so busy sometimes we can’t make the meeting. Some- sometimes we can’t be as involved as we want. And that’s a challenge just as a citizen, right? How do we get involved better? Right.

I think that comes with leadership, empowering people. To use their voices. And building coalitions is the strongest thing. Like, as a- as an organizer, I have worked with other organizations that have similar but not all the same views as me, but that doesn’t matter because we come together with a common goal in mind, and that helps us empower people from the top down. And so if I need to show up as Candidate Jameika, I can go to a fellow organizer and be like, can you represent the organization for me?

I have literature, I got a tablecloth, I got talking points for you if necessary. Can you go and do that? And so that’s just empowering someone else who has a similar view as you, maybe not all like I said, but similar. Who can go and represent you when you need to be somewhere else? Which gets back to one of your earlier points.

You just have to know your, your people, who you’re serving, right? Mhm. How do you serve people who maybe don’t share your opinions, your ideals, your values? How, how do- because I mean, obviously we’re a broad spectrum of humanity here, even in this small geographical area? How do we serve people that we disagree with?

Well, you said it- humanity. It’s seeing that even if we don’t share, you know, all the same values, or maybe none, I’m still here to serve them because I believe at some point we all have an intersection somewhere. And I always work to find it. I’m a communications major. I love having conversations.

I mean, like, I’ve spoken with Klan members and growing up in Virginia when I was in college, that was like one of the first news stories I did as a communications major in my Journalism 101 class. And they were dropping propaganda trying to elect the- or bring in the next generation. And I was just curious about it, you know. I didn’t even realize that there was still such a prominent presence of Klan members. It’s crazy to me, right?

And so I spoke to him. I was just interested, genu- like, just genuinely interested in what led him to this point. Why does he have these feelings? And a lot of it is he was hurt by a system.

People don’t talk enough about how race and class intersect. And a lot of, you know, people have certain views because of, you know, something that happened in their lives that impacted them to believe how they believe. And I believe that people have a right to their beliefs. I, I absolutely agree with you. But the challenge is, and again, I can’t remember if this is pre-conversation, pre-recording, or now, you spoke on one of the three pillars that I coach on.

I have a coaching practice, and that pillar is do no harm.

And I always say that as humans, even when we’re at our best, We sometimes do harm and we’re not even aware of it. So we have these difference of opinions and you were kind enough to see somebody else’s perspective. But there’s no doubt I- and this is an oxymoron, I say there’s no doubt and I assume- there’s no doubt I assume that that gentleman’s perspective could probably most likely cause harm to another. Yeah. I mean, especially me as a young Black woman, of course, there were points where, you know, that gave me pause.

Of course, of course. But I had a goal in mind and that’s what I stuck to. And the goal was? Was to get a good story. It was to get a good story.

But in order to get a good story, like you said, you gotta know the who, what, when, where, and why. Do you feel- you already kind of shared a little bit on this, but do you feel you learned about that human being on a level that change could happen? Certainly. I don’t feel like it would come from that individual’s point of view because to be that far you know, um, and any stance, right? A lot of people tend to stand 10 toes down on that, but for me, it’s- it just opened up my heart a little bit more for someone who was clearly hurt by something which led them to this perspective, and it made me, I’m also a Christian, so I don’t, or try not to, hold hatred in my heart for anyone, no matter like how different their perspective is from mine, no matter if they could be potentially harmful, you know, to me, um, identifying, presenting, um, the way that I do.

So So yeah, it just gives me more education, I would say. A question and an assumption. Sure. The question is, did you feel heard in that interview? Did you feel understood?

Did you feel like we shifted the narrative a little bit when you had that discussion with whoever this claimsman person was? I don’t- I don’t honestly believe so. Um, like I said, he was very staunch in his beliefs. But I will say, him even agreeing to talking to me as someone who’s so completely opposite from him could be, you know, a shift in itself. Now, the assumption is I assume, and I could be completely wrong, maybe he had some Christian foundation where his belief system would have been- had some parallels with yours.

Oh, certainly. You know, um, I believe that everyone’s relationship with Christ is their own. It’s individual. Um, but I do believe- I’m a scholar, so I do believe that everyone should dig in and get their interpretation for themselves, right? A lot of times I’ve even heard scripture misquoted, and I’ll tell people the exact- like, um, a common one is, God wouldn’t put more on you than you can bear.

And I’m like, no, it says that there will be burdens and there will be trials, but I won’t I will not leave you to bear them on your own. And it’s really about temptation. You won’t be tempted beyond what you can bear, and I will make a way out of it for you.

So pressure and temptation are not the same thing because we’re gonna feel pressure, whether it’s to perform, to be something, to do something. Like, there’s gonna be times when we feel pressure, but that’s when it’s on you to dig in and charge forward, as we were talking about earlier. But when there’s temptation, there’s a way out of that, that you don’t have to act on, um, act on that temptation that you’re feeling. Another is that money is the root of all evil. No, it’s the love of money that is the root of all evil.

Money is a tool, right? It’s- but it’s loving it so much that you would harm others and do whatever you have to do to get it, and bar none, you know. So those are two that I’m often, um, re-explaining, right, to people, because there has been a lot of harm done in the name of Christianity, but a lot of it stems from people not getting their own interpretation or even studying it for themselves. It’s just kind of like the game of telephone. You’ve heard this same thing over and over and over, and now it’s your truth, right?

Yeah. So we kind of just jumped into things, and I said the who, what, why, when, where, all that stuff. And I think through the conversation, people are getting a good feel for who you are, why you’re doing- you’re on this journey. Um, remind us when this process is. When is the election?

When- it’s an election, right? That’s- yes. When is it? So in August, um, is the primary. So all of us, um, District 6 candidates will be on a ballot And then, um, the top 2 candidates will emerge and go to the general, um, election.

And so, hold on, let me back that up. Okay. So only District 6 people can vote in the primary. Okay. Yes, that’s important.

But then, um, in November, along with all the other midterm elections, the top 2 candidates will be voted on at that point. Okay. Right now, where are we? This is, what month is this? We just started.

April. April. Okay. Yeah. So the clock’s ticking.

Yeah.

Before I ask these questions, how long is a term? Yeah. So one term is 4 years. 4 years. Okay.

And should a candidate want to be reelected, they can run for a second term. Okay. So they can serve 8 years. There’s 2 terms. Gotcha.

All right. So If we look at this as a race, where are we at in the process for you? When did you start this? So I started in January. Okay.

My birthday was January 13th. Yeah. And I had a, um, birthday slash kickoff party. Sweet. Yeah.

So that’s when I launched my campaign. Um, since then I’ve been continuing to organize in the community. That is not going to stop. I’m always going to be a grassroots candidate at heart because I believe in being grounded in the community that you serve. And I wouldn’t trust- if I weren’t a candidate, I wouldn’t trust someone that I hadn’t seen, you know, out in the community and knowing what their values are and seeing if I shared them.

So that’s who I want to continue to be as a as a leader at the local level as well. But I’m also continue- I’m building relationships with, you know, the chamber and members, leaders of different districts. I am strengthening ties with, you know, artists and those that run arts organizations, um, promoting local businesses. I always- I’ve always done Lokotopia, and I’ve always promoted our local businesses here. We have some amazing entrepreneurs.

Oh my goodness, yes. In this area. And they’re buzzing with creativity. And all I need is exposure and loyalty and a following. I think the Greenhouse does a good job with helping people get off their feet and, you know, keep on being rooted in the community.

But There’s something about support from your local leaders that’s to be said. And whether that comes with, you know, marketing, you know, funds for marketing. Yeah. Or helping them with, you know, as tenants, like that’s tangible support that they need. I’m gonna be starting my canvassing.

I was one of the few who didn’t, qualify by petition. And I think there’s something to be said for that. I’ve helped candidates, um, qualify. My friend Nick Carey, who was running, um, a year ago, he was running for city council. I was helping him, uh, qualify, um, for the primary.

So I, I absolutely believe there’s something to be said for um, you know, getting your face out before then. But I’m looking forward, um, to the process of doing so as someone who’s already established themselves as a candidate.

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Okay, so those are broad brush strokes. Let me just kind of narrow down a little bit. Tell me what a week in your life is like as a candidate. Sure. So as a week, um, That’s me attending events.

I’m still a neighborhood leader. I sit on the board of my organization, my neighborhood association.

So whether that’s balancing those needs with my own, saying no to certain social things that sound fun, but that it’s like as a human being with limitations, that’s saying, yes, I’m going to go, um, to my neighborhood board meeting. That’s very important to me. Yes, I’m going to go, um, support this initiative that, um, DSA is putting forth right now. We are canvassing- I won’t say the names of these um, neighborhoods, but we’re canvassing on behalf of tenants, um, to help them learn how to exercise their rights as tenants. But there’s also social and networking obligations.

So last night I was at a St. Pete Pride Connects, um, or doing a speaking engagement at a different neighborhood association. So those are, those are what my week, weeks look like. But I’m also having to prioritize rest. Sure. And, you know, my physical needs.

I have had, since I was 28, that’s 5 years ago, I’ve had chronic lower back pain. So I have to take care of my physical needs. I don’t get to say, oh, I’m tired, I need to go to bed, ’cause I’m gonna feel it. And like, it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be there. Right.

So, Yeah, that- tho- those are all things that I am- I have to balance to make sure that I’m good mentally, physically, emotionally. Luckily, I have a great community here that I’ve built that have been extremely support- um, supportive, um, in my candidacy. How big is your team? I don’t have an official team. Um, I did, so It’s me.

I’m my own campaign manager. Okay. My, um, I have a treasurer, my friend Dylan, who I organize with Faith in Florida. His wife has helped me with, um, social media, like graphics. She helped with my website.

But I also, um, just made the acquaintance of a fellow DSA organizer. His name is Sam Ronan. He is helping me with my field strategy. So he will be the first person that I’ve hired. Nice.

To help me. And I also have a student. He’s a poli sci major at USF St. Pete. I used to work there marketing for the dining and catering program.

And through that I made like So many amazing connections on campus and off, um, in the Innovation District. Um, St. Anthony’s, I pioneered a breast cancer awareness, um, luncheon that was annual. Mm-hmm. And, um, that was a great partnership. So I wouldn’t say like, you know, I’m kind of a one-woman show, but not because I have so many people.

Understood. Who are, you know, you know, not in a paid capacity, but willing to give their time to support it. Yeah. So, I mean, and we’re building that week by week, and the team that we don’t define as a team gets bigger and bigger. Yes.

Uh, I’m aware of some of the things, if we call it a platform, that are important to you. And you mentioned in our conversation how we do have resources on the business side of things, and it’s interesting as we grow We, Saint Pete, we, our district, we, you know, this specific area, as we grow, there’s a shift in economic influence. And with that comes displacing people. We have a homeless population. I know this is important to you.

Is there an answer to how we interact with our homeless population, how we serve them? Again, what are we responsible for as a community, as citizens, and then as our political leaders? What can we do? What should we do? Absolutely.

So first is realizing that they are humans, and whatever led them to this point is not, it’s not our business at that moment. It’s just to provide tangible solutions that are compassionate and caring and that are going to help them long term. So whether that’s me as someone who wants to expand tenant protections or provide funding for, uh, places like Safe Harbor, right, and expanding those offerings, um, My friend Dan Wood, he came from, I believe, San Francisco. He’s originally from Europe, but he has been working, um, with the housing, the neighborhood housing team, and, um, on, you know, getting permanent housing. Yes, for this population, but like not just housing them because people have to pay rent, so like getting them opportunities that are going to help them, um, sustain, right, as a resident.

Yeah. You know, and you know, if those- it’s not everyone wants to be housed, right? Correct. Which is one of the biggest challenges, right? Not everyone wants to be housed.

So I think expanding our community outreach teams, empowering them, um, I will never say I’m an expert on all the things, but I’m committed to finding them, right? Um, you know, just the other day I, I was representing Faith in Florida, so I was not candidate Jamika, but I helped facilitate, um, a conversation on community land trust. Um, so like, but an expert came in, I opened up for her, introduced her, talked about the work that Faith in Florida has been doing towards community land trust and public-owned housing, but this is more about cooperative housing. So I’m not- while I’m not the expert, um, I partner with a group to bring one in. And so that’s where your coalition building comes in.

So if you’re not- it’s my job as a leader, if I don’t have the answer I can go out and find someone who does that can help me, um, reach those solutions. And that’s like studying case studies in, you know, Portland, Oregon. I’ve spent, um, time there and they’ve done phenomenal things for their unhoused community. Right. So like whether I’m studying it or bringing someone in.

Mm-hmm. To come help me. I’m taking meetings with people, help me. Find those tangible solutions. But a lot of it is funding.

How can we allocate dollars to these people that are already doing the work? Do you have ideas on that? Yes. Um, we have, like, like I said, there’s the Alpha House, there’s Safe Harbor, there is, um, community activists that are already doing work. Um, you know, there’s that we’re gonna have a huge influx of kids aging out of foster home and they’re gonna get a tiny check and a bag to put their clothes in.

But I’ve identified two, and forgive me, their names are blanking right now. Two individuals who, um, through networking groups that I’ve been privy to. Yeah. Who are, um, who have organizations. Mm-hmm.

They just need a platform and the funding, you know, partnership to say, hey, I’m ready. I already have the model, I already have the capability. But that’s me partnering with those people to make sure that I’m upholding the work that they’re already doing. Okay. My name doesn’t have to be on it.

I just need to be partner, identify the people and find out ways to amplify them. I was at a community gathering last week or the week before, and a couple of officers were kind enough to come out and speak to our group. And this one gentleman who’s kind of in charge of serving the homeless population in this area, he said- and he’s been doing it for about 5, 6 years- he said he felt that there were enough resources for the homeless population. It’s just getting them to be aware of them or having access to it. Mm-hmm.

What are your thoughts on that?

I think there can be an expansion of the outreach team, but I think that comes with equipping people who aren’t daunted by the unhoused community. Right, right, right, right. Everyone, especially, I’ve heard so many Conversations from people that live downtown that like, we don’t wanna go out anymore. We don’t want to, you know, frequent downtown because they’re afraid of, you know, being harmed or having their dinner disrupted, what have you, you know? Right.

But I think again, that’s where compassion comes in. Um, and education. Comes in. So as for resources, we got a whole lot of empty retail spaces littered with flyers. Why not blow up, hey, go to the, the food pantry, it’s available for you.

Go to the free clinic, help is available to you. There’s a dentist who has a mobile clinic who’s always looking for You know, she, whether she has the funding or not, she’s doing fillings and cleanings and, you know, like, I think it’s finding those people who aren’t daunted by that, who knows they’re just people and they’re not going anywhere. So it’s up to us to figure out how we can take care of them because they are, whether they’re unhoused or not, they’re still people that live here. In our city. Well, I would love to find a way for our business, Connect St. Pete, to be a resource or a bridge or something.

I’d be interested in having that conversation with you and others moving forward because we’ve deliberately set up shop here, and if we’re not deliberately serving the community, why are we here? What’s the point? I’m going to take this just a step further. We’ve talked about the unhoused, then we talk about affordable housing. Mm-hmm.

For a lot, a lot of times that’s a service industry because we rely on these, uh, people to be a vibrant part of our community. How would you define affordable housing? Sure. So I believe with the influx of our population currently, the AMI is skewed. I think it’s higher arbitrarily than it needs to be.

What’s the AMI? So that’s the Annual Mean Index that affordable housing is being measured on. Okay. Now we have some affordable housing that’s $1,600. Mm-hmm.

To someone in a service industry, that may be a lot for them. I also worked at USF St. Pete, where I saw people leave to go to the Tampa campus because they were making way more than they were at the St. Pete campus, right? Um, I’ve known people who work full-time jobs who are donating plasma to pay rent. I know artists- I’ve done it, right? Yeah.

I know artists who were like, am I going to pay for my studio or am I going to pay for my house? So those are Conversations when you’re saying this brand new apartment is $1,600, this is affordable housing. Mm-hmm. To whom is always my question, right? To whom is that affordable?

And $1,600 is actually hard to come by in this area. Yes. Right. And like on top of that, right? So when I’m thinking of affordable housing.

First of all, thank you, city. You know, I want to, I want to give the city their dues when it comes to Jordan Park and Jamestown, right? They did, they invested a ton into Jordan Park, but that’s, that’s serving one part of the population that needs affordable housing. Not to mention, those units went quickly. I love the fact that you brought this up because we’re not saying people aren’t making an effort.

Right. We’re just saying we have to do better. We, right. And more and faster. Right.

Because there’s a need and a growing need. Right. Right. I do want to emphasize that, but those units filled up quickly. There’s a mile-long waiting list already.

Places like Daystar. Mm-hmm.

Because the need is so great, they’re out of funds just like that. Right. You know, so like that speaks to a larger problem that we have. And, you know, when there’s agencies that are offering money, a lot of times you have to jump through so many hoops to even get, you know, some of that funding. And by the time you get it, You’re desperate.

Okay, so I love this point because when you’re talking about people who are in this situation, oftentimes they’re scrambling, either overtime or two jobs. And what you’re talking about, the administrative process or whatever, is that’s a whole nother job, isn’t it? So now we’re back to who can be a resource to help these people move forward, right? Or how do we set up stations or communities to do that, right? That’s an opportunity for sure.

Always. There’s always opportunity, I believe, right? Um, also with, um, say Jamestown, for example, that is deeply subsidized housing, which means things like maintenance can go by the wayside and upkeep can go by the wayside and or repairs can go by the wayside. And a lot of the times, cuz I’ve talked to them and I won’t say any names, I’ve talked to certain residents and they’re afraid to speak up. Mm.

Because they don’t want to lose their vouchers. They think, you know, someone will come after them. Sure. If they voice their, like, I have mold, my air conditioner has never worked, my water pressure is constantly going out. You know, they’re afraid to say those things because they don’t want to lose the only security that they have.

And in today’s economy, a lot of us are one missed paycheck or two away from being that same person. Mm-hmm. And that’s why I ask people to be humane and to have understanding for people that are going through, um, certain situations. I think that’s how I look at it too. When I pass somebody who maybe is homeless or, or or I see them just hustling, I go, I’ve been there.

How close am I to being there again? I’ve never been homeless, but right, you know, a zig and a zag, right? That’s all it is. And can I say, like, I’ve been looking for full-time work since July. Since July.

Since last July. And it’s scary. It’s a tough market out there. Yeah. And now Here we are in this world of AI when all we hear is you’re going to be replaced, you’re going to be replaced, you’re going to be replaced.

Did you see Oracle? No. They laid off 30,000 people. It’s a coming. Yeah.

I don’t know what that means. I’m not smart enough to know what that means. You know, he’s smart, but I just got to keep hustling. Yeah, uh, absolutely. And I’m older.

Do you want to be 60 still? Yes. Hustling. Do you- did you- I love life. I love the whole journey.

Good. But I mean, we were talking before we started recording that I don’t have the same energy at 60 that I did at 30, or else I’m choosing to spend that energy differently. So, you know, I was a single dad- not a single dad, that’s an idiotic thing to say. I’ve been married 37 years. Diane was a homemaker.

She stayed home for 22 years because we had so many kids. We had 5 kids. So I was one of those people working around the clock, 3 jobs, sleep 4 hours, get up, get out. Right. I don’t have that same energy, and thankfully I don’t need that same energy anymore because the kids are older and gone.

Right. But I would like to be a solution, not the problem. Right. You know what I mean? And I think you are.

Just wanting to be is a start, and I think you do look for ways I do. To be a solution. But I mean, conversations like this help a great deal because I realize there are opportunities, there are places to step up. And if we could just reach everybody on that level, be it individually or small groups or whatever we can do, I think that’s powerful. Yeah.

So I think what you’re doing is amazing. Thank you. Now, we are probably- we could probably split this into two conversations, but I know a specific thing that’s important to you that we haven’t really touched on yet are the arts, right? Yes. Yes.

Let’s talk about that a little bit to make sure people understand why it’s important to you and where you think we need to be focused on. So what do you want to share on that? Absolutely. So I’m a performance artist myself, and I think, again, I commend Earth City for what they do with the visual arts. But I still want to see more allocation there to make sure- I mean, arts are one of our biggest economic drivers, right, here in St. Pete.

And without that, we lose the very fabric of our city. And like I said, one of the biggest economic drivers of our city. And I think that the people that give us beauty and so much of themselves deserve to focus on creating and honing their talents. I do wanna say, I think your American Stages, your Studio 620s, your dance studios, those play- and, you know, other mediums, deserve those same contributions. Mm-hmm.

Um, I attended a fundraiser at Studio 620 recently, and Erica Sutherland, their creative director, mm-hmm, um, she shared that her vision is to have her Equity actors, her Equity costume designers, her Equity set designers, be residences. Oh wow. You know, we used to have patrons. We used to be a patron society. You know, opera singers, they had a place to lay their head at night and not worry.

And that’s what she wants from her, you know, she, she flies- American Stage flies people in. Um, Erica, she flies people in, but she has a lot of local talent right here that she wants to foster. And a lot of them have to, you know, work 2 and 3 jobs and then hone their craft, then perform. I live that life for sure. Yes.

So as city council, where do you play a part in that then? Yes. So just ensure, like, especially because 620 and American Stage and others like Greenlights that in my district, I want to make- ensure that we have proper funding for, um, to help them meet their goals. And that’s, um, Gina Joy School is huge in the arts, and actually I volunteered at her Hats Off for the Arts fundraisers. So that’s whether that’s lending my time or lobbying the state or for federal dollars, the money’s there.

It’s just getting it. And I’m relentless. Like, you know, I’m in the middle of fundraising right now, um, and I’ve done it, um, for other organizations. Right. So accessing those funds and allocating them to and partnering with these organizations to make sure that they can keep those organizations alive and keep art alive here in St. Pete.

You mentioned Gina Driscoll, right? Mm-hmm. She served two terms where she, and, and that’s the seat you’re, you’re, um, campaigning for? Yes. Right, right, right.

Exactly. Um, so you have worked with her previously? Yes. In fundraising? I, so no, I have never worked with Gina.

Okay. Um, I was a volunteer at her, she, uh, There’s a Hats Off for the Arts fundraiser I believe that she was honored at because of her contribution to the arts. Now, I’ve had conversations with her about how she’s gone about getting- making sure that dollars are allocated to our arts fund and the Arts Alliance. And she shared that that is very- that’s a legacy that she wants to see continue. But before ever meeting with her, that was something, like I said, as an artist and an art supporter, and yeah, as an art supporter, that was very important to me.

Yeah. There you have it, Sun listeners. This is Eric Nutting for another episode of the Sun Leaders podcast. I’m sure happy that you were here with us today. Please take action and stay safe until next time.