Pinellas County local election results put Eggers into Dunedin mayor’s office
March 13, 2009 at 5:57 am by Peter SchorschBy Peter Schorsch
PoHo contributor
Peter Schorsch is a political consultant and writes St. Petersblog 2.0.
You may not have known it was Election Day on Tuesday by the low number of voters who headed to the polls, but there were several important municipal positions up for grabs in Dunedin, Kenneth City, Safety Harbor, Seminole and several other Pinellas towns.
In a battle of two local political heavyweights, Dave Eggers (disclosure: a former client and still a good friend) edged past fellow city commissioner Deborah Kynes to become Dunedin’s next mayor. Incumbent Julie Scales was re-elected to the city commission, while newcomers Ron Barnette and Dave Carson also won seats.
The city of Gulfport offered one of the few electoral upsets when incumbent Mary Stull lost to Samuel Henderson. Michelle King was re-elected. On the campaign trail, both Henderson and King emphasized their stances on the need to protect the city’s waterfront and historic character.
Despite legal questions about her ability to actually hold the office, 70.5 percent of Kenneth City voters chose public schoolteacher Teresa Zemaitis to serve as their next mayor.
Former state representative Leslie Waters will be returning to public office with her win in Seminole. She and third-time candidate Patricia Plantamurawill received the most votes in a crowded field jockeying for two seats on the city commission.
Apparently, no one in East Lake Woodlands wanted to be part of the City of Oldsmar; voters there defeated an annexation referendum with almost 92 percent of the vote.
