St. Petersburg Sierra Club endorses Karl Nurse, Steve Kornell and Scott Wagman on the environment
July 13, 2009 at 8:13 am by Wayne Garcia
Scott Wagman gets some help in his attempt to the be the next mayor of St. Petersburg, and two council candidates — incumbent Karl Nurse, long known for his conservation efforts, and newcomer Steve Kornell — also get the nod from St. Pete Sierra Club, which endorsed in just three municipal races.
From the Sierra Club announcement:
SIERRA CLUB ANNOUNCES ST. PETE PRIMARY ENDORSEMENTS
Sierra Club in St. Petersburg is proud to announce that it has endorsed Scott Wagman for Mayor, and City Council candidates Steve Kornell for District 5, and Karl Nurse for District 6.
With over 2,300 paid members in Pinellas County and approximately 1,000 of them in St. Petersburg, the organization expects to work with its members and other environmental, conservation/preservation organizations to form a significant block of voters in a primary election which this year features some 15 candidates for only four offices, but typically very few voters.
“Local Sierra Club and its many allied organizations,individuals and their families and friends represent thousands of St. Petersburg voters who are concerned about living in a modern, well run, environmentally smart city, and are willing to work for it,” said Bill Bucolo, Chair of the Groups Political Committee.
Chair of Suncoast Group, Terrie Weeks said,”Suncoast Sierra Club is proud and delighted to support Scott Wagman, Karl Nurse and Steve Kornell in the St. Pete primary elections. When elected we are confident they will act decisively for the best environmental interests of St. Petersburg and its citizens.”
Local Sierra Club activists are playing significant roles in environmentally related legislation in the city and county. Members from the Suncoast Group serve on many local government committees including the Agency for Bay Management, a part of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, and the Environmental Science Forum which is a county advisory board regarding environmental lands and parks such as Brooker Creek and Weedon Island. The Club is also part of the Alliance for a Livable Pinellas (ALP) which regularly meets with the Mayor’s Office.
Recently Sierra Club members worked with Council members writing the recent ordinance designed to reduce fertilzer runoff from local lawns and parks into Gulf waters. Nitrogen fertilizer runoff is believed to have helped grow the 14 mile long algae bloom now off Pinellas County’s shore line which is killing fish and related wildlife, and is connected to frequent Red Tide outbreaks in Tampa Bay.
