UPDATE: Fund-raising numbers for all the candidates appeared toay. As Mr. Schorsch points out in the comments, it’s not fair or balanced of me not to include the others in this post. So, after the jump you’ll now find Wagman’s press release and a rundown of all the candidates finances …

The following paragraph will appear in next week’s print edition of Creative Loafing in The Week That Was column:

Money in the bank: St. Pete’s mayoral candidates reported their first quarter fund-raising numbers last week. Per the St. Pete Times, the big winner was Deveron Gibbons, who raised $117,000 from January to March. Scott Wagman issued a press release reporting donations of $74,097.25, with 90% of the contributions coming from locals, though the Times points out he loaned himself $20,000 of that haul. Jamie Bennett’s website reports the candidate managed $30,918.47 “in cash and in-kind contributions.” Bill Foster had yet to report at press time, but he told the Times his first quarter report will show he raised between $23,000 and $24,000. Rounding out the field, Kathleen Ford reported $9,325 in donations plus another $3,242 in in-kind contributions (she blames her late entry into the race), Sharon Russ reported no activity and Paul Congemi loaned his campaign $10.

And now, the Wagman press release:

ST. PETERSBURG: Mayoral candidate Scott Wagman released his first-quarter fundraising report today with great pride and optimism about his candidacy.

“In these tough economic times, being able to receive this kind of financial support at this early stage is very encouraging,” said first-time candidate Scott Wagman. “As I have traveled the city on my ‘mission to listen’ I have heard a resounding call for change and action. Our city and its residents are hungry for strong new leadership and these early results are a great indication that our message and my candidacy are resonating with voters,” stated Wagman.

For the first financial quarter the Scott Wagman campaign will report revenue of $74,097.25 with $54,097.25 donated by 204 contributors. Of these early supporters an impressive 90% are local residents.

“In just three months we have seen our candidate go from virtually no name recognition to becoming a serious contender to be elected the next mayor of St. Petersburg,” said campaign co-manager Mitch Kates. “Think about it: In three months Scott Wagman has been able to put together a fully functioning political organization from the ground up, blow away the field with our online communication platforms, and complete door-to-door field efforts by volunteers in over 40 city precincts. All in all, we are very confident in our ability to win in November,” stated Kates.

For more information about Scott Wagman and his campaign, go to his website at www.scottwagman.com <http://www.scottwagman.com>  or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for-up-to-date information.

The line was short, primarily made up of minorities, and everyone was in good spirits. We all seemed to be on the same boat — not a McCain supporter to be found – and all of us agreed that change was in the air.

My hubbie and I made it to the first pollworker table together and both of us had pollworker-related problems almost at once. I signed “LPolk” next to my name and knew I’d made a mistake as soon as the woman compared it to my license signature, which read “Leilani Polk.” The woman damn near had a heart attack when she saw what I’d done and spent the next few minutes anxiously hemming and hawing.

“I’ll just write out my first name,” I said lamely, but just as I scrawled an “L,” she snatched the book away from me, freaked out a little more, then firmly lectured me on the laws and how she could get in trouble and did I know that my signature had to look exactly as it did on my license? But then she talked herself down, admitting that she was the only one who’d see both sigs and after I pleaded with her to let me vote, she relented and let me through.

Phil’s pollworker couldn’t find his name in her book. When she asked if he’d moved recently and he answered yes, she started to tear off a provisional ballot. This was just as they’d found my name in the book. “Woah, Woah, woah, hold on there a minute — my wife moved at the same time and she’s in there,” he told his pollworker. That’s when he found out she wasn’t even looking at the right name. His last name is “Bardi”; she mistakenly looked up “Baron.” Once she had the right name, we were set and we both voted successfully.