Effective Communication
The people of St. Pete deserve a Mayor who will listen to them, who recognizes he works for the people. I’ve heard repeatedly that people don’t feel like they can talk to the Mayor or, if they can, that they are not being heard.
As Mayor, I will be different. I have always prided myself on being accessible to the people I represent and to transparency in government. On my first day in office as Governor, I signed an Executive Order establishing the Office of Open Government so the people, my boss, could hold me and their government accountable. I will bring that same commitment to transparency to City Hall. Our city’s agencies will be held accountable by my office to make sure they are best serving the people.
Each week, I will set aside a four-hour block of time during which anyone who wants to meet with the Mayor can sign up for a 15-minute meeting with me and my staff. The meetings will rotate between City Hall and various accessible locations throughout the city, such as libraries and recreation centers, to ensure it’s easy for our residents to be heard.
Additionally, I promise to meet with every neighborhood association within the first year of my term. Our neighborhoods are the heartbeat of our city, and the neighborhood associations do the critical work to ensure communities are thriving. These groups not only deserve to be heard, they must. Neighborhood associations and the civil servants who lead them are our eyes and ears on the ground. They know and understand perhaps better than anyone the unique needs of our diverse neighborhoods, and I will rely on their insight to ensure all residents are being well-represented and cared for.
More broadly, I promise to ensure residents also know when their city is working at its best. St. Pete is home to one of the best parks and recreation systems in the nation, with a strong network of dog parks, a new seagrass mitigation plant, programs to help kids thrive, and so much more. Yet many citizens remain unaware of the amenities offered by our award-winning Parks and Recreation department. As Mayor, that will change, with the promise of improving communication to ensure every resident can tap into their local government’s resources.