Neighborhood News Bureau

Category: Elections Fall 2015

  • The making of an election coverage: NNB reporters tell the stories behind the story

    The making of an election coverage: NNB reporters tell the stories behind the story

    BY SAMANTHA PRITZLAFF AND CHOYA RANDOLPH
    NNB Reporters

    ST. PETERSBURG – The Neighborhood News Bureau (NNB) reporters successfully participated in reporting the 2015 Municipal Election in Midtown, the first NNB Special Project since launching the new website in September 2015. This project was a collaboration with Creative Loafing in which USFSP students enrolled in NNB provided stories and information to Creative Loafing news and politics blog Political Animal.

    The collaboration began with a USFSP professor who wanted his NNB class to have more hands-on experience in live reporting. Bernardo Motta, an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, met in September with David Warner, Creative Loafing’s editor in chief and news and politics editor, Kate Bradshaw, about covering the upcoming elections. After some planning, Motta, Bradshaw, and Jared Leone, a graduate student at USFSP who also works as an editor for NNB, organized the students in the class to cover the essential parts of the elections.

    Leone played the role of section editor for the project while each student-reporter was in charge of a different aspect of the election. Topics ranged from City Council candidates, referendum questions, talking to different groups of people throughout Midtown about their concerns and elections issues, covering the polls during voting day and promoting the stories on social media.

    “[Students] had obstacles but almost all got their stories in,” Motta said. “I’m really proud of what the students produced,” he added.

    Obstacles to reporting

    Lorien Mattiacci chose to talk to two teachers at Melrose Elementary School, Kelly Milnes and Ashli Doss, about what they saw as important issues the candidates needed to address if elected.

    She did run into some obstacles on the way when one of the teachers didn’t have much information on the candidates due to the fact that she didn’t live in the district, but she did have enforcement ideas.

    One teacher did mention that the council used to work with the school. Students were able to take field trips to see and ask the city council questions. Sometimes the council would come to the school. According to Mattiacci, the council stopped coming because of a series of investigative articles published by the Tampa Bay Times as a special investigative project named “Failure Factories.”

    Mattiacci planned to meet up with Milnes and Doss. She knew the two from a previous story she wrote. Milnes and Doss are journalism teachers in the “Journeys in Journalism“ program. Mattiacci did admit that she learned that she shouldn’t combine too many stories. However; she took multiple photos of the classroom, students and even helped with a lesson.

    Other NNB reporters also revealed difficulty in finding people willing to talk about the elections. Some City Council candidates took days to return phone calls asking for interviews. One candidate even refused to talk to an NNB reporter.

    “Most of my potential sources were too busy to talk or said they ‘didn’t want to get political,’” NNB reporter Danielle Von Dreele said. Von Dreele covered the first referendum question on the ballot concerning seagrass protection in the Tampa Bay and the St. Petersburg’s water supply.

    Another student, Brigitte Toulon, had a few more obstacles than Mattiacci had. Toulon was assigned to interview event planners/organizers and people who head nonprofit organizations. She reached out to 3-4 people and only one got back with her. After many unanswered emails and voicemails, Toulon finally was able to get into touch with Susan Ajoc, the Director of Community Services for the City of St. Petersburg. Ajoc chose to not comment at all on the candidates. Toulon found herself with less amount of time to write and no one willing to talk. It wasn’t until a classmate suggested a name that Toulon was back on track with her story.

    She was able to speak to Paul Wilborn, the Executive Director at the Palladium Theater. Toulon learned that responses about the election would vary because some knew more than others. According to Toulon, Wilborn didn’t know the candidates but was leaning towards Lisa Wheeler-Brown because of the issues involving the Tampa Bay Rays and Tropicana Field. Wilborn also mentioned that if he were to interview the candidates he’d ask them if they were able to give up their biases for the community.

    Finding a way

    Once the reporters got past their struggles, they produced results. Although some sources were difficult to get in contact with, they became fun to work with and contributed greatly to the stories.

    City Council candidates District 5 candidate Steve Kornell and District 7 candidate Will Newton were among those who played a big role in helping shape their stories.

    “I think the easiest part of the assignment, which wasn’t originally mine, was to cover Will Newton’s watch party,” said Toulon.

    Toulon was encouraged by other journalists, and even Newton, when her camera battery died. According to Toulon, Newton was very calm at every aspect of the watch party. When Wheeler-Brown was announced for the winner, “the entire mood changed,”  Toulon said. “You could tell that people were a disappointed,” Toulon added.

    After learning about the result, Newton called Wheeler-Brown before anyone else just to congratulate her. According to Toulon, Newton was upbeat and calm after the winners were announced. He calmed Toulon’s nerves which made her comfortable to stay longer than she needed to.

    Zenena Moguel covered Steve Kornell. Although she struggled at first, her story came through in the end.

    “Once I was able to get to him, he’s actually a friendly guy,” Moguel said. “He contributed a lot to the profile. He wasn’t afraid to share his plans.”

    Moguel also played a big role in helping advertise student’s election stories on social media.

    “I think NNB deserves a lot more publicity about what we’re doing, so anything I can do to help, to get people to know how important this class is and how the students are really making a difference in this class for future journalism. That’s what I enjoy the most,” she added.

    Overall, the entire process of completing this project, from scheduling interviews to writing the actual stories, was a learning experience in and of itself.

    “This entire project, it takes a lot of teamwork. I don’t think it would have been so great with just a couple of us covering elections. We got point of views from people that were in the precincts, people that were at the candidate parties, we got an inside look at the entire election, and I think teamwork is the biggest thing here,” Moguel said.

    “It’s like a beautiful symphony of musicians, tuning up and working together,” said Jared Leone, the Graduate Assistant who oversaw the project. “It all comes together at the end with beautiful music.”

    Stay tuned at nnbnews.com for future, in-depth projects, including “Voices of Midtown,” coming in late November.

     

     

  • The highs and low voter turnout on St. Pete Election Day 2015

    The highs and low voter turnout on St. Pete Election Day 2015

    BY KALIE MCCAUSLAND
    NNB Reporter

    Between voting on four candidates running for both District 5 and District 7 and four referendum questions the 2015 St. Petersburg general election could mean significant change in Midtown.

    Steve Kornell, the incumbent, won District 5 and will serve a third and final term on City Council. The native St. Petersburg resident has been involved in the Midtown community for many years.

    “I didn’t get involved because I want to run for office,” said Kornell earlier in the campaign. “I was involved, and that’s why I ran for office.”

    He plans to continue to focus on boosting education and establish a youth employment program where students who participate can get college credit.

    Kornell didn’t win by a landslide, however, his opponent Philip Garrett lost by about 3,000 votes (or 11 percentage points). Garrett has lived in Midtown for almost 25 years. He started a grassroots campaign in order to make a difference where he lives and as an example for his children. Unlike the $45,000 of campaign contributions that Kornell raised, Garrett spent only around $1,400 and relied more on knocking on doors to spread his message.

    In District 7, Lisa Wheeler-Brown defeated Winthrop “Will” Newton by 15 percent (roughly 4,000 votes). She strives to reduce crime, improve education and create more jobs in the area.

    Newton doesn’t lose hope though. Although he is upset that he didn’t win, he will continue to, “work on behalf of the men and women whoput on uniforms and protect us.” He attributes his loss to a time factor. Where his opponent had started her campaign in January, Newton didn’t get his start until July. His brother Wengay “Newt” Newton is the current City Council member for District 7.

    Residents also voted on four referendums whic dealt with protections to sea grass beds, district boundaries, residency restrictions for elected officials and how to tally council member votes. They all were approved.

    The first referendum offers protections to some seagrass beds that have developed in Tampa Bay in the past few years. It allows the City Council to impose restrictions on these lands without holding a referendum. The council will still be required to hold a public hearing. It passed with an 85 percent majority.

    The second referendum addresses redrawing the voting precinct lines to more natural borders. This means that they would be redrawn along train tracks and major roads, eliminating the jigsaw shape of many of the current districts. The changes would not take effect until a redistricting commission is established, which usually corresponds with when the U.S. Census is taken. The referendum passed with a 62 percent majority.

    A candidate for mayor or city council does not need to remain a resident of the district in which they are running after winning election. The third referendum question removed that oversight. Previously they were only required to have lived in the district for 12 months to run for office, and were free to move after elected. It also ensures that the mayor must reside in the city throughout their term.

    “I’m surprised that this wasn’t a requirement to begin with, this should have been a requirement a long time ago,” said Carla Bristol, who serves on the board of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Museum and owns the art studio Gallerie909. “I am 100 percent in favor of it being a requirement – if you’re going to serve the people then you’re going to need to live among the people.”

    The referendum passed with a 94 percent majority.

    The fourth referendum question would allow the electronic voting system within the City Council to be the primary voting system allowed without verbal recitation of the city clerk. This referendum passed with a 72 percent majority.

    Low voter turnout was the biggest trend at the polling booths. At the 113th precinct located inside the Christ Gospel Church, only about 50 voters came out to cast their ballots. Though this number seems low, it is twice what the turnout was there last election.

    However, at another precinct, only found one voter by noon at the Child’s Park Recreational Center. The voter was very enthusiastic, but still the only one.

    The empty booths may not be entirely about voter disengagement. The majority of votes came by absentee ballots. With mail-in ballots, a voter can vote at their own time starting a month before Election Day. Roughly 80 percent of the votes cast in this election were by mail-in.

    “People growing up and voting now will never see the inside of a voting booth,” said John Carassas, a county judge who serves in the Canvassing Review Board, which certifies the election. “They’re missing out on that special experience,” Carassas said.

     

    Clarence Ford, Lorien Mattiacci, Zenena Moguel, Samanthat Pritzlaff, Choya Randolph, Carly Romano, Rim Shuman, Indhira Suero Acosta, Brigitte Toulon, Eric Vaughan, and Danielle Von Dreele contributed to this story.

  • City elections won from home

    BY KALIE MCCAUSLAND
    NNB Reporter

    Sitting at an oblong table inside a glass-walled room are nine individuals overseeing the preservation of democracy.

    The table is littered with soda cans, water bottles and Styrofoam take-out containers from a nearby restaurant, it is clear they have been here for awhile.

    Part of the group includes the three-member Canvassing Review Board – Deborah Clark, Supervisor of Elections; Dave Eggers, a Pinellas County commissioner; and John Carassas, a county judge. The group is charged with certifying the election, including reviewing and making decisions on mail-in and provisional ballots.

    St. Petersburg residents got a chance to vote on three council seats and four referendums Tuesday, Nov. 3. By 7:48 p.m., the unofficial results were in – Steve Kornell (District 5) Lisa Wheeler-Brown (District 7) Charles Gerdes (District 1) won and voters also approved all four referendum questions.

    The referendums dealt with protections to sea grass beds, district boundaries, residency restrictions for elected officials and how to tally council member votes.

    However, of the 174,729 registered voters a paltry 30,366 ballots were cast, about 17 percent voter turnout. Even still, the majority of the votes, 80 percent, were absentee ballots sent to registered voters homes over a month ago.

    This percentage of votes is what the Canvassing Review Board oversees. With a mail-in ballot, voters are asked to sign the exterior of the envelope after filling their ballot. It is then reviewed by a staff member of the Supervisor of Elections Office and if there are any discrepancies it goes to a manager for review and then to the Canvassing Board for determination on the legitimacy of the vote.

    The most common error in an absentee ballot is either forgetting a signature entirely or a variation in the signature from the one on the Voters Registration Application of the individual. Each ballot is looked over by several people until it reaches the board, where its ultimate fate is decided in that clear fishbowl room. The number of absentee ballots increases steadily with every election increasing the importance and responsibility of this team of people.

    “We are constantly busy trying to keep our voters engaged and educated,” said Jason Latimer, spokesman for the elections office.

    Accountability is the Supervisor of Elections Office main purpose. They have the facilities that tally and scan all of the votes, and each paper ballot from all 109 polling locations is transported to their warehouse for review and storage. Though there are a number of provisional ballots that need to be reviewed and tallied, it is quite small in comparison to the growing number of mail-in voters.

    The trend is part convenience, Latimer said. It allows voters time to review the ballot carefully and fill it out at their leisure. It is also more cost-effective than hiring additional poll workers on Election Day. There are drawbacks, he said. With less personalized attention a voter might not understand instructions clearly or might need help with the paperwork process. The method also seems to remove any physical action and effort in order to participate in an election.

    “People growing up and voting now will never see the inside of a voting booth,” Carassas said while checking mail-in ballots. “They’re missing out on that special experience”

  • Video: Sparse voter turnout in St. Pete

    BY DANIELLE VON DREELE
    NNB Reporter

    Voter turnout was low for the St. Petersburg city election Tuesday.

    Residents got the chance to vote for three city council seats and four referendums.

     

  • Newton doesn’t lose hope

    BY BRIGITTE TOULON
    NNB Reporter

    ST. PETERSBURG – Although Will Newton did not win the position for District 7, he won’t let the loss bring him down. He remains hopeful for the future of the District.

    “I want to thank my team and all the people who supported me,” said Newton.

    As for the race and it’s outcome, Newton said, “We ran an incredible race, and did an incredible amount of things in five months.”

    When asked if he would do anything different, he responded, “I wouldn’t, I think the difference is time.” Newton did not start his campaigning until July, whereas his opponent, Lisa Wheeler-Brown, started in January.

    Newton will continue to, “work on behalf of the men and women who put on uniforms and protect us.”

  • Did you actually vote today?

    Did you actually vote today?

    BY RIM SHUMAN
    NNB Reporter

    ST. PETERSBURG – Residents, few and far between, made their way to the polls to cast their vote for three city council seats and four referendum questions Tuesday.

    Unity of St. Petersburg (Precint #213/#217)
    Unity of St. Petersburg (Precint #213/#217)

    Unity: A Spiritual Community, 6168 1st Ave. N., Precinct #213 and #217 had low voter turnout. A polling officer claimed that there were only about two voters an hour. The parking lot was seemingly empty. Where were the voters of St. Petersburg today?

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    Unity Center of St. Petersburg (Precinct no. 213 and 217)

    Jeannine Colbert, of St. Petersburg, cast her vote at the Unity Center today.

    “This probably isn’t the greatest place for a good turnout – hardly anyone comes by here. I think people need to get out and vote as you see no one is showing up here, people need to get out and vote,” said Colbert, who was one of the few voters at the Unity center.

    “(Referendum Question no. 1) is the most important question. I feel very strongly about this because I am very environmental. It is important because it involves decisions about our wetlands,” said Colbert.

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    Fifth Avenue Church of Christ (Precinct no. 227)

    “I supported [Will] Newton. I know him because he supports our local firefighters and I really like him. My husband is a firefighter. It’s a matter of sticking together in the community. I vote every election, people still complain – if you don’t vote, you can’t complain,” Colbert said.

    Fifth Avenue Church of Christ, located at 4200 5th Avenue S., St. Petersburg, Precint no. 227 welcomed voters of St. Petersburg to their Church. With seemingly more voters walking in and out of the voting center, the Church had a reported 10 to 20 percent turnout their, compared to the reported zero to 10 percent for Precinct no. 217 at the Unity Center.

    Frank Prevost, cast his vote at the Fifth Avenue Church of Christ. He said the issue about council member district lines is important and requires voters’ attention and understanding.

    “Referendum no. 2 about the district lines was very important. I hope (the city) will do a little better then what it is doing for us now,” said Prevost

    His support for council came down to a personal choice.

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    “I supported Phillip Garrett for District 5 and Will Newton for District 7. I know Phil personally, that is how I got the information I needed,” said Prevost. “My wife and his wife attend Church together. His three kids are like my kids.”

    Prevost said that he votes every election and hopes that there would be more residents of the area coming to vote recognizing the small turnout.

    “More people should participate in any election there is. Without a voice you do not have a voice. It is our right. You have to vote,” said Prevost.

    The election had a voter turnout of 17.33 percent of active registered voters. Which means of the 174,729 registered voters in St. Petersburg, only 30,286 went out to the polls.

     

  • Midtown voter turn out may not be as bleak as it seems

    Midtown voter turn out may not be as bleak as it seems

    BY ERIC VAUGHAN
    NNB Reporter

    A busy road in Midtown. Workers head home and drive right by the 113 Precinct  located inside the Christ Gospel Church.

    Poll workers say even though voter turnout is apparently low, it beats last year when a record low of only 26 voters showed throughout the entire day.

    At around 5:30 p.m., the precinct had just about double their numbers with about 50 or so registered voters casting their votes.

    Workers stated since the option to mail in ballots has arrived, it is no telling from year-to-year how many voters they might get.

    Midtown resident Christian Haas came out to support Lisa Wheeler-Brown and  Steve Kornell.

    “Wheeler-Brown is all about bridging the gap between police and the rest of the city… Having someone who understands the struggle of the lower class in our city is a great asset to add to the conversation at city hall,” Haas said. “Kornell is a good guy, and will continue to do great things for this city,” he added.

  • Kids cause disturbance on Election Day

    Election Day at Polling Location for Precinct 225

    BY CARLY ROMANO
    NNB Reporter

    ST. PETERSBURG—During midday, the polling location for voting precinct 225 was having problems with kids throwing rocks and pine bark not only at cars in the parking lot, but also at a poll-worker and his motor bike.

    This caused a disturbance, which lead to the volunteer poll workers to go outside and ward off the kids who were dropped off at a nearby school bus stop.

    Those working were discussing whether to move their cars in fear the kids would not leave.

    After being yelled at several times, the kids began to move away from the property.

    The polling location for precinct 225 is held at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and is in close range of a school zone.

    In the midst of problems with school kids, no voters were present.

    According to Jason Latimer, spokesman for the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, only 32 people have voted for precinct 225 as of 4:19 p.m.

    Poll workers muttered that this was extremely low traffic compared to past elections.

    Regina Johnson, resident of District 5, cast a ballot on all referendum questions as well as a candidates for District 5 and 7.

    “I always vote,” she said with pride after voting.

    Election information is posted outside of all polling locations. Voters should come prepared, as poll workers are not allowed to advise or educate about the election.

    “We are able to provide press releases, voting registration deadlines and any election information,” Latimer said.

    For further information regarding elections, voters can visit www.votepinellas.com.

  • Low flow of voters for St. Pete city election

    Low flow of voters for St. Pete city election

    BY INDHIRA SUERO
    NNB Reporter

    An empty street and a few signs indicated where to vote for the candidates running for St. Petersburg City Council District 7.

    However — around noon — only two voters appeared to exercise their right to vote at New Hope Baptist Church.

    The District 7 race has community activist Lisa Wheeler-Brown squared off against Winthrop “Will” Newton.

    Residents also got the chance to vote on four city referendum questions which dealt with protections to sea grass beds, district boundaries, residency restrictions for elected officials and electronic counting of council member votes.

    Resident Phillips Ulises came out to support Newton. Ulises said he was not aware of the referendum questions.

    According to poll workers,  participation has been low with just “a few voters” appearing at the precinct.

    Estimated voter turnout averaged about 1.8 percent by 2 p.m., according to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections.

     

  • Election 2015: Amid low-turnout, one voter participates in Childs Park

    Election 2015: Amid low-turnout, one voter participates in Childs Park

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    BY LORIEN MATTIACCI
    NNB Reporter

    Lolita Dash-Pitts, the only voter at the Childs Park Recreation and Fitness Center at noon Tuesday, came out to support candidate Will Newton of District 7.

    Residents got the chance to vote on City Council members and four city referendum questions. The referendums dealt with protections to sea grass beds, district boundaries, residency restrictions for elected officials and how to tally council member votes.

    Estimated voter turnout averaged about 1.8 percent by 2 p.m., according to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections.

    Dash-Pitts did not know much about the referendums, but she felt that the ballot language explained them well.

    “I was glad they clarified the referendums without my having to do the research,” said Pitts.

    Of the referendums up for vote, Dash-Pitts felt most strongly about the electronic voting. She believes that this move to technology will reduce the likelihood of human error.

    “I think that electronic voting is a more up-to-date approach than having a clerk register the votes,” said Dash-Pitts.

    Dash-Pitts, 52, is a regular voter for more than 30 years. She is cognizant of the sacrifices made to create and maintain a democratic society, and feels it’s important that anyone who can vote, does.

    “I call all my friends from the precinct and tell them to come and vote,” said Dash-Pitts. “Our forefathers had to struggle to give us the privilege to vote, and we should not waste that privilege.”