Colorful cast vies for Gulfport Council seats

GULFPORT — When voters go to the polls on Tuesday, they will decide whether to reward two City Council incumbents with another two-year term.

One incumbent has drawn token opposition. The other has drawn a crowd.

Linda Bailey filed to run in Ward 2 in November, then essentially disappeared. She did not attend two candidate forums and did not respond to questionnaires that the Tampa Bay Times and a community weekly paper sent to candidates. In an interview, she said she is running just to give people “another name” on the ballot.

That suggests clear sailing for incumbent Christine Anne Brown, a community activist and teacher who is seeking a third term in Ward 2, which covers the southeast quarter of the city.

In Ward 4, however, incumbent Michael Fridovich has three opponents. They all criticize him for poorly representing the district, which stretches across the city’s northeast quadrant.

Although candidates must live in the districts they seek to represent, voting is citywide.

Written by University of South Florida St. Petersburg journalism and mass communications students, Ryan Callihan, Tyler Gillespie and Devin Rodriguez, this article was published in the Tampa Bay Times. 

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