Elected officials are supposed to live in St. Pete, right?

BY RIM SHUMAN
NNB Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – Should an elected official be required to be a resident of the city?

Referendum question no. 3 reads:

“Shall the City Charter be amended to clarify that a declared district candidate is required to remain a resident of the candidate’s declared district before, during and, if elected, after the election and during their term of office; and to clarify that a candidate for Mayor is required to remain a resident of the City before, during, and if elected, after the election and during their term of office?”

Currently a candidate for mayor or city council does not need to remain a resident of the district in which they are running during or after a primary or general election. The current Charter states that “a candidate for Council Member shall have been a resident of the declared district for at least the past (12) months.”

“I noticed that the amendment needed to take place back in August of 2014 once I officially took office,” said Chan Srinivasa, city clerk. “I proposed the change to the City Attorney due to the verbiage. This is a just a clean-up.”

Residents get the chance to vote on this and other referendum questions as well as city council candidates Nov. 3.

“The people elected in office are doing their job, it just wasn’t clear in the charter,” said Srinivasa.

The referendum further outlines residency requirements:

“Any candidate who does not remain a resident of the declared district prior to the primary or general elections shall be disqualified from being elected. Any candidate who is elected but does not remain a resident of the declared district prior to taking office shall be disqualified in taking office. Any candidate who does not remain a resident of the declared district during the Council Member’s term of office shall immediately be removed from office by the City Council following [procedure of removal].”

“You have the right to vote. Wherever you have an opportunity for citizens to vote, you are expressing your constitutional rights, however you decide to vote and how the elections go – that is the people’s voice,” said Srinivasa.

Carla Bristol, who serves on the board of the Dr. Carter G, Woodson Museum and owns the art studio Gallerie909, was amazed the change is needed.

“I’m surprised that this wasn’t a requirement to begin with, this should have been a requirement a long time ago,” said Bristol. “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.”