Campaign News & Announcements
Kennedy diligently prepares before each council session and works beforehand to change proposals to address concerns. He quickly became the council's expert on the city budget, and that will be important as the council works with a new mayor.
In District 2, the city's northernmost, Kennedy has worked to expand reclaimed water hookups, secured dredging projects and opened parks. He hopes to pursue further expansion of the reclaimed water network, consider offering curbside recycling and create a unified downtown waterfront plan.
[H]is evenhandedness and strong work ethic make him a good custodian of the public's trust.
St. Pete Chamber PAC selects candidates to support
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – September 30, 2009 – The St. Pete Chamber PAC has made its selection of candidates to support for the upcoming St. Petersburg municipal election. The decisions were difficult and all candidates did a good job during the interview process. However, in the end The PAC made its decisions based on the candidates who would best serve business, industry and quality of life issues, based on The Chamber’s Business & Quality of Life Agenda.
Mayor— Bill Foster
District 2— Jim Kennedy
District 4— Leslie Curran
District 5— Angela Rouson
District 6— Karl Nurse
District 8— Jeff Danner
THREE PROMINENT STATE LEGISLATORS ENDORSE JIM KENNEDY FOR ST. PETERSBURG CITY COUNCIL
St. Petersburg, Florida—Florida State Senator and U.S. Congressional candidate Charlie Justice (D-16) joins state representatives, Rick Kriseman (D-53) and Bill Heller (D-52), in endorsing James Kennedy Jr. for St. Petersburg City Council, District 2, the Kennedy campaign announced today.
“The City Council made one of its best decisions when it appointed Jim Kennedy. He has performed extremely well as a member of the Council and there is no question in my mind that he deserves an opportunity to continue his good work. Jim worked hard in many ways for this community before his appointment and his work on the Council validates that he really cares deeply about his district and his City. I truly believe that he has earned the right to now be elected to the Council by the citizens of St. Petersburg. I say, ‘Let's keep Kennedy!,’” said Representative Heller.
Representative Kriseman was vocal in his praise of Councilman Kennedy.
"Jim Kennedy has represented his district and our city with professionalism and has been a voice of experience and reason on council. His legal knowledge and attention to detail is invaluable during a time of numerous and complex challenges for local government,” said Kriseman.
Councilman Kennedy was grateful for the support. “For as long as I continue to serve, I pledge to pay attention to the fine details of our city’s budget and look for ways to protect our financial resources, our natural resources and our citizens.”
These endorsements come on the heels of St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker’s endorsement of Councilman Kennedy.
"St. Petersburg, Florida—St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker has endorsed St. Petersburg City Council Member Jim Kennedy in his bid to retain his seat in District 2, the Kennedy campaign announced today.
"Jim Kennedy is the best councilman for District 2. He not only has the experience to navigate city hall, but he has a record of community involvement and getting things done while keeping fiscal responsibility at the forefront,” Mayor Baker said.
First elected in 2001 and re-elected overwhelmingly in 2005, Mayor Baker also cited Council Kennedy’s stewardship of the budget, reputation for sound fiscal policy, and his civic involvement in area organizations, such as Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA) as reasons for his endorsement.
“I’m very grateful to Mayor Baker for allowing me to be the first city council person to participate in the budget process with his cabinet and department heads. The knowledge that I have gained will help me continue to protect taxpayers’ money,” said Council Member Kennedy.
Jim Kennedy is the current St. Petersburg City Council Member for District 2, running to retain his seat. Appointed to Council in 2007, Kennedy serves as Chairman of the Budget, Finance, and Tax Committee and the Investment Oversight Committee. Prior to serving on City Council, Kennedy served as President and Treasurer of CASA. He is a practicing attorney."
