‘The people of St. Petersburg elected me to move our city forward, and that is my focus,’ expressed Mayor Ken Welch. The mayor and Fire Chief Keith Watts at Fire Station 9 in Lake Pasadena.
ST. PETERSBURG — I’ve been blessed to serve for 23 years as an elected official. In that time, I’ve learned to appreciate the value of constructive criticism and healthy debate, and I encourage honest dialogue, as long as facts guide the conversation. However, I have also seen the damage that misinformation — “loud and wrong” as the saying goes — can have on progress.
That is why, as much as I value and utilize productive dialogue, including opposing viewpoints, I am equally resolute that I will not govern based on misinformation, rumors, social media posts, or politicized opinion columns, regardless of their source. The people of St. Petersburg elected me to move our city forward, and that is my focus. The evidence of our progress, particularly in the space of equity and equal opportunity, is self-evident.
On June 20, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue (SPFR) held a promotional pinning ceremony for 12 individuals who had undergone a rigorous exam process and met the criteria to advance to the next position. In multiple Weekly Challenger opinion columns, Dr. Goliath Davis has made several unfounded and misleading accusations related to this ceremony and Chief Keith Watts’ leadership of the fire department that I will address in this response. It is unfortunate that Dr. Davis chose to criticize Chief Watts’ decision-making when a simple phone call to Chief Watts or me would have answered the “questions” Dr. Davis presented, supposedly from “the community.” I appreciate the Challenger providing me with this opportunity to provide the community with the facts on SPFR and our approach to increasing opportunities for advancement for minorities…