Kedron said she felt threatened.
“I had a traumatic experience at the beginning of my campaign, and he (Puente) triggered me,” she said.
According to Kedron, she was with her assistant in an entrance to the Vinoy Marina in downtown St. Petersburg that was enclosed on three sides and the gate to the dock was locked.
“I told him, ‘I don’t feel safe around you,’ but he kept asking for answers, even after I asked him to email me his questions,” she said. “He was also asking about a personal experience.”
The incident she referred to was a domestic altercation with her former fiance, Kevin Knisely, who said she assaulted him. It became a he said/she said duel, but Kedron did have bruises that resulted in charges against Knisely, dropped when Kedron didn’t pursue legal actions. She said she didn’t want to destroy his career as a psychiatrist with the Veterans Administration. Knisely did get a restraining order and Kedron moved out.
In a statement posted on her campaign website titled “Speaking My Truth,” she clarifies her actions concerning both the domestic incident and her encounter with Puente, stating:
“Soon after my campaign began I had a frightening and difficult encounter. I was assaulted by a loved-one [sic] in crisis. I attempted to Baker Act this person but it backfired. This person falsified claims about me in an attempt to keep me from protecting myself, or him.”
Kedron, 42, came to Tampa Bay from Buffalo, NY, in 2010 to seek property for her parents, who planned to move here. She’s a former adjunct professor at USF St. Petersburg and Ringling. She posted her side of the story about her encounter with Puente. According to the website statement, her communications assistant complained about Puente’s aggressive reply to a press release he received before the incident at the Vinoy Marina.
Puente, who came to St. Petersburg in 2010, is known for his persistence and has won awards for investigative reporting at the Baltimore Sun, where he covered the Freddie Gray case and Baltimore’s ensuing riots. His series about police brutality in Baltimore led to reform efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Creative Loafing left several messages for Puente, who had not returned our calls as of press time.
Prior to the incident with Puente, Kedron had endorsements from St. Petersburg City Councilwoman Gina Driscoll (District 6), Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Gerard (District 2), and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. Both Driscoll and Gerard rescinded their endorsements, citing issues with her reactions to Puente. Kriseman could not be reached for comment, however, in an earlier statement, he said he was not following the story because he’s focusing on other things.
Driscoll said she dropped her support because she found Kedron’s response to the reporter troubling.
“He was standing outside doing his job, and she makes him sound like a predator,” Driscoll said. “There are problems today with people viewing the press as the enemy, particularly in Washington, with the president, and I don’t want to see that start here in St. Petersburg.”
When Kedron first announced her candidacy in early May, Driscoll met with her.
“I had just won my first political race and I wanted to share my experience and help other newcomers,” said Driscoll. “I was impressed by her credentials and she seemed confident and positive.”
Though Driscoll was not at the event in question, she said she withdrew her endorsement because Puente was just asking about campaign finances (which are public record).
“In politics you must be able to speak with reporters,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to get your message out, and it’s important to be truthful.”
Kedron said she feels like she’s been gaslighted throughout this entire campaign.
“There have been accusations about me that are completely untrue,” she said. “I feel like it’s a one-sided story (Puente) is presenting because there’s only one big news source and they’re siding with my opponent Kathleen Peters, who has many powerful financial backers.”
Kedron also said she thinks she’s being ignored as a woman, and cited the #MeToo movement.
“I feel that people aren’t believing me when I say I felt threatened by the reporter,” she said, adding that she’s “small” and Puente is a “big guy.”
And that’s why she called the cops, who — as Driscoll and several others told this reporter — felt her complaint was unfounded because “he was just doing his job.”
Kedron knows that reporters ask tough questions, and she firmly supports the First Amendment. She’s taught constitutional law, too.
In her online statement she says:
“I believe democracy is a sacred American right. Over the years many countries have looked to America as an example of the republic they strive for. The democratic process needs to be fair and public and we need the press to do its best to vet candidates and keep it that way.”
Kedron does have an impressive resume, and her platform is one of grassroots community development, environmental sustainability and social justice. Since her district includes many beach communities, she’s been hosting town halls addressing the current algae-aggravated red tide blooming along the shores.
To see her response to the coverage she finds unfair, visit amykedron.com. Puente’s coverage is also online.
This article appears in Oct 4-11, 2018.