Kersteen brought up the issue at Tuesday night's debate, saying that he had a long record of being fiscal conservative, and defended that point.
Shulman replied that the issue wasn't that Kersteen said he was fiscally responsible, it's that he claimed he was the only such candidate who could make that claim on the ballot. He said he thought he was just as fiscally conservative, but but said he later apologized to Kersteen for arguing the point.
Gerdes admitted he started the whole encounter, challenging Kersteen if he truly believed he was the "only" such candidate who could boast his credentials on that front. "I'm going to run a high road race," Gerdes said. "I'm telling them (the voters) that Mr. Kersteen is a good man, but when someone makes phone calls and suggests I'm not fiscally responsible, I'm going to call them on that, and I'm not going to apologize."
The three candidates spoke in unison on most of the actual issues at hand, such as the fact that they believe that the west side feels left out of the entire city's growth and prosperity success over the past decade.
They also spoke as one in blasting a recent settlement with Raytheon, owner of a building that produced a toxic plume that became a huge issue in the Azalea district. That settlement provided a settlement to households that were touched by the plume of $2,500, an amount that Gerdes said was not only unfair, but an "embarrassment." Alluding to the 19 years he worked for Raytheon, he praised the workers there as some of the "proudest patriots we have," but said it was a disappointment, and he promised to hold to Raytheon executives promise to continue to be "good strong corporate leaders."
Both Shulman and Kersteen concurred.
If anything stood out among the three candidates, it was Gerdes continuing insistence that he won't really be representing himself on City Council if elected, but the wishes and desires of his constituents. He said if elected he'll hold town hall meetings every other week, rotating those meetings to give access to all of the District 1 citizenry.
Josh Shulman said it was great to hold town hall meetings, but what did it matter if hardly anybody showed up at them? He decried the lack of turnout at some neighborhood association meetings, saying only when it came to issues such as the Raytheon situation in Azalea have people came out in meetings in large numbers. He suggested that City Council hold some meetings outside of City Hall to engage the public further.
Gerdes responded immediately to Shulman, saying he would do more than just hold town hall meetings. "I'm committing to being the most accessible and communicative representative of District 1 ever," he boldly declared.
The three men all joined together in singing the praises of Mayor Bill Foster on his dealing with the sensitive issue of the homeless situation, with Shulman suggesting that could be the issue that defines the Foster legacy when he's gone from City Hall.
One awkward moment arrived when moderator Darden Rice asked the candidates what, if any proposals they had in mind to deal with the lack of affordable housing in St. Petersburg.
Kersteen said the answer was getting federal funding to build more homeless facilities, or as he put it "apartments on the cheap, so to speak. Something that provides them four walls and a roof, but none of the amenities in life."
Shulman replied that he honestly had not given a lot of thought to that problem, because "that hasn't been an issue on the west side. I don't think having four walls and a roof and no amenities is the answer," in a clear rebuke to Kersteen.
Gerdes said he's been speaking with current City Councilman Karl Nurse, who he says has personally contacted banks on foreclosed properties and inquired about them handing the over to the city, which could then work with volunteer groups like Habitat for Humanity to rehabilitate those houses.
In what was referred to as the "lightning round," of simple yes or no responses, the candidates all were in agreement on opposing a Digital Billboard ordinance, eliminating a car allowance for some city employees and expressing disapproval for Mayor Bill Foster's' refusal to sign on to the Mayors Against Illegal Guns initiative.
Only when it came to red light cameras was there any difference, with Gerdes supporting such cameras and the other candidates opposing them.
