St. Petersburg Mayor-elect Ken Welch is inviting residents to meetings that he says could help shape the city’s vision and future.

Welch will hold a series of “Community Conversations” in December at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Student Center, located at 200 6th Ave. South. One of the three sessions will also be held virtually for those who cannot attend in-person.

“Listening to our community is my top priority and one of the most important things we can do,” Welch said in a press release. “This is a great opportunity for our residents to come together to share strategies and ideas to make our great city a better place to live for all.”

Residents are asked to sign up online for one of the three sessions, with each session able to accommodate 300 people.

The three available dates and times are:

Friday, December 10: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at USF St. Pete.
Saturday, December 11: 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at USF St. Pete.
Monday, December 13: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (virtual).

The Community Conversations are sponsored by the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg.

“We are thrilled to help support these community conversations,” said Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. “We know the importance of community engagement and we are delighted, but not surprised, to see the Welch Administration start out with this important effort.”

Mathis went on to say that the Downtown Partnership looks forward to working with Mayor-elect Welch and supporting an incredible period of equitable and sustainable growth in St. Pete over the next several years.

The events will provide the community an opportunity to weigh in on five areas: Education and Youth Opportunities; Equitable Development and Business Opportunities; Neighborhood Health and Safety; Environment, Infrastructure, and Resilience; and Housing Opportunities for All.

Residents in St. Petersburg have faced thousands of evictions despite an ongoing pandemic, and a housing system that burdens people of color with rent more than others.

“Listening to the lived experience of City residents is critical to advance the health outcomes for all of us,” said Randall H. Russell, President & CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. “This effort illustrates a drive to lift the voices of all residents, including those most often not heard. The Foundation deeply believes listening to hear, learn, and respond is vital to an involved citizenry.”

Each session will begin with opening remarks from Mayor-elect Welch, and then participants will break into smaller groups for 30-minute discussions on each of the five transition topics. The event will close with everyone coming together to share key ideas.

Professional facilitators will lead the program with the World Cafe systems-thinking model that expands the range of choices available for solving a problem by broadening thinking and helping participants articulate issues.

Welch served five terms on the Pinellas County Commission and won the November mayoral election with more than 60 percent of the vote, becoming the first African-American to be elected to the city’s top elected office. He will become mayor when he is inaugurated on January 6, 2022.

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This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2021.