In a very crowded field for the Ward 1 seat on Gulfport’s City Council, accountant David C. Hastings defeated incumbent Judy Ryerson by a 12-vote margin. The republican defeated four other candidates after taking 28% of the 1,782 ballots cast.
Thanks to a 2003 decision by voters, run-off elections are non-existent in the St. Petersburg-area suburb and Hastings will take the seat immediately.
The campaign was completely focused on budgetary and environmental issues and no smear tactics were used by any of the five candidates. Hastings’ win bumped out the political aspirations of openly gay candidate Stanley Solomons, who is a co-chair of St. Pete Pride.
Hastings, 62, is a native of Virginia and has called Gulfport home since 2000 and has served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board since 2007. His wife owns the Habana Café and Cigar Factory on Gulfport Boulevard.
