A last-minute challenge to St. Petersburg City Councilman Steve Kornell, who marched with his partner Bobby Poth in the recent St. Pete Pride parade, has been put “on hold due to family health problems.”
Bill Protz, active in the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and many charitable organizations, said he admitted his wife June 30 into the hospital for E. coli poisoning related to her ongoing battle with ovarian cancer.
Due to that, Protz said he’s suspended all activity related to his campaign, which started June 27 when he filed the necessary paperwork about five minutes before the deadline.
“I’m doing what I have to do,” Protz said. “E. coli is a deadly disease.”
His wife has already received 18 weeks of chemotherapy, he said.
Kornell, reached on the road traveling for the July 4 holiday, had words of encouragement for the Protz family.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to my friend Bill and his family, and I hope his wife recovers,” Kornell said. “Some things are just more important.”
Protz said mounting a campaign against first-term incumbent Kornell, who succeeded District 5 councilman Jamie Bennett, was a “last-minute decision” but something he’s wanted to do.
While Protz entering the race was a surprise, Kornell said he was ready for a challenger.
“There’s a website, literature printed, at least 100 volunteers working on the campaign and we’ve raised a significant sum of money,” Kornell said. “It’s expensive to talk to voters.â┚¬ÂÂ
Although Kornell is an openly gay councilman, St. Petersburg’s first, he said the bulk of his energy focuses on the health, safety and prosperity of all St. Petersburg.
“A significant issue for me is preventing juvenile crime,” said Kornell, who is also a Pinellas County schools social worker. Kids need guidance from preschool to high school, he said, and later, help finding their first job.
“Some people may say government shouldn’t be doing these things, and I respectfully disagree.”