This could be the time that Darden Rice secures a seat on a governmental body. The long-time civic activist announced in mid-March that she is running St. Petersburg City Council’s District 4 seat, which will be vacated by Leslie Curran due to term limits.
This is the third time Rice has sought public office. In 2005 she lost a bid for City Council to Earnest Williams. In 2008 Rice lost to Renee Flowers in the Democratic primary for Pinellas County Commission.
“I really do think the third time’s a charm,” Rice said in a telephone interview with Watermark. “I’m one of the most prepared candidates for city council that we’ve seen in a long time. When I talk about the issues, these aren’t talking points for me. I have a depth and a breadth of experience working on a number of relevant public interest issues.”
Even when not running for public office, Rice is often in the spotlight throughout the community through a number of organizations. She recently stepped down as the president of the League of Women Voters, a post she held for three years, she’s the chair of the legislative committee of the PSTA transit board and has been active in the Sierra Club and the Gulf Restoration Network.
“The main reason I’m running is to make St. Pete strong,” Rice said. “I have a plan called St. Pete Strong that focuses on three areas.”
Those areas are strong business and jobs, strong communities and neighborhoods and strong city services, she said.
“The role of City Council and City Government is the ensure that businesses have the resources they need for job growth; that neighborhoods and communities reflect a desirable place to live work and play, and that City Services are lean and effective,” Rice said in her plan. “With this focus, our city will realize its greatest purpose and opportunity, to continue to thrive and be the vital community where people come to live, work and play.”
Rice and her partner, Julie, live in St. Petersburg, so the future of the city is important to her, she said.
“My partner and I want to live long lives ahead together in the city we call home,” Rice said. “I think what makes St. Petersburg special is its offerings, its location, its diversity and the arts. But all of that depends on a city that fosters and encourages a strong job base.”
Since her first campaign for public office seven years ago, a number of out candidates have sought – and won – election. Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, Largo City Commissioner Michael Smith and St. Pete City Councilman Steve Kornell all won their positions while running as openly gay candidates.
But Rice was the very first.
“I was the first openly gay person to run for Pinellas County office ever back in 2005,” Rice said. “I was a trailblazer back then and seven years later it’s a world of difference. The world changes, people think about these issues. When they think about fairness and ending discrimination, we general prevail. It speaks to how much the world has changed in the last seven years.”
In previous campaigns, Rice was attacked by opponents because she is gay. But today, sexuality is rarely an issue, she said, and she doesn’t expect it to be an issue in this campaign.
Of course, human rights issues are close to Rice’s heart – she spoke when the St. Petersburg City Council heard arguments for its domestic partnership registry. But she’s also concerned about other issues impacting the city, including the Pier, red light cameras and the Tampa Bay Rays.
“One of the deepest values I have is to bring meaningful civic engagement to our local government and city hall,” Rice said. “It’s hard to defend the process. Our city leaders should know that the pier is an important symbol to everyone in the city. Secondly, it’s a big investment for the city and we’re just coming out of a recession, so the city should have bent over backwards to make every effort possible to solicit and engage meaningful civic engagement on the issue.”
On the issue of The Lens, which is slated to replace The Pier, Rice said that “at this point, we need to hit the reset button and let people vote.”
It’s unclear who exactly Rice will face in the Aug. 27 Primary election since it’s still early in the campaign. If she is one of the top two to receive the most votes, she will move forward to the general election in the fall.
For more information on Rice’s plan or to donate to the campaign, visit VoteDardenRice.com.
