The first forum for the candidates running for the District 6 seat on the Pinellas County Commission is set for Wednesday.

PINELLAS PARK – The four candidates who have announced campaigns for the District 6 seat on the Pinellas County Commission.

All four declared candidates – Republicans Larry Ahern, Barb Haselden and Kathleen Peters as well as Democrat Amy Kedron – have indicated they plan to take part. Ahern and Peters are serving in the state House of Representatives. Haselden is a community activist. Kedron is a business consultant at Mighty Oak Collaborative.

The forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday (June 6) in the Mainlands of Tamarac Unit 5 Clubhouse, 4275 Mainlands Blvd., Pinellas Park. Each candidate will be given 15 minutes to speak, then candidates will take questions from the moderator and audience members. The event is scheduled to last no more than two hours.

The Board of County Commissioners adopts local laws, approves the county budget and sets tax rates, and oversees departments under its control. The commission directly governs all unincorporated areas of Pinellas; municipalities may call upon the county for specialized services. The commission also sets policy, hires a county administrator to oversee the daily running of the county government, and hires a county attorney. Meetings are held twice a month, usually, but not always, on the first and third Tuesdays.

The County Commission has seven members. Three live in specific residential districts but are elected countywide by all of the voters countywide. Four are elected from single-member districts with only the voters within each specific district electing the commissioner from that district. Each voter votes for a commissioner from their single-member district and the at-large commissioners who are on the ballot.

District 6 is a single-member district that is currently vacant. It was held by Republican John Morroni who died last month after a long battle with cancer. Morroni had announced last year that he would not seek reelection. District 6 includes a portion of mid-Pinellas including northeast St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Seminole and the southern beach communities from Redington Shores south to Pass a Grille.

The primary is Aug. 28. The general election is Nov. 6.

Pinellas Commission | Politics | Elections | Forums | Tampabay News

#PinellasCommission #Politics #Elections #Forums #TampabayNews