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Tiger Bay Hosts Republican Candidates for Pinellas County Commission

Larry Ahern | Barb Haselden | Kathleen Peters

Larry Ahern, Barb Haselden and Kathleen Peters are running for the District 6 seat on the Pinellas County Commission in the upcoming Republican primary.

ST. PETERSBURG – The Suncoast Tiger Bay Club will host the Republican candidates who are running in the Aug. 28 primary for Pinellas County Commission.

The panel is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. July 12 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, 11 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. Networking begins at 11:30 am and lunch for pre-registered guests is held before noon. The discussion begins at noon and ends at 1:15 pm. The luncheon fees are $25 for Tiger Bay Club members and $35 for guests by contacting tigerbay.org under the heading Upcoming Meetings. Seating is limited. For more information, call (727) 822-1001 or executivedirector@tigerbay.org. The deadline for this event registration is noon July 9.

The race for the seat is one of the more hotly contested in Pinellas. It was held by John Morroni, first elected as District 6 commissioner in 2000, who announced in March 2017 that he would not seek reelection because of medical reasons. He died on May 20 this year.

The three Republican candidates are Larry Ahern, Barb Haselden, and Kathleen Peters.

Ahern, a state representative from Seminole, was first elected in November 2010 and re-elected in 2012, 2014 and 2016. In the Florida Legislature, Ahern serves on the House Appropriations Committee, Education Committee and Public Integrity and Ethics Committee. He also serves as chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee and serves on the Careers and Competition Subcommittee and Post-Secondary Education Subcommittee.

Haselden has lived in St. Petersburg for 30 years and in District 6 for 25 years. In 2009, she became interested in local government and founded the “South Pinellas 912” group, a taxpayer-centered citizen organization that grew to 1,000 local members. In 2014, Haselden attended 200 community meetings to inform voters on how the Greenlight Rail Tax sales tax increase from 7 percent to 8 percent would affect them. Nearly 7,000 “No Tax for Track” yard signs were distributed countywide. On Nov. 4, 2014, the proposal was defeated with 62 percent of the votes cast.

Peters, a state representative from Treasure Island, was first elected to the House in 2012 and re-elected in 2014 and 2016. She previously was elected city commissioner for South Pasadena in 2008 and served as mayor of South Pasadena in 2009-2012. In the Florida Legislature, Peters serves on the House Public Integrity and Ethics Committee, Children, Families and Seniors Subcommittee, Government Operations and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee and Justice Appropriations Subcommittee.

The moderator for the panel discussion is Todd Jennings, Tiger Bay past president, vice chairman of the Pinellas County Republican Party and attorney with the law firm of MacFarlance, Ferguson and McMullen in Clearwater.

The Suncoast Tiger Bay Club is a nonpartisan political club founded in 1978 to foster a better understanding of public issues and greater involvement of citizens in civic discussion. Members have the opportunity to participate in question and answer sessions with guest speakers.

Photo shows, from left, Larry Ahern Barb Haselden and Kathleen Peters.

 

Suncoast Tiger Bay | Larry Ahern | Barb Haselden | Kathleen Peters | Events | Politics | Tampabay News

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