Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County

The Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County Endorsements
Gulfport, Safety Harbor and Treasure Island
March 14th 2017 Municipal Elections

St. Petersburg, FL – The membership of the Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County have voted to endorse a slate of candidates for three local Municipal races. All candidates completed written surveys on equality issues and were interviewed at length by the organization’s Elections committee. Organization members and the public are strongly encouraged to support these candidates and assist in their campaigns.

GULFPORT – City Council – Ward 4
Candidate: Michael Fridovich
Recommendation: Endorsement
Background: Michael is the type of small town politician that is everywhere. He has served Gulfport well during his time in office and he has numerous endorsements to prove it. He has also supported all LGBT and human rights issues in his role as a Gulfport Council member and in other capacities. In the past and currently Michael has been active in numerous organizations including the ACLU, Neighborhood associations and numerous boards and councils. Michael is also an associate member of the Stonewall Democrats.

SAFETY HARBOR – Mayor
Candidate: Joe Ayoub
Recommendation: Endorsement
Background: Joe impressed committee members as the candidate with the best skills and leadership qualities for the position. He is a CPA and the CFO of a growing technology company. In addition to strong LGBT support for his campaign, he also has endorsements from some Equality Leaders previously endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats and allies. Members were impressed with Joe’s work to find a smart middle ground for the city between preserving the small town atmosphere and reviving a struggling small town business district. This is a challenging and controversial matter, but the committee is recommending Joe as the best candidate for mayor.

TREASURE ISLAND – City Commission – District 4
Candidate: Deborah Lynn Toth
Recommendation: Endorsement
Background: Deborah is running her first political campaign primarily in response to her belief that the city commission was tone deaf as to the public’s desires concerning redevelopment. She intends to bring a different perspective to the commission. The answer is not always increasing building height and density. As a nurse Deborah sees equality the same way she treats all of her patients – equally. Deborah recalled times when she had to bend the rules in order to communicate with same sex partners. She has expressed strong support of all of our equality issues. We enjoyed meeting her and providing a little more LGBT education.