Incumbent Leslie Curran, 53, has led the recent effort to turn the derelict Crislip Arcade in Central Avenue‘s 600 block into an artists’ community. In 2007, she initiated the seasonal Art in the Park in downtown’s Williams Park on Saturdays. Those efforts demonstrate her commitment to the city’s arts scene and to improving [...]]]> St Petersburg Times

Incumbent Leslie Curran, 53, has led the recent effort to turn the derelict Crislip Arcade in Central Avenue‘s 600 block into an artists’ community. In 2007, she initiated the seasonal Art in the Park in downtown’s Williams Park on Saturdays. Those efforts demonstrate her commitment to the city’s arts scene and to improving the downtown. She deserves another term.

It would be nice to see Curran summon the energy she devotes to the arts and to downtown issues to more aggressively address broader issues. Most of the time, Curran is a solid council member who understands government. But she can let issues run their course rather than push for change.

A notable exception is Curran’s recent effort, along with new council member Karl Nurse, to make the council’s committee meetings, where significant policy discussions occur, more accessible to the public. While this is welcome, voters might wonder why she hadn’t done so sooner. Still, the art gallery owner has demonstrated proficiency in the job and has more expertise than her opponents.

St. Petersburg native Jason Diviki, a printer and Navy veteran, brings a fresh and appealing perspective to the race from Crescent Lake, where he is the neighborhood association president and involved with the Council of Neighborhood Associations. Educator Pamella Settlegoode recently returned to St. Petersburg after living in Oregon where she was a key player in her neighborhood association. Settlegoode, 60, has framed her campaign as the antidote to Curran and has been a vocal opponent of the city’s proposal for revitalizing BayWalk, including vacating the city’s ownership of an adjacent sidewalk. Curran, so far, has supported the reasonable plan. Diviki, 37, has no direct critique of Curran’s performance but believes it’s time for a new face. Curran won her current seat in 2005 but represented another district from 1989-1998.

Neither opponent offers the same command of the issues as Curran. In District 4, the Times recommends Leslie Curran.