Thirty years ago, Ken Welch's father sought unsuccessfully to become the first Black mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Welch wore his dad's campaign button Tuesday when he claimed a resounding victory for the top office in the once-segregated city.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Thirty years ago, Ken Welch's father sought unsuccessfully to become the first Black mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Welch wore his dad's campaign button Tuesday when he claimed a resounding victory for the top office in the once-segregated city.
Beneath its sunny exterior and tourist-friendly beaches, the St. Petersburg area has a troubled history of segregation, including racial unrest in 1996 after police fatally shot an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop. The green benches that once famously lined the city's sidewalks were popular, but off-limits to Black people until St. Petersburg leaders removed them in the 1960s, not for racial reasons but because they wanted a more youthful image than elderly people sitting there.
Welch, 57, is no stranger to local politics, having served five terms on the Pinellas County Commission. He was the second Black person elected to that panel. Before politics, Welch earned an accounting degree from Florida A&M University and worked in that field for several years, including for his father's firm. On Jan. 6 he will succeed Rick Kriseman, who is stepping down due to term limits.
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