Incumbent Jennifer Salmon Supports Public Art, Environmental Cleanup, and Organic Gardening

Name: Jennifer Salmon

Ward: Council Member for Ward 3

Opponent: James Perry

Occupation: Researcher, Teacher (Part Time)

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in American Literature at Middlebury College, Vermont
• Master's Degree in Librarianship at the University of Washington, Seattle
• Ph.D. in Aging Studies at the University of South Florida, Tampa

Council Member Jennifer Salmon is running for re-election because she feels like "there (are) still things to get done."

"I think I have more to offer the city," Salmon said.

Looking back the past two years, Salmon recalls several accomplishments that she's truly proud of. She spearheaded efforts to offer Voluntary Pre-Kindergarden at the Gulfport Recreation Center, establish curbside recycling, create online bill paying for residents and more.

While Salmon's No. 1 priority is to balance the city's budget, she says she has other ideas to improve the city and the quality of life for residents.

Extend Natural Gas Lines

Salmon wants to increase residents' access to natural gas. “We don’t have gas lines throughout the whole city (and) there’s a lot of interest in expanding that.” She points out that an initiative such as that may not cost the city anything at all. It could be as simple as working out an agreement between residents and the company.

Organic Gardening and Public Art

"There’s so much opportunity for all of our parks, to do a lot more sustainable care in our parks and marry that with art. The city doesn't have to go buy a bunch of art. There's all sorts of things you can do."

Clam Bayou

Salmon says she wants to "finally resolve the Clam Bayou issue." Calling it "an area of unfinished business." Salmon says that six years ago she believed it was not environmentally safe to dredge Clam Bayou and remove sediments. She says she was "part of the group that rallied against the solution. I admitted that after I went out and viewed the situation (and) read the reports. It’s not an easy thing to do."

Since then, Salmon says she's conducted her own research and has concluded that she would like to see if dredging can be done and sediments can be removed safely.

Balancing the Budget

Salmon wants to approve another balanced budget in 2012. She acknowledges that if the economy does not improve and property values dip even more, there may be more tough decisions.

Ward 3 Issues

Salmon says there are three main issues in her ward. She says there is concern about what appears to be drug houses in different parts of Ward 3. “We’re so far in from the major arteries, it’s surprising.” She also believes speeding is a problem. "We are a pedestrian city. When we have some people who routinely speed through the streets." Salmon also says maintaining alleys can be difficult. “The hard part about maintaining the alleyways (is) those are all permeable surfaces. It would be less maintanence if we paved them, but it’s not good for the environment to pave them. I couldn’t really support (that), a lot of people take it into their own hands and put shells down."

For more information

Salmon does not have a campaign manager. She does have a campaign website at www.electjennifersalmon.com. You may contact Jennifer Salmon at (727) 399-7746 or email her at Elect_Jennifer@tampabay.rr.com.

The citywide vote is Tuesday, March 13. For more information about the municipal elections, refer to the the city's website.

Gulfport Patch has a Ward Map with this story.