Gulfport City Council

Councilor Dan Liedtke Named Vice Mayor

Councilor Jennifer Salmon nominated Dan Liedtke for Vice Mayor following Mayor Henderson's recommendation.

Outgoing Vice Mayor Sam Henderson was sworn into office as Gulfport Mayor Tuesday night, leaving the position vacant. Mayor Henderson recommended council get back on the rotation for Vice Mayor, which meant Ward One Councilor Dan Liedtke would be next. Council Member Jennifer Salmon nominated Liedtke following the mayor's recomendation. All five councilors voted for Liedtke to move into the Vice Mayor position. Sign up for the Gulfport Patch email newsletter to stay connected to your community.

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Gulfport City Council

Sam Henderson to Run for Gulfport Mayor

Vice Mayor Sam Henderson wants to continue serving on the Gulfport City Council as the next Mayor of Gulfport.

Sam Henderson, Vice Mayor and Ward 4 councilmember, wants to continue serving Gulfport and it's residents. Henderson was elected as the Ward 4 representative in 2009, and then ran unopposed in 2011. Now, he wants to move forward as the city's next mayor. “I’m excited to do it and if people are happy with what I’ve done the last 3 and a half years, hopefully I will be the next Mayor," Henderson said. Henderson wants to continue with environmental projects and continue with Tangerine Greenway developments by connecting trails from the greenway to downtown and then to Clam Bayou. "I would like to see that connection from downtown also connect with the St. Pete spur that runs into Clam Bayou," he said. Henderson says he's looking forward to …

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Henderson Elected Gulfport Vice Mayor

After an initial vote failed to get Barbara Banno a majority and with a plea for unity by Mayor Yakes, Sam Henderson is unanimously elected as Gulfport's Vice Mayor.

After a contentious split and a request for unity by the mayor, the City of Gulfport finally has a new Vice Mayor. In the second vote of the evening, the council named Ward 4 Councilmember Sam Henderson to the role previously held by former Ward 1 Councilmember David Hastings. Hastings lost to Dan Liedtke by nine votes in the March 13 municipal election. The additional voting was needed after Ward 2 Councilmember Barbara Banno failed to get a majority in the first round. The main issue was availability. Ward 3 Councilmember Jennifer Salmon, who originally backed Banno, was concerned about the time commitment. She felt scheduling conflicts would prevent Henderson from being as strong a vice mayor as Banno. Henderson, who is a college …

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